Assault of DeAndre Harris

{{main|Unite the Right rally}}

About 500 far-right protestors came to demonstrate their opposition to Charlottesville City Council's decision to remove Confederate monuments and memorials from public spaces.{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/12/542982015/home-to-university-of-virginia-prepares-for-violence-at-white-nationalist-rally|title=3 Killed in Violence Surrounding White Nationalist Protest in Virginia|publisher=NPR|last1=Ruiz|first1=Joe|last2=McCallister|first2=Doreen|date=August 12, 2017|access-date=October 18, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050547/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/12/542982015/home-to-university-of-virginia-prepares-for-violence-at-white-nationalist-rally|archive-date=August 13, 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/13683a34cd124ff28236cd7cbbc58b3a|title=Armed militia, clergy, more unite against white nationalists|date=August 14, 2017|work=Associated Press|access-date=August 18, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814175912/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2017/Opponents-of-the-Saturday-white-nationalist-rally-that-descended-into-chaos-included-clergy-students-Black-Lives-Matter-activists-armed-militia-members-and-protesters-with-the-anti-fa/id-13683a34cd124ff28236cd7cbbc58b3a |archive-date=August 14, 2017 }} These included self-identified members of the alt-right,{{cite news|url=https://www.modbee.com/news/article167213427.html|title='This is a huge victory.' Oakdale white supremacist revels after deadly Virginia clash|last1=Stapley|first1=Garth|date=August 14, 2017|work=The Modesto Bee|access-date=August 17, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815042856/http://www.modbee.com/news/article167213427.html|archive-date=August 15, 2017}} neo-Confederates,{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/neo-confederate-league-of-the-south-banned-from-protesting-in-charlottesville|title=Neo-Confederate League of the South Banned From Armed Protesting in Charlottesville|last=Weill|first=Kelly|date=March 27, 2018|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=August 12, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191020084409/https://www.thedailybeast.com/neo-confederate-league-of-the-south-banned-from-protesting-in-charlottesville|archive-date=October 20, 2019}} neo-fascists,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-40914748|title=A reckoning in Charlottesville|last=Gunter|first=Joel|date=August 13, 2017|access-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505231945/https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-40914748|archive-date=May 5, 2019|work=BBC News}} white nationalists,{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/state-emergency-charlottesville-va-fights-erupt-white-nationalist-rally|title=Three dead after white nationalist rally in Charlottesville|last=Kelkar|first=Kamala|date=August 12, 2017|work=PBS NewsHour|access-date=June 24, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514120323/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/state-emergency-charlottesville-va-fights-erupt-white-nationalist-rally|archive-date=May 14, 2018}} neo-Nazis,{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2017/08/13/heres-what-a-neo-nazi-rally-looks-like-in-2017-america/|title=Here's what a neo-Nazi rally looks like in 2017 America|last=Wootson|first=Cleve R. Jr.|date=August 13, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 12, 2018|url-access=limited}} Klansmen,{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/11/us/charlottesville-white-nationalists-rally-why/index.html|title=Why white nationalists are drawn to Charlottesville|last1=Park|first1=Madison|date=August 12, 2017|access-date=February 13, 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170812032104/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/11/us/charlottesville-white-nationalists-rally-why/index.html|archive-date=August 12, 2017|publisher=CNN}} and various right-wing militias.{{cite news|url=https://www.nbc29.com/story/38204693/settlements-from-unite-the-right-05-16-2018|title=3 Militia Groups Connected to Unite the Right Rally Settle Lawsuits|date=May 16, 2018|work=WVIR-TV|access-date=August 12, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214121756/https://www.nbc29.com/story/38204693/settlements-from-unite-the-right-05-16-2018|archive-date=February 14, 2019|editor-last=Early|editor-first=John}} The marchers chanted racist and antisemitic slogans, carried weapons, Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, the Valknut, Confederate battle flags, Deus Vult crosses, flags and other symbols of various past and present anti-Muslim and antisemitic groups.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-white-nationalists.html|title=Trump Gives White Supremacists an Unequivocal Boost|last1=Thrush|first1=Glenn|date=August 15, 2017|work=The New York Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170816044744/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-white-nationalists.html|archive-date=August 16, 2017|last2=Haberman|first2=Maggie|author-link=Glenn Thrush|author-link2=Maggie Haberman|url-access=limited|access-date=April 13, 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/far-right-groups-blaze-into-national-view-in-charlottesville.html|title=Far-Right Groups Surge Into National View In Charlottesville|last1=Fausset|first1=Richard|date=August 13, 2017|work=The New York Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816015808/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/far-right-groups-blaze-into-national-view-in-charlottesville.html|archive-date=August 16, 2017|last2=Feuer|first2=Alan|url-access=limited}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/local/charlottesville-videos/|title=Deconstructing the symbols and slogans spotted in Charlottesville|date=August 18, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170820164610/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/local/charlottesville-videos/|archive-date=August 20, 2017|url-access=limited}}{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/12/flags-and-other-symbols-used-far-right-groups-charlottesville|title=Flags and Other Symbols Used By Far-Right Groups in Charlottesville|website=Hatewatch|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=August 12, 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813181324/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/12/flags-and-other-symbols-used-far-right-groups-charlottesville|archive-date=August 13, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/white-supremacists-right-wing-extremists-richard-spencer.html|title=Far Right Plans Its Next Moves With a New Energy|last=Feuer|first=Alan|date=August 14, 2017|work=The New York Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171009201548/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/white-supremacists-right-wing-extremists-richard-spencer.html|archive-date=October 9, 2017|url-access=limited}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fights-in-advance-of-saturday-protest-in-charlottesville/2017/08/12/155fb636-7f13-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|title=One dead as car strikes crowds amid protests of white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville; two police die in helicopter crash|last1=Heim|first1=Joe|date=August 13, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170813080821/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fights-in-advance-of-saturday-protest-in-charlottesville/2017/08/12/155fb636-7f13-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|archive-date=August 13, 2017|last2=Silverman|first2=Ellie|last3=Shapiro|first3=T. Rees|last4=Brown|first4=Emma|url-access=limited|access-date=April 13, 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/nazis-racism-charlottesville/536928/|title=Why the Charlottesville Marchers Were Obsessed With Jews|last=Green|first=Emma|date=August 15, 2017|work=The Atlantic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817011443/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/nazis-racism-charlottesville/536928/|archive-date=August 17, 2017}}

