Charlottesville 2017 Rally Victims Will Soon Receive Funds

Funds that were raised last fall through a GoFundMe campaign will finally be distributed to more than 70 people who were injured or traumatized at the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 11, 2017.

Victims should receive payouts ranging from $1,000 to $29,494.99 from the National Compassion Fund, a nonprofit that collects and distributes funds directly to victims of mass crimes, such as a shootings or terrorist attacks. The National Compassion Fund was developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime, which has partnered with other mass casualty crime victims, including those from Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech, Oak Creek Temple, Columbine, and 9/11, according to its website.

Specifically, the funds for the victims of the Charlottesville white supremacy rally came from a GoFundMe campaign launched by a Democratic Socialists of America member of Alaska in August 2017. Then the GoFundMe contributions were sent to the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), which uses an umbrella-type nonprofit to distribute its funds, the National Compassion Fund. The fund for the Charlottesville victims contains $205, 984.97, according to news reports.

Seventy-one claims were approved. The estate of Heather Heyer, the counter-protester slain on Aug. 12, will receive $29,494.99. Two people who had “life-altering injuries” also will each receive $29,494.99. One person who spent between six nights and 14 nights in the hospital will receive $12,000. Seven people who spent between one night and five nights in the hospital will each receive $6,000.

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide