Testimony of Chapman Sociologist Pete Simi Leads to Judgment Against Organizers of Charlottesville Rally Professor Simi’s research on white supremacists who planned the Unite the Right rally reflects his commitment to exposing the hidden spaces of hate.
June 15, 2022
Two weeks into the high-profile trial of the white nationalists who organized the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., Chapman University sociologist and hate group researcher Pete Simi finally got his chance to testify as an expert witness.
He was more than ready for the moment.
“Simi’s testimony was devastating,” the Slate online news magazine reported in its trial coverage. “He explained, in the most academic terms possible, the degree to which the performance artistry of the white supremacists is not accidental. It’s deliberate stagecraft, constructed to promote both violent spectacle and plausible deniability.”