Harris and several friends arrived at Emancipation Park (formerly known as Lee Park) in Charlottesville as counter-protesters at about 11:00 AM. Harris said that in the brief time he was at the rally, he was "hit with water bottles, pepper-sprayed and had derogatory slurs hurled" at him by protesters.{{cite news |first=Frances |last=Robles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/26/us/charlottesville-arrests.html |title=Two Men Arrested in Connection With Charlottesville Violence |newspaper=New York Times |date=August 26, 2017}} In less than an hour, law enforcement began to clear both protesters and counterprotesters from the park after McAuliffe had declared the rally an "unlawful assembly".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/08/charlottesville-uva-white-nationalist-protest-unite-the-right |magazine=Vanity Fair |title=Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Declares State of Emergency During "Unite the Right" Rally: White nationalists with tiki torches marched through the University of Virginia's campus Friday night |first=Emma |last=Stefansky |date=August 12, 2017|access-date=October 13, 2017}} The white supremacists came into closer contact with the counterprotesters lining the streets as law enforcement pushed them out of the Park. There were about a thousand counterprotesters.

According to photojournalist Zach D. Roberts, who witnessed the assault, the violence began when Charlottesville police pushed protesters into the streets where there were counterprotesters.{{cite news |url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a12007259/counter-protester-deandre-harris-beaten-by-white-nationalists-in-charlottesville/ |title=[Updated] Counterprotester Beaten by White Nationalists in Charlottesville Speaks Out: "How do you expect the KKK to come to your city to protest, and them not be violent?" |first=Leanna |last=Commins |date=August 15, 2017 |access-date=October 16, 2017 |work=Cosmopolitan}} Harris and a few friends were leaving the Park on East Market Street along with other counterprotesters and protesters, when Harris and his friends "exchanged words" with the white supremacists. This altercation was captured by journalist Chuck Modi, who also witnessed the beating. Roberts said that the exchange "spilled into a parking lot close to the Charlottesville Police Department building."{{cite news |url=https://www.theroot.com/deandre-harris-now-wanted-in-connection-with-same-attac-1819310947 |work=The Root |date=October 10, 2017 |access-date=October 16, 2017 |title=Deandre Harris Is Now Wanted in Connection With the Same Attack at a White Supremacist Rally Where He Was Seriously Injured, Because America |first=Breanna |last=Edwards}}

