To the editor:

First and foremost, the commonwealth of Virginia should hold Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer responsible for the violent pandemonium that erupted as a result of the clash between two opposing sides of the protest regarding the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue.

Their bungling of this event put many people in harm’s way, and it was so unnecessary.

We here in Cleveland, Ohio were faced with a similar event in 1999 that transpired peacefully because of the care and preparation put in by the previous mayor, Michael White.

Although both opposing sides were seen wearing helmets and carrying shields and baseball bats, neither side was allowed to approach the other. This is how civil discourse is safeguarded.

Regardless of the fact that the United States is perhaps the only country to allow statutes to be erected to the vanquished, the fact remains that striking someone who disagrees with your view is completely and totally unacceptable.

Shame on you, Gov. McAuliffe and Mayor Singer. Chalk this one up as a failure on both of your records.

Joe Bialek

Cleveland, Ohio