Thread by @socialistdogmom

charlottesville city hall press conference about the city's preparations for this weekend.

https://twitter.com/CvilleCityHall/status/1027267482292080640

brian wheeler opening things up, surrounded by the same cast & crew we’ve seen at the past community events about this weekend - city police, county police, uva safety VP, fire chief, state troopers, etc, along with local CW attorneys and UVA’s new chief of police.

new interim city manager mike murphy is delivering incredibly vague assurances.

he is acknowledging the "significant restrictions" that will be in place.
"the only acceptable outcome is that we ensure public safety" -- he is declaring a local emergency NOW, well in advance of the weekend.

police chief brackney now speaking. she is "confident" that "all of those gaps [last year's failures] have been filled."

brackney: "what you an expect to engage is a very significant law enforcement presence," calling it a "deterrent" to those who would "exercise their 1st amendment rights in a way" that would violate someone else's.

the "operational period" starts at 6pm friday, extending through monday morning.
"they are here to protect you and engage you in a very positive way."
they want a "successful outcome in which we control that narrative."

"it's hard to believe it's been a year ago that we had the tragic events here in charlottesville... civil unrest and violence."
VSP rep says "there is some good that can come out of this"

he, too, is "confident" in their "tremendous collaboration" and calls for "commending" the whole team.
"you'll see a lot of presence, and there's a reason for that."
there will be 700+ state troopers assigned here this weekend.

state police: "we all are wishing for a peaceful event this weekend. for folks to exercise their first amendment. nothing would excite us better" for this to be uneventful, for people to "go home."

"state police is fully prepared to act on any inciteful violence, any acts of violence, any violations of the law."
"there are a number of events" and people "deserve the right ot have a peaceful event, so we are gonna make sure that happens."

"they should be allowed to have that event without any incident at all" (who is they? what event? he went from plural to singular here.)

"we couldn't have done this without the citizens of charlottesville." he says there were a lot of "presentations" "meetings" and "discussions."

"continue to be vigilant. you can help deter some of these acts that might take place"
"we're looking forward to an uneventful event."

gloria graham from UVA up now.
"every single plan [...] is focused on safety."
"safety is the number one priority" "throughout this operational period."

she hopes this weekend will be marked not with violence but "with reflection, renewal, and with hope.
"we don't expect to get instant grace for things that folks think didn't go well in the past."

UVA hospital is the region's level 1 trauma center and is prepared "with resources."
(not saying it, but I assume this means they're prepared for a mass casualty incident)

she, too, is patting the whole team on the back for their great work.

albemarle county police chief up now. "we've been deeply involved in the planning" but have also been doing their own planning as a county. officers will be staged around the county for rapid response.

"the collaboration in the region has been phenomenal."
guys, save your praise for one another for the post-meeting.

"you will see more officers than you normally see" and all leave has been canceled.

parking will be restricted at the county office buildings on mcintire & fifth street, additional security measures in place.

dr. jeff stern, VA dept of emergency management -- the governor has proactively declared a state of emergency.
"we are treating this as a statewide event"

declaring a state of emergency allows for mobilization of additional resources "to include his [the governor's] role as the commander in chief as the virginia national guard"
the national guard has a representative there at the press conference.

the VA dept of emergency management will be at "condition yellow" effective friday.

two million dollars in state funding has been set aside for "contingencies"

cville fire chief andrew baxter now speaking. starts by praising the team. again.

"our plan is to be able to respond to a wide range of hazards" that may occur in the city, at UVA, or in the county. "this is not just focused on downtown charlottesville."

there is a long list of items that will be prohibited within the "downtown security area" that will have only 2 entry points. i'll post the map & list separately.

you will be denied entry to the "downtown security area" if you have any prohibited items.
wheeler now reading the anti-masking statute, which will be enforced.
**MASKING IS A FELONY IN V6CDmkGhWxJ

the farmers market will be canceled this weekend, but some vendors will be participating in a (non city sponsored) market at IX Park this weekend.
fridays after five is also canceled.
STAFFED parks & rec facilities are closed, but parks themselves are accessible.

wheeler says a link will be shared later to allow citizens to share media directly with the police. snitch hotline coming soon!

there will be a number of transit changes. the downtown transit station will be closed. wheeler refers the public to the city website for updates.
people are encouraged to use the water street parking garage & adjacent surface lots. market st garage avail. to permit holders only

434-979-INFO is the number for the local non-emergency line that will be staffed by volunteers this weekend.
now taking questions.

wheeler, replying to a question from a reporter: "we are closely monitoring intelligence about who might be coming or who might be going elsewhere"
the "flexible plan" isn't contingent on "who's coming or not coming or any permit or court case"

"the emphasis of the downtown security area is road closures and parking restrictions"
all pedestrian access to the mall will be limited to those two entry points, which includes access for residents & business owners.

brackney replying to a question about controlling access: mostly word salad. they communicated with seattle, portland, richmond, other cities who have experienced "these large demonstrations"

brackney: "none of your rights are suspended just because it's august 10, 11, 12 in charlottesville." assures us we won't be subjected to unwarranted search.

"it should be relatively easy to see" if someone has an axe, etc, but if you are discovered to have a concealable prohibited item, you will be prosecuted.

"we will not be asking you to open up your bags and searching you, unless there is some reason to do that."
"we will be engaging you first in conversation" and "it is in your best interest not to bring those items"

a reporter cheekily says she didn't see guns on the list. brackney responds curtly that's because they weren't on it. they cannot restrict firearms.

"how much of this plan was a direct result of talking with residents?" asks a reporter.
brian wheeler praises the city's effort to engage the community, citing the changes to parking restrictions around friendship court at the request of those residents.

"this is one of the top 5 deployments of law enforcement in the state's history. it's a big undertaking."
charlottesville will be a militarized zone this weekend. 700 state police, 300 national guard on standby, the entire cville & alb police depts...

brackney says "i want to clarify that" -- not all of those officers will be "out on patrol," and that they don't want it to look like a "militarized state."

"we will not reveal our plans or operations" but "you can imagine" if officers are out on patrol, they will be in protective gear.
"softer uniforms first, with the ability for quick response if we need those."

brackey: "we understand that our black and brown communities are often targeted first for intimidation" (i know she means by fascists, but this is true when talking about the police, too)
police have a "liaison" for "vulnerable populations"

reporter asking if they've been in contact with jason kessler, any information about his plans. brian wheeler says "i don't think we have anything to say about that."

brian starts to wrap up, alison farole from emergency management coordinator, taps him on the arm to remind him that the non emergency number mentioned earlier isn't active until friday morning.

conference over. welcome to the police state.