There is not much to say that has already been said. The actions portrayed by white supremacists on January 6th proved what many already know. White privilege is plaguing this nation, and it is blatantly occurring for the world to see. People may try to compare this radical conservative riot to protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement as much as they like, but the fact of the matter is that if those people were not white, they would be dead on arrival. Black and brown people protested because of our own people dying, while these terrorists (because let’s call them exactly what they are) trespassed and invaded the nation’s Capitol because the man that they support rightfully lost an election and they didn’t get their way.
On top of thousands of Trump supporters committing an act of terrorism, nothing was done by security or police to stop them. There is no excuse as to why or how these trespassers successfully entered the White House when the police were so eager to bear arms and brutalize those who protested for civil rights a mere six months ago. Where were the rubber bullets, tasers and tear gas that our tax dollars pay for? Or are those only reserved for special occasions?
Black people know and understand that this act of treason is not our fight to battle. We have said and known all along that this nation is corrupt, and the truth is unraveling right in front of us. There is no more to prove when your oppressors are able to scale buildings and knock over office buildings that your ancestors built while you cannot walk the streets alone at night or sleep in your bed or buy snacks from the corner store or take public transportation without fearing that you won’t make it back home, let alone wake up the next day.
This was more than civil disobedience. This was the textbook definition of terrorism right in front of our eyes. For many, however, it seems as if it’s only considered a treasonous act against the United States when it’s performed by a Black or Brown body. It’s not as easy to find a scapegoat now when it’s those who point fingers in the first place committing the act.
There are those who are outraged, and rightfully so, claiming that America is better than this. The truth of the matter is that we really aren’t. This is how American life has been all along.