Florida Van Attack Brings Forth Charlottesville Nightmare

A vicious vehicle charge on a voter registration drive in Florida on Sunday came as a reminder of the lingering violent streak in politics. Gregory William Timm, however, has not been identified as a white supremacist as in Charlottesville, Virginia.

There were no fatalities or major injuries. Nor was there prominent national news coverage of a white man prohibiting a voter’s registering drive in the deep South. Timm targeted Trump supporters registering voters.

The 27-year-old intentionally drove his van into a tent where Republican volunteers were registering voters for the 2020 presidential election, according to witnesses. Authorities have said they're not yet able to confirm that the assault was politically motivated.

“Kind of out of the blue, a man approached us in a van, was waving at us, kind of a friendly demeanor, thought he was coming up to talk to us, instead he accelerated his vehicle and plowed right into our tent, our tables,” a volunteer told a local television station.

Afterward, he backed up, recorded the damaged tent and scattered signs on his cell phone and made obscene gestures before leaving, the volunteer said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office charged Timm with aggravated assault, criminal mischief and driving while driver’s license suspended. A Duval County judge on Sunday set his bond at $500,000.

Both Democrats and Republicans have called for an end to the hate in politics.

In Maryland, Baltimore City Council President and mayoral candidate Brandon Scott claimed he was punched by a volunteer for former mayor and current candidate Sheila Dixon last week. Dixon has disowned the volunteer. Baltimore is a Democrat-controlled city.

Alleged white nationalist James Fields rammed a vehicle into a crowd near the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA, on Aug. 12, 2017. Heather Heyer was killed. Fields was convicted of state first-degree murder and eight counts of malicious wounding. He pled guilty to 29 hate crime charges in federal court. Fields is serving two life sentences and 419 years in prison.