Several NAACP branches and the Butler County Democratic Party are planning a candlelight vigil Friday night to remember the victims in Charlottesville. Party Communications Director Brian Hester says the goal is to give the community an opportunity to honor those who were injured and killed during last weekend's events.
"And just to make a statement, to stand up against the hate that we've been seeing, not only in Charlottesville but, frankly, around here," he says. "Let's not forget that the person driving that vehicle has ties to southwest Ohio."
James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio is accused of driving his car into the crowd at the Charlottesville rally, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. Fields grew up in Northern Kentucky and is a 2015 Cooper High School graduate.
"It is a moral imperative of us as everyday citizens to stand up and say this will not be tolerated," Hester says.
The 7 o'clock vigil is at the Democratic party's headquarters in Hamilton. Participants are encouraged to bring their own candles.
The Greater Dayton chapter of Showing up for Racial Justice is planning an anti-white supremacy rally at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Centerville.