"This is about losing one of the base freedoms that we have," a gun rights backer says in Richmond. The rally drew an estimated 22,000 people; officials say one person was arrested.
Gov. Ralph Northam said that "there are groups with malicious plans" and raised concerns about a reprise of the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville in 2017.
He was to begin a "reconciliation tour" Thursday at historically black Virginia Union University. A student leader told him his presence would detract from the event and asked him to reschedule.
Gov. Ralph Northam says he's "not going anywhere." Attorney General Mark Herring has no plans to leave either. And while Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax may face impeachment hearings, he's pushing back too.
The Virginia governor's declaration comes roughly a week after the state Capitol was thrown into disarray by the revelation he appeared in blackface decades ago.