Charlottesville aftermath persists into weekend

Cities across the country are responding to calls to remove Confederate monuments after violent clashes between white supremacists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Va., last week. Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer asked Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to convene an emergency meeting of state lawmakers to allow the city to remove the disputed statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Signer said the city must act “by denying the Nazis and the KKK and the so-called alt-right the twisted totem they seek.” The U.S. Conference of Mayors said Friday more than 250 of its members signed on to a compact to reject white supremacy and extremism, celebrate diversity, and ensure public safety while protecting free speech. Meanwhile, some cities are bracing for further protests and demonstrations this weekend. Boston plans to deploy about 500 officers to keep the peace at a free-speech rally planned for Saturday. The rally has been in the works since July as a response to liberal protesters’ shutting down conservative speaking events on college campuses. The event’s organizers have made last-minute changes to the list of presenters, some of whom had support from white supremacy groups. “We denounce the normalization of political violence,” the organizers wrote on their Facebook page.