Earlier this morning, Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered to protest the district court’s conviction of Corey Long for misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct. Long was a counter protester during August’s Unite the Right rally. He faces these charges in response to using a flame-throwing device against a white supremacist.
His trial was around 10:35 a.m. today. Protests began when the judge found Long guilty and sentenced him to twenty days in jail and one hundred hours of community service.
The group of protestors began at the Charlottesville General District court and marched through the Downtown Mall towards the infamous Robert E. Lee statue. Chants of “Corey Long did nothing wrong” rang throughout the area.
The organizers of the Drop the Charges Campaign handed out statements to participants and pedestrians:
“We are outraged that Corey Long has been convicted for simply asserting his humanity in the face of white supremacist violence. After August 12, thousands of people across the country celebrated Corey’s image as a symbol of resistance to the violent white supremacist incursion on Charlottesville. Now Corey has been convicted by Commonwealth Attorney Joe Platania and the courts of a crime for his brave actions to protect Charlottesville… We cannot let our government be used to further the fascist agenda.”
A brief verbal disagreement occurred when police told the protestors they could not obstruct the sidewalk. The protestors moved onto the grass and the officer left.
Today’s event was peaceful and resulted in no injuries or altercations. Corey has ten days to appeal the conviction.
