CRIME

Sharpes father of Charlottesville victim: 'People need to stop hating'

Malcolm Denemark and J.D. Gallop
Heather Heyer, 32, of Charlottesville, Va., was killed in Saturday’s car attack after a protest involving white nationalists in the college town.

Mark Heyer, the father of the 32-year-old woman killed in the Charlottesville counter-protest against white nationalists, stood in front of his home in Sharpes on Monday, sharing thoughts about his daughter’s activism while offering to forgive the man charged with her death.

Heyer made the comments to FLORIDA TODAY Monday as community organizers, political leaders and others nationwide continued to condemn the events leading to Heather Heyer’s death. Monday afternoon, President Trump called the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and other white supremacist groups 'repugnant,' and called for national healing. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also tweeted over the weekend a special message of condolence for Heather Heyer's family. 

"Heather sacrificed her life in the fight for social and racial justice. She will not be forgotten," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, for whom Heather Heyer offered support to on her Facebook page last year. 

The father, who lives in Sharpes, a town sandwiched between Cocoa and the Port St. John area, said his daughter fervently believed in the rights of others. He also said that he was proud of her for taking a stand to help others and called on people to 'stop the hate.' 

Flowers and notes are left in memory of Heather Heyer, who died after she was struck when a car plowed into a crowd protesting the 'Unite the Right' rally.

“She was a strong woman who had passionate opinions about the equality of everyone and she tried to stand up for that,” Heyer said, adding that he was still in shock over his daughter’s death.

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Related: Charlottesville community mourns woman killed in attack

"…She had more courage than I did…she had a stubborn backbone that if she thought she was right, she would stand there and defy you. If I understand her, she would want to do it peacefully,” he said as his voice rattled with emotion.

Mark Heyer who lives in Sharpes, was packing up his car to head to Virginia. He is the father of Heather Heyer, the woman killed in a counter-protest on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. He hopes the media doesn't tun his daughter's death into something negative. Heyer, a Christian, forgives the man who killed his daughter.

Charlottesville authorities said counter-protesters were struck after a car plowed into the crowd, injuring several people. Throughout the morning, there were violent clashes between some of the counter-protesters in the crowd and members of the white nationalist group that gathered in the small college town. The protests began Friday night as the groups – also described as members of the ‘alt-right’ movement – carried guns and lit torches while marching into the  Virginia town for a rally.

Heyer was notified about his daughter's death Saturday. He said that his daughter’s activism was a part of her life.

“With her it wasn’t lip service it was real, you know, it was something that she wanted to share with everyone,” Heyer said.

Heyer said his thought about the events of Charlottesville is that people on all sides need to learn to forgive each other. “I include myself in that in forgiving the guy who did this. I just think about what the Lord said on the cross, ‘forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Heyer said he hopes that Heather’s death will be a catalyst for positive change. “I hope that her life and what has transpired, changes people’s hearts,” he said.

Contact Gallop at  321-242-3642, jdgallop@floridatoday.com and Twitter at @JDGallop