*This story has been updated.
Despite attracting only a few supporters and finding themselves stranded and seeking donations to get home, the trio behind the Lee Monument rally are planning a comeback. Organizers of the failed rally last weekend Tara Brandau, Tom Crompton, and Judy Crompton have posted a Facebook event called “Protect The General Robert E. Lee Monument – Round 2”, originally planned for December 2nd. Since our first report, they’ve changed the date to December 9th.
From CSA II Facebook Event Page
The event will conflict with the Richmond Christmas Parade, which takes place starting at 10:15 AM parallel to Monument Avenue on Broad Street. As of press time, the rally has 16 rsvps; it reached 70 for the previous event, but only 3-4 people joined the organizers. They were dwarfed by an estimated 400 counter-protesters, consisting of local advocates, church groups, the Richmond Peace Education Center, and an out-of-state Black Lives Matter chapter from New York.
Brandau and the Cromptons claim again to have been invited by a Virginia chapter of the CSA II organization the Cromptons founded, but we’ve been unable to verify that the chapter exists outside of a small Facebook group administered by the Cromptons.
The CSA II has posted a photo with a caption suggesting a heavily-armed presence; “Ready for round two and doing it our way this time, Guns Up”. In response, local residents have harsh words for the trio on the event page, reproduced below.
*Cover photo from Facebook event post by the CSA II
As of 5:30 pm the organizers of this supposed rally have locked their event page, banned certain people including RVA Mag’s journalists, and removed any negative comments from residents living in Richmond.