During the trial of assailant Jacob Scott Goodwin, arguments made by the defendant's attorney suggested that Harris had initiated the fight by "striking a prominent white nationalist in the head with a flashlight" in response to seeing "a fellow counterprotester being speared in the abdomen with a flagpole". According to The Washington Post, Harris said he swung a flashlight to try to "knock the flagpole away".{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/white-supremacist-is-guilty-in-charlottesville-parking-garage-beating-of-black-man/2018/05/01/033396b4-4af9-11e8-8b5a-3b1697adcc2a_story.html |title=White supremacist is guilty in Charlottesville parking garage beating of black man |date=May 2, 2018 |access-date=May 3, 2018 |first=Ian |last=Shapira}}

Harris was separated from his friends in the chaos of the crowd and was "cornered" by white supremacists{{cite video |date=October 13, 2017 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |first=Brooke |last=Baldwin |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/us/charlottesville-deandre-harris-arrest/index.html |title=Protester describes friend's bloody beating}}{{cite news |url=http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/2017/08/28/deandre-harris-witness-made-video-wboro-cville-video-local-kid-and-rally-protestors-runs-into-troubl/608508001/ |title=Deandre Harris witness made video with W'boro native about Charlottesville |first=Monique |last=Calello |date=August 28, 2017 |location=Waynesboro, Virginia |access-date=October 15, 2017}}{{cite news |date=October 13, 2017 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |newspaper=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/us/charlottesville-deandre-harris-arrest/index.html |title=Man beaten by white supremacists in Charlottesville is arrested |first1= Eric |last1=Levenson |first2=Amanda |last2=Watts }} who attacked him with poles, metal pipes, and wood slabs.{{cite news |first=Frances |last=Robles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/us/charlottesville-protest-police.html |title=As White Nationalist in Charlottesville Fired, Police 'Never Moved' |date=August 25, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |newspaper=New York Times}}{{cite news |first=Margaret |last=Matray |url=https://pilotonline.com/news/local/peace-walk-planned-for-suffolk-native-beaten-by-racists-in/article_044df878-ac87-57dc-b46c-7e0108c2a14b.html |title=Peace walk planned for Suffolk native beaten by racists in Charlottesville |newspaper=Virginian Pilot |date=August 19, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022013803/https://pilotonline.com/news/local/peace-walk-planned-for-suffolk-native-beaten-by-racists-in/article_044df878-ac87-57dc-b46c-7e0108c2a14b.html |url-status=dead }} Harris was pulled to safety by a woman known only as Karen and was seen by a "street medic with a first aid kit". Soon after, Roberts informed police about the assault on Harris, all the while voicing concerns that Harris never received any medical attention for about 30 minutes. Harris credited Karen for keeping him alive in the first half hour after the beating.{{cite news |url=https://www.wral.com/charlottesville-rally-organizer-condemns-violence-gov-says-incident-made-us-stronger-/16877938/ |title=I was losing so much blood': Counter-protester beaten with poles, signs in Charlottesville |date=August 13, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |work=WRAL-TV |location=Raleigh, North Carolina, North Carolina}}

Harris suffered a head laceration requiring eight staples, a concussion, a knee injury, a fractured forearm, a chipped tooth, internal injuries, and a spinal injury.{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Jackman |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/three-men-charged-in-charlottesville-attacks-on-counterprotesters/2017/08/27/f08930a4-8b5a-11e7-84c0-02cc069f2c37_story.html |title=Three men charged in Charlottesville attacks on counterprotesters |newspaper=Washington Post|date=August 27, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017}} The assault was captured by photographs and videographers, and the footage was disseminated throughout social media and mainstream news.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41599533 |title=Black man beaten in Charlottesville far-right rally charged |date=October 12, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |newspaper=BBC}}{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Wilson |url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/mcauliffe-wants-arrests-in-beating-of-deandre-harris-during-white/article_d7e6b88e-86df-11e7-8aec-3b49ad23a03b.html |title=McAuliffe wants arrests in beating of Deandre Harris during white supremacist violence |publisher=The Daily Progress |agency=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=August 21, 2017|access-date=October 13, 2017}} The Charlottesville Police Department, the Virginia State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched investigations into the assault.

