Live Thread: James Fields, Jr. Murder Trial

James Fields Jr.’s murder trial begins this morning.

A year and three months later, we still have no idea what happened between the time Unite the Right was declared an “unlawful assembly” in Lee Park and the car crash at Fourth and Water Streets. Even the guys who were locked up with Fields in Charlottesville don’t know his side of the story. He was thrown in a dungeon and hasn’t been heard from since that afternoon:

“CINCINNATI – The Virginia murder trial of a white nationalist rally participant accused of killing a woman during a counterprotest in Charlottesville in 2017, is scheduled to begin Monday.

James Alex Fields Jr., 21, of Boone County, Kentucky, also is charged with federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court that could end up as a death penalty case.

Prosecutors say Fields killed one and injured dozens when he drove his car into a crowd of people protesting an Aug. 12, 2017, white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. Heather Heyer, 32, of Charlottesville was killed. …”

I had never heard of Fields until the car crash was on the news.

I didn’t run into him at the Unite the Right rally. We had left Charlottesville and pulled over at a Taco Bell to eat lunch when we heard about the car crash on Twitter. Initially, there was some speculation that someone else was responsible (Alex Jones and Gateway Pundit were sued for misidentifying the driver), but later in the day we found out it was Fields and that he had been at the rally.

What happened? I’m curious to see James Fields Jr’s defense.

We’ve heard that UNC professor Dwayne Dixon chased James Fields Jr. through Charlottesville with an AR-15. We know for a fact that Antifa was attacking groups leaving the rally. They attacked the League of the South at the Market Street Parking Garage. They attacked American Warrior Revolution and pinned them behind the Sultan Kebab restaurant. They pursued a group of NSM members across the downtown mall. They were chasing and attacking cars leaving the parking lot on Water Street.

Heather Heyer was with the group of Antifa who were throwing rocks at American Warrior Revolution. Courtney Commander recorded the assault on Facebook Live. She was later heard saying, “There’s about to be a war. Dem niggas goin to Garrett.” Shortly thereafter, Heather Heyer, Courtney Commander and Marissa Blair joined the group of Antifa who were parading down Water Street.

Why were Antifa allowed to parade through Charlottesville for over three hours after Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued his “State of Emergency”? Why weren’t the police clearing the streets and arresting people who were violating the “State of Emergency”? What happened to James Fields, Jr. during this three hour period? What was “the war” that “dem niggas” were going to before the car crash?

Hopefully, we will get some answers over the next few weeks. I will leave this discussion open for those who are following the trial can post updates in the comments.