The independent report commissioned by Charlottesville on the police response to “Unite the Right” Rally was released earlier this week. C-ville PD’s response has gotten much of the coverage, but I wanted to dig into the report’s assessment of UVA. 1/ washingtonpost.com/local/charlott…
It’s particularly scathing against UVA Police Chief Michael Gibson. The report posits that “the lack of police intervention on Friday night set a dangerous tone for the events of the next day.” People were likely “emboldened” by the weak response they saw on video, it says. 2/ 
UVA Police were aware of plans for some sort of torch-lighting ceremony on campus grounds on Aug. 9. Gibson was advised the march presented a “fire safety issue” and that UVA should “think ahead and plan.” 3/
The report faults Gibson for not coordinating with other police departments and for failing to separate the white supremacists from counter protesters. Gibson told interviewers he considered the march like any other political event. 4/
The report expands more on what they lack of coordination meant. 5/
At 7:41 pm, the University learns of a social media post that confirms a march will take place on university grounds. However, mutual aid is not requested from local police departments. 6/
Local police departments went as far as to reach out UPD and offer assistance. Described as relatively unconcerned by the report, Gibson said UVA was “good for right now.” “Gibson’s lack of concern was also shared by senior members of the UVA administration.” 7/
The university did not send any text alerts or similar messages to the community. The report says this “exposed bystanders and raised the prospect of their unforeseen exposure to a contentious demonstration.” 8/
At 10:07, local law enforcement again ask UVA if assistance is needed. And again, they are rebuffed. 9/
Nine minutes later, at 10:16, an officer “finally requested” assistance from local police. However, many of the participants were already dazed or fleeing at that point. 10/
No one knew who was in charge at this point. But they eventually got themselves together. 11/
“Gibson downplayed the incident, noting that it lasted for less than an hour and did not result in any serious injuries.” After the rally, he learned about UVA’s open flame policy. 12/
One of the rally planners, Cantwell, was shocked at the police response. “If you notify law enforcement that white nationalist were going to march on a public university with torches, you would think they would take an interest.” 13/
The report also faulted UVA for not providing enough assistance to local police departments when they requested it. 14/
Needless to say, no one seems to have played well together. 15/
One team that did get high marks in this was Tom Berry and UVA Health Systems. The report praised them for how seriously they took the rally, and the decisions they made to free up resources and the quickness with which they treated the injured. 16/
The Chronicle’s @jackstripling is cited in the report. You can read his most recent story here: chronicle.com/article/inside… … 17/END