Shaun King launched an Internet campaign to identify the men involved in the beating, calling on members of the public to examine photos and videos on social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.{{cite web |url=https://theintercept.com/2017/10/12/before-charlottesville-was-in-the-spotlight-police-arrested-their-most-prominent-critic-in-the-middle-of-the-night/ |title=White Nights: before Charlottesville Was in the Spotlight, Police Arrested Their Most Prominent Critic in the Middle of the Night |first=Alex |last=Emmons |date=October 12, 2017 |access-date=October 14, 2017}} This helped identify at least one of the attackers.{{cite news |url=http://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/charlottesville-beating-suspect-dan-borden-is-delaying-the-inevitable-former-judge-says |title=Charlottesville beating suspect Dan Borden is 'delaying the inevitable,' former judge says |first=Hillary |last=Lake |date=August 29, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |work=WCPO Cincinnati |location=Cincinnati, Ohio}} On August 24, nearly two weeks after the beating, 18-year-old Daniel P. Borden, who was seen wearing a "Commie killer" helmet at the rally, from Mason, Ohio, was charged.{{cite news |url=http://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/pd-former-mason-high-school-student-charged-in-charlottesville-attack |title=PD: Former Mason High School student charged in Charlottesville attack |first1=Abby |last1=Anstead |first2=Hillary |last2=Lake |first3=Jake |last3=Ryle |date=August 26, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017}}{{cite news |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-charlottesville-arrest-0827-story.html |title=Baltimore man among 3 more charged in Charlottesville, Va., white supremacist rally |agency=Associated Press |date=August 27, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-date=April 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421152730/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-charlottesville-arrest-0827-story.html |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |title='Commie Killer', ex-Mason student convicted in Charlottesville beating to be sentenced |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/01/06/commie-killer-ex-mason-student-daniel-borden-convicted-charlottesville-beating/2480871002/ |access-date=August 14, 2023 |website=The Enquirer |language=en-US}} On August 28, 33-year-old Alex Michael Ramos of Marietta, Georgia, a member of the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights (FOAK) a military branch of the Proud Boys, was arrested on charges of malicious wounding.{{cite news|title=Charlottesville suspect arrested in Georgia to be extradited |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/man-charged-in-charlottesville-beating-arrested-in-georgia/2017/08/29/6a7d92c8-8cce-11e7-9c53-6a169beb0953_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829221832/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/man-charged-in-charlottesville-beating-arrested-in-georgia/2017/08/29/6a7d92c8-8cce-11e7-9c53-6a169beb0953_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 29, 2017|agency=Associated Press|date=August 29, 2017|access-date=August 31, 2017}} 22-year-old Jacob Scott Goodwin from Ward, Arkansas, a member of neo-Nazi Billy Roper's Shield Wall Network (SWN) and the neo-fascist Traditionalist Workers Party (TWP), was arrested on October 11, 2017.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/third-white-supremacist-arrested-in-charlottesville-garage-beating-of-a-black-man/2017/10/11/49277d5c-ae8c-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html |title=Third white supremacist arrested in Charlottesville garage beating of a black man |date=August 28, 2017 |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=October 15, 2017}} On January 17, 2018, police in Charlottesville, Virginia obtained an arrest warrant for 49-year-old Tyler Watkins Davis of Middleburg, Florida, a member of League of the South.{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/37352990/charlottesville-police-arrest-4th-person-on-charges-related-to-deandre-harris-assault|title=Charlottesville Police Arrest 4th Person on Charges Related to DeAndre Harris Assault|access-date=January 27, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215124736/https://www.nbc29.com/story/38103796/alex-michael-ramos-court-05-03-2018/|archive-date=February 15, 2019}} On January 24, 2018, Davis was arrested by deputies from the Clay County Sheriff's Department.

