Metro Chairman Evans says no plans for separate cars for hate group

WASHINGTON - Metro's board chair is pushing back against the worker's union claims that a separate train would be provided for the white nationalists planning to march in the district next Sunday.

DC Councilmember Jack Evans, who is Chairman of the Board for WMATA said ATU Local 689 put out the wrong information. He says he was never aware of any plans to give special cars to white nationalists.

ATU Local 689 said on Friday it had sources saying Metro was planning to accommodate the rally goers with special cars.

The union said the plan was to provide three cars for the "Unite the Right" rally participants to get them from Virginia to Foggy Bottom, where the plan to march to the rally site of Lafayette Park.

The union opposed the special treatment for a hate group, saying that's where it draws the line, especially because more than 80 percent of its workers are people of color.

"Local 689 is proud to provide transit to everyone for the many events we have in D.C. including the March of Life, the Women's March and Black Lives Matters," ATU Local 689 President Jackie Jeter said in a written statement.

"We draw the line at giving special accommodation to hate groups and hate speech, especially considering that the courts granted Metro the ability to deny ads on buses and trains that are 'issue-oriented,' we find it hypocritical for (Metro General Manager) Mr. Wiedefeld to make these unprecedented special accommodations for a hate group."

On Friday, Metro told FOX 5 things were not finalized.

Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans said emphatically, the plans for the rally were never even being considered.

"Metro was never considering providing separate cars for anybody, or separate trains. So we will not, you know, emphatically state that, we will not be providing separate trains or separate cars for anybody, now or ever. Certainly not next Sunday when this rally is supposed to take place," said Evans.

Evans says he would prefer the rally not be in the District at all, but that he's confident DC and Metro police can keep people safe.

The rally is being led by the same people that led the deadly demonstration of the same name last year in Charlottesville.

During the rally, a white supremacist, 21-year-old James Fields Jr., rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

Fields is charged with murder in Heyer's killing under Virginia state law. He is charged separately in federal court with hate crimes.