So a racist white man drove his car through a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters and didn’t stop until he ran smack into the consequences of his own actions.
You see, hate makes you stupid. So stupid in fact that a bigot might find himself using his vehicle as a weapon and then immediately going on Facebook Live to brag about it. Next thing he knows, he’s staring at the floor like a sad dog with an equally sad hairline while some guy in a uniform snaps his mugshot. Then later down the line, that stupid bigot is sentenced to six years in prison with multiple felony charges still pending.
All of this is a reality for one proud KKK member in Henrico County, Va., who was convicted of six misdemeanors on Monday and was sentenced to one year per crime.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that 36-year-old Harry H. Rogers was found guilty of four simple assaults, property damage and a hit-and-run. Because all of the people Rogers struck with his vehicle are white, no hate crime enhancement was added to his charges, but he is still looking at three felony charges of attempted malicious wounding—one count for each person he hit during the June 7 incident.
From the Dispatch:
The incident unfolded around 5:45 p.m. June 7 on Lakeside Avenue near Vale Street. Several witnesses reported seeing a blue Chevrolet pickup truck, driven by Rogers, headed south passing the march, which was headed north.
The truck turned around, drove onto the median northbound to catch up to the crowd, then re-entered the travel lanes, revved its engine and drove through protesters marching in the roadway.
Two people who were struck by Rogers testified. A third victim was identified only as John Doe.
At one point, Rogers stopped and exited the vehicle, puffing his chest and showing off the pistol on his hip, according to the witnesses. His teenage son was in the passenger seat. He later told police that a protester had hit his son, but there was no evidence to support that. Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor said Rogers lied.
Rogers’ attorney, George Townsend, argued in court that protesters were hit because they purposely put themselves in the path of Rogers’ truck, which he claimed was moving “at a walking pace.” But that argument likely wasn’t taken very seriously considering the fact that shortly before he was arrested, Townsend’s idiot client went on Facebook Live to boast about what he had done saying the protesters “scattered like cockroaches” and that the whole thing was was “kind of funny if you ask me,” the Dispatch reports.
Investigators also found that Rogers was tipped off about the planned protest and went on Facebook Live while on his way to the march urging his followers to join him saying, “Let’s go have some fun.”
And that’s not all investigators found. From the Dispatch:
Police searched Rogers’ vehicle and the home he shares with his girlfriend and their son. Authorities found several firearms, including an assault-style rifle and the pistol Rogers had with him at the time of the incident, as well as a vest with extended magazine clips and ammunition. They also found memorabilia linking Rogers to the KKK, including patches, literature and a “green grand dragon robe.”
Sgt. Douglas Wood, head of the operational intelligence unit, commonly referred to as the gang unit, said one document found in Rogers’ glove box was “like a book of the Bible” to KKK members. “The Practice of Klanishness” lays out members’ ideology of racial superiority.
Rogers’ felony charges will be brought before a grand jury in September.