Charlottesville, Va. • Police blocked off streets and mobilized hundreds of officers for the anniversary of white supremacist violence Charlottesville, Virginia. The security measures alarmed activists but reassured others who said they have painful memories of last year’s chaos.
State and local authorities framed the weekend's heightened security as a necessary precaution.
Late Saturday morning, when many businesses in a popular downtown shopping district were beginning to open, law enforcement officers outnumbered visitors. Concrete barriers and metal fences had been erected, and police were searching bags at two checkpoints where people could enter or leave.