Harris was attacked on social media and received death threats on his phone.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/white-supremacists-continue-target-badly-beaten-deandre-harris-article-1.3423236 |title=DeAndre Harris, brutally beaten in Charlottesville, is still getting threats from white supremacists |first1=Charles |last1=Modiano |first2=Larry |last2=McShane |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |date=August 18, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017}} His name was specifically mentioned in a United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) August 18 report, in which experts recalled the "horrific events in Charlottesville of 11–12 August 2017 leading to the death of Ms. Heather Heyer, and the injuries inflicted on many other protesters, as well as the terrible beating of Mr. Deandre Harris by white supremacists."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/world/un-trump-racism-charlottesville.html |title=U.N. Panel Condemns Trump's Response to Charlottesville Violence |first1=Sewell |last1=Chan |first2=Nick |last2=Cumming-Bruce |work=The New York Times |date=August 23, 2017 |access-date=October 18, 2017}}{{cite report |url=http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CERD/Shared%20Documents/USA/INT_CERD_EWU_USA_8285_E.pdf |publisher=United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination |number=93 |series=Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedures |location=Geneva |title=Prevention of racial discrimination, including early warning and urgent action procedures |pages=2 |quote=" The UN Committee experts condemned "the failure at the highest political level of the United States of America to unequivocally reject and condemn" racist violence." |access-date=October 18, 2017 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715135631/https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CERD/Shared%20Documents/USA/INT_CERD_EWU_USA_8285_E.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=57399#.WeeJBGhSwdU |agency=United Nations |title=UN rights experts criticize US failure to unequivocally reject racist violent events |date=August 23, 2017 |access-date=October 18, 2017}}

On May 1, 2018, white supremacist Jacob Scott Goodwin was convicted of the malicious wounding of Harris by a Charlottesville jury, which recommended a sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a $20,000 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=20000|start_year=2018}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) fine.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/white-supremacist-is-guilty-in-charlottesville-parking-garage-beating-of-black-man/2018/05/01/033396b4-4af9-11e8-8b5a-3b1697adcc2a_story.html White supremacist is guilty in Charlottesville parking garage beating of black man]. Ian Shapira, The Washington Post, May 1, 2018

On May 3, 2018, Alex Michael Ramos was convicted of malicious wounding by a jury in Charlottesville. They recommended a six-year sentence with no fine.{{cite news | author = | title = Updated: Jury Finds Ramos Guilty of Malicious Wounding | url = http://www.nbc29.com/story/38103796/alex-michael-ramos-court-05-03-2018 | work = NBC 29 Charlottesville | location = Charlottesville | date = May 3, 2018 | access-date = May 3, 2018 | archive-date = August 8, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180808220435/http://www.nbc29.com/story/38103796/alex-michael-ramos-court-05-03-2018 | url-status = dead }}

On May 21, 2018, Daniel Patrick Borden pleaded guilty to malicious wounding. Sentencing was expected in October 2018, but delayed until January 7, 2019, when he received a suspended sentence of 20 years, with three years and ten months of actual incarceration.{{cite web |last1=Caron |first1=Christina |title=Charlottesville Attacker Gets Nearly 4 Years in Prison for Beating of Black Man |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/us/daniel-borden-deandre-harris-charlottesville.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=January 13, 2019 |date=January 8, 2019}}

On August 23, 2018, Goodwin received a sentence of eight years (with an additional two years suspended), while Ramos received a six years sentence (with an additional three years of probation).{{cite news|author=Brett Barrouquere|title=Jacob Scott Goodwin, Alex Michael Ramos sentenced to state prison in beating of DeAndre Harris|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/08/24/jacob-scott-goodwin-alex-michael-ramos-sentenced-state-prison-beating-deandre-harris|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=August 24, 2018|access-date=November 8, 2018}}

On February 8, 2019, Tyler Watkins Davis entered an Alford plea on the malicious wounding charge; he received a sentence of two years and one month.{{cite news |last1=Shapira |first1=Ian |title=Ex-white nationalist found guilty in beating of black man in Charlottesville parking garage |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ex-white-nationalist-found-guilty-in-beating-black-man-in-charlottesville-parking-garage/2019/02/08/f701706c-2b0a-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=February 9, 2019}}

