Kessler eventually organized the Unite the Right rally, using the statue controversy and “resistance” declaration as a rallying cry for various far-right and racist factions to coalesce as a political movement with the help of Richard Spencer and other far-right leaders. Supporters held torch-lit rallies at the Robert E. Lee statue and the University of Virginia in May, August and October 2017. The UVa rally came the day before the Unite the Right event on Aug. 12, 2017, which descended into chaos as police declared an unlawful assembly. Soon after, James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring about 30 others.

The council’s actions also attracted the attention of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who rallied in the city in July 2017.

Signer also came under fire for the way he conducted City Council meetings before and after the Unite the Right rally, with critics saying he was too heavy-handed in policing public comment and that council did not do enough to prevent the rally and violence.

Since the rally, Bellamy has focused on efforts to address racial inequity in the city, including affordable housing and smaller measures like changing the namesake of Preston Avenue.