BRIDGEPORT — Blue City Cycles and a local workers rights group will host a fundraiser for the victims of the Charlottesville attack Thursday at the neighborhood bike shop.
Attendees can help raise money for the victims as well as mourn and process the events over the weekend in Charlottesville, Va., where 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed and 19 people were wounded when a white nationalist rammed his car into a group of protesters.
The event will be part fundraiser, part community forum and organizing event, according to the Chicago General Defense Committee, a group whose aim is to organize and provide "defense" for the working class, according to its website.
Money from the event will benefit the medical fees of the 19 people injured while protesting a white supremacy demonstration in Charlottesville, and community members will be free to discuss ways to root out white supremacist views locally and elsewhere, said Nat, an organizer with the Chicago General Defense Committee. An affiliated group has compiled a list of the victims' medical expense GoFundMe pages, where the locally raised funds will be distributed.
"There's just a lot of charged emotions," said Nat, who asked not to give her last name because of her work organizing against white supremacists. "People want to know how they can help. This is chance for the community to grow."
The event at 7:30 p.m Thursday at the bike shop, 3201 S. Halsted St., will include local art, an open mic and other entertainment, as well as a raffle, Nat said. A $10 suggested donation will be collected at the door, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds, she said.
"In moments like these ... this is an opportunity for folks to come together," Nat said.
Visit the event's Facebook page for more information.
