The mother of Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who was killed by a driver who plowed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend talked about her daughter’s death on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Friday. Susan Bro said that since her daughter died, political figures have been reaching out to her, but she’s not interesting in speaking with them, especially President Donald Trump.
First, Bro said that she was leery of politicians in general. “It’s not that I’m trying to be calloused, it’s that I have no interest in speaking to politicians just to hear them say, ‘I’m sorry,'” she said. “If I felt like that’s all they wanted to say, that would be different, but I feel like I’m wanted to be used for political agendas and I’m resistant to that.”
Then Bro spoke about Trump in particular. When it comes to the president, her preference not to speak went further than a general distrust for politicians. When asked if she had spoken to the president Bro said, “I have not, and now I will not.” She explained that at first, she said she hadn’t responded to calls from the White House because she was busy dealing with her daughter’s death. But it was Trump’s response to the Charlottesville attack that really turned her off.
“I saw an actual clip of him at a press conference equating the protesters like Ms. Heyer with the KKK and the white supremacists,” Bro said. “You can’t wash this one away by shaking my hand and saying I’m sorry. I’m not forgiving for that.”
Bro said that her family has heard comments on the internet accusing Heather of being part of extremist groups, but she said that’s just not the case. “Heather was not part of any group other than the girls in her office. She was part of a group of human beings who cared to protest.”
When asked if she had any other message for President Trump, Bro said, “Think before you speak.”
[Image via ABC screengrab]
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