美国国家公共电台 NPR Charlottesville Businesses Worry Violent Rally Will Scare Tourists Away

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

A public memorial service will be held for Heather Heyer today. She's the 32-year-old woman who was killed when a man rammed 2 his car into counterprotesters in Charlottesville last weekend. President Trump 3 said yesterday, he's heard Heyer was a fantastic person. But he also blamed the counterprotesters, in part, for stoking the violence, calling them the alt-left. Community leaders say his remarks are a setback 4, as NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE 5: After Trump's remarks, Charlottesville Vice 1 Mayor Wes Bellamy had to control his anger. He says the president is showing where his loyalties 6 lie.

WES BELLAMY: That is just extremely disappointing that he would coin a term such as the alt-left and try to place blame, in some way, shape, form or fashion, on the individuals who, according to clergy 8 members, were saving their lives.

ELLIOTT: From the same park where Saturday's rally erupted into violence, Bellamy says Trump's message encourages hate groups to hide behind the First Amendment 9.

BELLAMY: So if these individuals want to continue to come back, that's on them. But they're not welcome here. I hope they got that message very loud and clear.

ELLIOTT: A small group of neo-Nazis got that message at a local barbecue joint 10.

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BRIAN ASHWORTH: Now, this is my beef brisket. I just flipped 11 them over. I start them on the fat cap side to render some of the fat out.

ELLIOTT: Brian Ashworth owns Ace 7 Biscuit & Barbecue. He had a confrontation 12 with a group of customers on Sunday.

ASHWORTH: One of them started putting Hitler salutes 13 out there to another one of them. And that's when I told them they had to go.

ELLIOTT: Downtown, many restaurants and storefronts along an eight-block pedestrian mall closed shop altogether on Saturday, the day of the rally. Joan Fenton has a gift shop and women's clothing store.

JOAN FENTON: It's been devastating 14.

ELLIOTT: Fenton is head of the Downtown Business Association and says now she fears people will be afraid to visit.

FENTON: This was like a little invasion of people who have left town. But as a result, people think maybe they shouldn't come to Charlottesville. And that's not who we are.

ELLIOTT: Several downtown stores have put up signs and placards declaring, this is our town, and if equality and diversity aren't for you, then neither are we. Mike Rodi first put one up at the window of his restaurant, Rapture 15, before a KKK rally earlier this summer.

MICHAEL RODI: If people were going to come out in support of the Klan, they needed to know, upon walking into my restaurant, we do have diverse customers. We do have diverse employees. And if they're going to have a problem with that, then they shouldn't even step inside.

ELLIOTT: Rodi's restaurant is on the corner where a car plowed 16 into counterprotesters. He says it feels like the city is under siege.

RODI: My hope is that a lot of people wake up and say, wow, what did we do? And that any further calls to action by these kinds of groups will result in diminished return.

ELLIOTT: But Rodi says he fears president Trump's comments late yesterday will only serve to embolden 17 hate groups, making it easier for them to get their next permit to demonstrate here. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Charlottesville, Va.

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