Members of the North Carolina's League of the South, a white supremacist organization, including 48-year-old Harold Ray Crews, the League's North Carolina chairman, and the League's public relations spokesman, Hunter Wallace, alleged that Harris had injured Crews during an altercation in front of the parking garage just before Harris's own beating.{{cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/black-man-who-was-bludgeoned-racists-charlottesville-turns-himself-police-683738 |title=The Black Man who was bludgeoned by racists in Charlottesville turns himself in to police |newspaper=Newsweek |first=Harriet |last=Sinclair |date=October 12, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/arrest-warrant-issued-man-brutally-beaten-charlottesville-rally-n809291|title=Arrest Warrant Issued for Man Brutally Beaten at Charlottesville Rally|author=Tim Stelloh|work=NBC News|date=October 9, 2017}} The League of the South presented their evidence to both the Charlottesville Police and the commonwealth of Virginia attorney. When they did not issue a warrant, Wallace and Crews went to Merlyn Goeschl, a local judge.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-man-beaten-by-white-supremacists-in-charlottesville-turns-himself-in-to-police/2017/10/12/2dad7a1c-af73-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html |title=Black man beaten by white supremacists in Charlottesville turns himself in to police |date=October 12, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |first=Ian |last=Shapira }} On October 9, Goeschl signed a warrant for Harris' arrest on a felony charge of unlawful wounding.{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/black-man-attacked-charlottesville-rally-charged-171013065312451.html |title=Black man attacked at Charlottesville rally charged |first=Creede |last=Newton |work=Al Jazeera |access-date=October 13, 2017}} Goeschl later explained that she "found probable cause to believe Harris committed the offense based on the personal statements of Crews."{{cite news |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-white-supremacists-got-the-black-man-they-brutally-beat-charged-with-felony/ |work=Vice News |date=October 13, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |title=Alternative facts: How white supremacists got the black man they brutally beat charged with felony}}{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-deandre-harris-arrest-20171012-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 12, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2017 |title=Black man beaten by white nationalists is charged with assaulting man in Charlottesville melee}} The warrant was issued on October 9 and Harris turned himself in three days later. He was immediately released without having to post a secured bail.{{cite web |url=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/harold-ray-crews-league-of-the-south-deandre-harris-warrant |title=Neo-Confederate Leader Behind Arrest Warrant For Black Man Beaten In C'Ville |work=Muckraker |access-date=October 13, 2017 |date=October 11, 2017 |first=Allegra |last=Kirkland}}

Interpretations of video footage differ on whether Crews used a flagpole to attack "another counterprotester" or Harris himself:

:According to an October 12 Washington Post article by Ian Shaphira, "online footage shows Crews trying to spear another counterprotester with the pole of a Confederate flag, prompting Harris to fight back. Harris swung his flashlight at Crews, appearing to hit him."

:According to an October 12 BBC article, "Video of the incident appears to show a scuffle between the two in which Mr Harris swings a torch at a man identified by US media as Mr Crews, who lunges at him with the pole of a Confederate flag."

:Hunton & Williams reported{{cite web|url=https://triad-city-beat.com/meet-harold-ray-crews-main-street-white-nationalist/|title=Meet Harold Ray Crews, the Main Street white nationalist|first=Jordan|last=Green|date=December 5, 2017}} "a counter-protester attempted to yank a flag away from a Unite the Right demonstrator who resisted and fought back. During that struggle, a second counter-demonstrator named DeAndre Harris rushed in and used a club — possibly a Maglite flashlight — to strike the alt-right demonstrator’s head or shoulder."

Harris' attorney S. Lee Merrit said, "It was a flimsy swing. It would not have justified the kind of charges brought in this case." He later provided NBC News with another video clip shot on August 12 later in the day, when DeAndre was already hospitalized. According to Merritt, the video showed a group of white men attacking Crews, with one of them striking Crews in the head with a blunt object.{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/man-attacked-charlottesville-charged-assault-unexpected-turn-n809576 |title=Man Attacked in Charlottesville Charged With Assault in Unexpected Turn |first=Trymaine |last=Lee |date=October 10, 2017 |work=NBC News |access-date=October 13, 2017}}

In an interview with The Washington Post, Shaun King said, "I am disgusted that the justice system bent over backwards to issue a warrant for one of the primary victims of that day, when I and others had to fight like hell to get that same justice system to prosecute people who were vicious in their attacks against Harris and others. Now, we're seeing white supremacists celebrate on social media, bragging about Harris's arrest. They're hailing this as a victory."{{cite news |url=https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/11/16458694/deandre-harris-charlottesville-video |title=DeAndre Harris was attacked by racists in Charlottesville. Now he faces criminal charges |first=German |last=Lopez |date=October 11, 2017 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |newspaper=VOX}}

On January 10, 2018, Judge Robert Downer downgraded the charge to misdemeanor "assault and battery", an offense that does not carry jail time.{{cite news |title=Charlottesville Judge Sets Trial Dates for DeAndre Harris and Corey Long |first=John |last=Early |date=January 10, 2018 |access-date=January 23, 2018 |newspaper=NBC29 |url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/37234004/deandre-harris-and-corey-alexander-long-court-01-10-2018 |archive-date=August 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809215449/http://www.nbc29.com/story/37234004/deandre-harris-and-corey-alexander-long-court-01-10-2018 |url-status=dead }}

