‘What are y’all doing?’: Locals speak out after white nationalist march in Charleston

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Local radio personality Woody Woods is speaking out after a white nationalist group marched through Charleston on Saturday.

The demonstration was led by a group associated with the Patriot Front. The group is classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.

Woods says he was at the YWCA’s Race to End Racism on Saturday when he heard the march was happening. When he arrived at the Capitol, he found a large group, many of the individuals wearing face coverings, walking down the Kanawha Boulevard.

Woods live-streamed the sequence on his Facebook page, which already has more than 10,000 views. He and other community members can be seen asking what the group was doing and even daring them to remove their masks.

“As a black man, as a man period, what are y’all doing? And uncover your face! If I stand for something, you are going to know me. You’re going to know Woody. I’m going to show you my face, my phone number, my website,” Woods said.

Woods also noticed many of the American flags being carried were upside down. He said the gesture was disrespectful to all Americans, particularly active members of the military and veterans.

“You’re disrespecting America at the same time that you want to reclaim America. It didn’t make sense to me,” Woods said. “To stand on the Capitol steps without an audience to scream and yell in a megaphone. If you really want to get this message across, let’s go to a couple neighborhoods that I like.”

When 13 News asked the mayor’s office about the legality of the march, Police Chief Scott Dempsey said groups are allowed to walk on city sidewalks without a permit.

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