Time Magazine's Top 100 Photos of 2017: Our own Zach D. Roberts’ photo of the beating of a Black school teacher De'Andre Harris by neo-Nazis. The five men beating the teacher are the "good people" lauded by ...more
By Greg Palast with Zach D. Roberts for Truthout
We can’t make this up: African-American school teacher DeAndre Harris, victim of a beating by neo-Nazis in Charlottesville in August, has been — ready for this? — charged with assaulting the white supremacists who beat him with boards, iron rods, and brass knuckles.
That is correct. Harris, in photos released by Truthout and carried worldwide, was shown being beaten close to death — has now been charged with the same crime as his attackers: “unlawful wounding”.
Several of Harris’ attackers remain on the run — and local and federal officials show little interest in going after them. Yet, a Charlottesville magistrate issued a warrant to arrest Harris yesterday, October 9. …more
On Monday, August 27, police finally arrested the second of two assailants identified from Palast Investigative Fund photographer Zach D. Roberts’ Charlottesville photos. Alex Michael Ramos, who surrendered himself to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia on Monday evening, has been charged with one count of malicious wounding. Fellow attacker, Dan Borden, faces a similar charge for the brutal assault of Black school teacher De’Andre Harris, which nearly cost him his life.
Still missing, the FBI moving on the others whom the attackers must know, including the man with the gun pictured below. (Thanks to Titter user @extapdancer for digitally enhancing the shot with a program called “Unshake” — see inset.)
“While we’re happy that arrests are going forward… these two men were identified immediately by journalists who covered the rally. There have been no additional identifications of any of the other participants by law enforcement,” said Harris’ attorney, Lee Merritt, in an interview for Democracy Now!. “We just hope that people don’t settle with these two arrests and that law enforcement doesn’t think that the job is done with these arrests.”
Note that the Justice Department has brought no charges for crossing state lines with intent to commit violence. (Maybe Jeff sessions thinks that the other attackers were “very fine people“.)
“I’m also concerned in these arrests that they have been undercharged. Each were charged with one felony account of a malicious assaulting,” said Merritt. “We’re talking about a group of white supremacists who attacked a young black male at a white supremacist rally while shouting racial slurs… if this doesn’t set the table for hate-based criminal charges, I don’t know what will.” …more
“Suddenly, a fight breaks out behind me. De’Andre Harris comes running out and is followed by about a dozen white supremacists, who are chasing him with clubs, helmets and shields and every sort of weapon they could find. And they shove him into a parking arm. He falls down. They keep beating him, kicking him, using whatever they can find.”
Palast Investigative Fund photographer Zach D. Roberts is interviewed by Nermeen Shaikh for Democracy Now! about the brutal beating of De’Andre Harris he witnessed and caught on camera in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017.
You can see more of Zach D. Roberts’s images from Charlottesville here. Zach also got an exclusive interview with De’Andre Harris, which you can find here. …more
Neo-Nazi Dan Borden, who nearly beat Black school teacher De’Andre Harris to death in Charlottesville on August 12, has been arrested after being identified via photos taken by courageous Palast Investigative Fund photographer Zach D. Roberts. Borden also assaulted Roberts, who kept taking photos of the skinhead attackers even after the attackers’ pal pulled a gun.
Journalism saves lives—when it doesn’t lie.
Borden, 18, a former Mason High School student from Ohio, was charged with malicious wounding by Charlottesville police on Thursday, August 24 for the brutal assault of Harris. He was arrested the following day and is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center in Cincinnati, OH awaiting extradition.
The attack took place in a parking garage on Market Street — right next to the Charlottesville Police Station. Our photographer Zach Roberts took photos of the attack, which have since gone viral and have been reprinted online and in newspapers around the world. However, neither Roberts, Harris, or myself have been contacted by police, the FBI or Department of Justice officials.
Since this is a federal crime, involving actors who conspired and crossed state lines, we decided to contact the FBI ourselves to seek justice for Harris. This video documents the seven calls we made on Friday, August 18 in a frustrating attempt to report the near-murder of Harris.
By Zach D. Roberts | Nation of Change
No, the terrorist attack on peaceful counter protesters Saturday in Charlottesville was not an isolated incident. Anyone who says that is lying to you.
I don’t want no damn healing words from Donald Trump. I want the Justice Department to hunt down the white terrorists. Neither the FBI nor the Charlottesville police have asked for the hi-res photos of this attack taken by our photographer Zach D Roberts. And there’s been no contact at all with the victim, De’Andre Harris. Justice, not tears.
Get the full story behind this powerful image here.
Don’t look away. Four white neo-Nazis are beating a Black man, crawling on the ground, with their metal poles and a yellow hunk of lumber. The beating continues — there’s blood on the pavement.
Our photographer, Zach D. Roberts, continues to shoot — even as a white militant raises a 9mm pistol to his face.
Zach got a shot of the gun and gunman, too. Luckily, the gunman didn’t shoot back. …more
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