Also on January 10, law enforcement in Southampton County, Virginia charged him for speeding, transporting a loaded rifle and possession of a concealed weapon. This resulted in a new restriction for violating his bond: Offender Aid and Restoration supervision until March 16, when his trial is set.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/37349901/deandre-harris-court-01-25-2018 |website=nbc29.com |date=February 8, 2018 |title=DeAndre Harris Faces New Restrictions After Bond Hearing |first=John |last=Early |quote=Harris appeared for a bond hearing in Charlottesville General District Court Thursday, January 25. He had been charged by law enforcement in Southampton on January 10 for speeding, transporting a loaded rifle, and possession of a concealed weapon. The judge handed down new restriction for violating terms of the bond: Harris will now be under OAR (Offender Aid & Restoration) supervision until his trial on March 16. |access-date=February 28, 2018 |archive-date=February 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228100734/http://www.nbc29.com/story/37349901/deandre-harris-court-01-25-2018 |url-status=dead }}

On March 16, Harris was found not guilty of assault by Judge Robert Downer.[http://www.newsplex.com/content/news/Harris-found-not-guilty-of-assault-477105073.html Harris found not guilty of assault] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316235418/http://www.newsplex.com/content/news/Harris-found-not-guilty-of-assault-477105073.html |date=March 16, 2018 }}. WCAV, March 16, 2018

A 207-page independent review, commissioned by the City of Charlottesville and prepared by Timothy J. Heaphy, was released on December 1, 2017. The "unsparing" report assessed Charlottesville's "response to three separate white supremacist events in the city" in 2017. Most of the blame was placed on the Charlottesville Police Department but the actions of the "Charlottesville City Council, attorneys from the city and state, the University of Virginia and the Virginia State Police" were also criticized.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charlottesville-response-to-white-supremacist-rally-sharply-criticized-in-new-report/2017/12/01/9c59fe98-d6a3-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html |title=Charlottesville response to white supremacist rally is sharply criticized in report |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=December 12, 2017 |first=Joe |last=Heim}} The report concluded that, "[a]lmost everything that could have been mishandled was." "Virginia state troopers...had orders to protect Emancipation Park but not to go beyond the park into "the mess on Market Street."{{cite report |url=http://www.charlottesville.org/home/showdocument?id=59615 |title=Independent review of the 2017 protest events in Charlottesville, Virginia |first=Timothy |last=Heaphy |publisher=Hunton & Williams |location=Virginia |pages=207 |date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=2017-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226033207/http://www.charlottesville.org/home/showdocument?id=59615 |archive-date=2018-02-26 |url-status=dead }} Shortly after the publication of the report on the white supremacist rally that was "highly critical of the police department", Charlottesville Police Chief Alfred Thomas resigned.{{cite news |title=Charlottesville police chief resigns in wake of report on white supremacist rally|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charlottesville-police-chief-resigns-in-wake-of-report-on-white-supremacist-rally/2017/12/18/536ac8a2-e42c-11e7-a65d-1ac0fd7f097e_story.html|date=December 18, 2017 |quote=Charlottesville Police Chief Alfred Thomas resigned abruptly Monday, just 17 days after the release of a report that was highly critical of the police department's handling of a white-supremacist rally in August that turned deadly in the Virginia city|newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 1, 2017}}

Merritt said, "In an atmosphere where it is now clear law enforcement was instructed to stand down and allow violent supremacists to attack civilians, it seems only appropriate the city of Charlottesville reduce the demonstratively unjust charges against Mr. Harris, and we encourage the city to go even further with a total dismissal."{{cite news |title=Felony Charges Against DeAndre Harris Dropped in Charlottesville, Va., White Supremacist Rally |first=Yesha |last=Callahan |date=December 8, 2017 |access-date=December 12, 2017 |publisher=The Root |url=https://www.theroot.com/felony-charges-against-deandre-harris-dropped-in-charlo-1821138524}}

{{reflist}}

{{Unite the Right rally}}

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Category:People from Suffolk, Virginia

Category:Politics and race in the United States

Category:Unite the Right rally

Category:Terrorist incidents in Virginia

Category:Neo-fascist terrorist incidents in the United States

Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2017

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:2010s crimes in Virginia

Category:League of the South

Category:Crime in Charlottesville, Virginia

Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Virginia

Category:White nationalist terrorism in the United States