Don, Cruising in one of Uncle Charlie's old trucks

You guys better sit down for this one. I’ve been telling you about this civil lawsuit filed by nine plaintiffs against the Charlottesville rally organizers. I did a little digging and asked how the nine plaintiffs initiated the suit, and it turns out it was entirely Roberta Kaplan’s idea! Here’s how it went down: Roberta Kaplan watched the violence unfold on national news and within 48 hours, decided to pursue a civil conspiracy lawsuit under the Ku Klux Klan Act. She quickly reached out to trusted local contacts in Charlottesville—including attorney and journalist Dahlia Lithwick—for introductions to victims, witnesses, and counter-protesters who had been directly impacted. forward.com Kaplan and members of the legal team flew to Charlottesville within as little as 48–72 hours after August 12. They met in person with a group of affected residents, counter-protesters, students, clergy, and people injured in the events, including those struck or nearly struck in James Fields’ car attack. Several of those met became plaintiffs. Kaplan has described actively “seeking appropriate plaintiffs” during these visits and cautioning participants about the personal sacrifices involved in a high-profile lawsuit. Many of the eventual plaintiffs or people who knew them were already visible in widespread media coverage as victims or counter-protesters. Examples include: • UVA students like Elizabeth Sines, a second-year law student at the time, and Devin Willis, who were part of the local university community. • Clergy like Rev. Seth Wispelwey, co-founder of Congregate, which organized interfaith counter-protests. • Individuals injured in the car attack (e.g., Marcus Martin, Marissa Blair, Natalie Romero, Thomas Baker, Chelsea Alvarado), some of whom were friends or coworkers of Heather Heyer and thus known locally/nationally. IFA’s Role: Amy Spitalnick, IFA’s executive director, coordinated the broader effort after Kaplan reached out to her with the idea to “sue some Nazis.” IFA provided the nonprofit infrastructure, funding for expenses, and strategic support, but the initial plaintiff identification and recruitment were handled by the legal team’s rapid, community-based outreach. The nine plaintiffs agreed to participate because they wanted accountability and to prevent future violence.

If you’re still claiming Republicans didn’t show up, point to @kevinnbass’s graph and tell me which part of 55.6M being 1.4M bigger than 54.2M you don’t understand.