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She touched more people in death than she could in life

Posted at 1:42 PM, Aug 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-16 13:42:09-04

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Justin Scott said he spoke to his friend Heather Heyer just before the Unite the Right rally on Saturday in Charlottesville. They talked about her intentions of protesting against white nationalists.

"She wanted to go to the women's rally in DC, she wanted to go to the first rally they had here, and this time she felt she couldn't miss it," Scott said.

Scott wore a purple shirt with his friend's picture along with the words, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention," in gold block letters.

Justin Scott

"She's touching more people in death than she could in life," Scott said in front of a memorial full of flowers at 4th and Water Streets.

Prior to the service, a sea of purple was seen in downtown Charlottesville as hundreds lined up more than a block away from the Paramount Theater.

Mourners wait outside the Paramount Theater

Heyer's service was planned inside the more than 1,600 seat theater,  located just two blocks away from where she was killed.

A group of about six people, who didn't identify themselves, attracted a gaggle of journalists and cameras when they gathered at the entrance of the theater with helmets, shields, and bats.

One member quietly told reporters they were there to protect attendees since, they said,  police failed to protect protesters and counter-protesters at Saturday's rally.

The group moved from the entrance after an officer asked them to leave at the request of the Heyer family, according to one member.

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