In a viral photo taken Saturday in Charlottesville, a 20-year-old black protester named Deandre Harris is shown being beaten with poles by a small group of white men on the floor of a parking garage. The young man is now recovering from his extensive injuries, and has more than $100,000 to pay for his medical bills following an outpouring of support.
Earlier in a parking garage in #Charlottesville – white supremacists beat this black kid w/poles. [Photo for by @zdroberts @NationofChange] pic.twitter.com/LLPBPjb8si
— Zach D Roberts (@zdroberts) August 12, 2017
Harris says he arrived at Emancipation Park around 11 a.m. to protest the deluge of white nationalists who were convening around a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, which the city government had slated for removal.
“I was only there for a few minutes before I was hit with water bottles, maced with pepper spray, and had derogatory slurs hurled at me,” Harris wrote on his GoFundMe page. “I was brutally attacked by white supremacists in the parking garage right beside the Charlottesville Police Station. I was chased and beat with metal poles. I was knocked unconscious repeatedly. Every time I went to stand up I was knocked back down. If it was not for my friends that I came with I would have been beaten to a pulp. No law enforcement stepped in to help me.”
According to Harris, his injuries were too extensive to be treated at the scene, so he was taken to the Emergency Room at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. There he says he was diagnosed with a concussion and an ulnar fracture, as well as a wide laceration across his right eyebrow, abrasions on his knees and elbows, and a chipped tooth.
An NY Daily News journalist on the scene, Chuck Modiano, captured the incident on video.
Fight broke out. Nazis beat black kid w/sticks at end. I kick one in back 2 help & he runs after me. Kid is safe but bloody #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/kr11a8zQ0K
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 12, 2017
Harris’ GoFundMe to offset his medical expenses raised more than $106,534 in less than a day, with more than 4,000 people donating. (The page is now closed for donations.) The Root reports that the young aspiring hip-hop artist moved to Charlottesville from Suffolk, Virginia two years ago to work as an Instructional Assistant in the special education program at a local high school.
Harris is in the process of pressing charges. Harris’s mother, Felicia, is working with Zach Roberts, the photographer who snapped the shot, to identify the men who took part in the attack.
“I’m so blessed to be alive to tell my story and to show the world that racism is very much still alive,” Harris wrote. “I appreciate the support from my friends, family, and the news platforms that have reached out to check on me. We will not let this fade & disappear. People are carrying real hate in their hearts for the Black Community and I refuse to just let it happen.”
Several other GoFundMe campaigns for victims of violence in Charlottesville have raised sizable funds. One organized by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to cover medical bills, counseling, and other needs of injured “comrades” has surpassed its goal of $150,000. Other groups are soliciting funds as well, including such as Unity Cville, who say they are Charlottesville community members raising funds to support attack victims.
The campaign for the family of Heather Heyer, the counterprotester who was killed in the car attack, raised more than $225,010 before closing. A few pages for individual protesters are still open, including one for “Allie”, who was allegedly counter-protesting when she was hit in the car attack, and another for counterprotester Natalie Romero, who apparently sustained skull injuries in the incident.
Julie Strupp