White supremacist in Charlottesville, Va., says he ‘just came here for the fun’
Dismissive. Smirking. Skittish.
These are the words that describe a white supremacist after being exposed on video in Charlottesville, Va. The man, who was unidentified, was recorded dismissing white supremacy as “fun” to documentarian C.J. Hunt, who was in the city Saturday during the violent clashes between white supremacist groups and counterprotesters.
Hunt was there with his camera to expose one such supremacist, in the uniform — white polo shirt, khaki pants — of Vanguard America, the same group James Alex Fields Jr. congregated with. After Fields was accused of driving his car into a group of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring at least 19, the group denied affiliation with Fields.
The young man confronted by Hunt on camera told Hunt that he was scared, which is why he removed his uniform and proclaimed, “I’m not really white power, man. I just came here for the fun.”
Hunt continues recording, exchanging words with the supremacist and following him as he makes his way through the crowd.
(Warning: the video contains graphic language.)
Hunt: “So you just came here for the fun?”
Supremacist: “For the fun.”
Hunt: “So you’re not a real white supremacist?”
Supremacist: “Apparently, no. It’s kind of a fun idea.”
Hunt: “Which part?”
Supremacist: “Just being able to say, ‘Hey man, white power.’ You know?”
Hunt writes in GQ that as a person of color, “my identity is not a uniform I can take off when I am feeling unsafe.”
He goes on to write that he’s grown accustomed to the burden of life as a minority — how it makes him a target for “angry white men determined to take back what they think the world owes them.”
But he learned something about racism during the Charlottesville clashes.
“For most of my life, I’ve thought of racism as the vestiges of a dying generation,” he wrote. “It’s far more terrifying to behold a sea of young people for whom white supremacy is just a rec-league sport.”
Max Londberg: 816-234-4378, @MaxLondberg
This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "White supremacist in Charlottesville, Va., says he ‘just came here for the fun’."