My Thoughts On the Capitol Hill Protests

The world that we live in isn’t short of insane moments that appear as if they were pulled straight out of a scene from a movie. That is exactly what happened on January 6th, 2021 when individuals protesting the election results stormed Capitol Hill while Congress was in session validating Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election. It has been labeled as the most severe assault on the Capitol since the British sacked the building back in 1814. Politics aside, what happened was wrong and in direct defiance of the democratic system of government that so many individuals have sacrificed their lives to protect. It is not who the next president is that matters but rather the wellbeing of the nation. We need unity over division and truth over lies.

Just as a bit of a recap, it began with a “Save America” rally when Trump fired up the emotions of his supporters telling them to march to Capitol Hill. They took his advice and began to confront police officers. I remember seeing a video clip on Twitter that showed some police opening the gates and letting the protestors freely enter. This scene to me was confusing while at the same time highly concerning. Many of the demonstrators who were able to get in were waving Trump 2020 flags and wearing shirts with his signature slogans. They looted offices of important lawmakers and a man even stole House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern. Protestors were seen throwing cameras and damaging the equipment of the reporters trying to document the situation. The material losses obviously can be replaced. However, there were far worse outcomes of the riot: five people lost their lives and three lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 in the days following due to having to huddle so close to one another. One of those who died was a Capitol Hill police officer caught in the crossfire. To me, this is deeply saddening and just goes to show how some people have a blatant disregard for others. 

I believe in the right to protest but it should be done in a peaceful manner in an appropriate place. When done right revolutionary action is a powerful means of expression with the potential to lead to necessary changes being made in society. Storming the United States Capitol building out of anger because the person you voted for didn’t win the election and you believe that election fraud occurred is not acceptable nor will it change anything. The votes have been counted and recounted in several key states and there are no instances of significant fraud that would have swayed the election in the other direction. I just wish that people would take a look at the data for themselves and read up more on current events rather than blindly trusting the beliefs of those around them. Another thing I found disturbing about protests was the manner in which the police treated the protestors, they faced little resistance but if the protest had been a Black Lives Matter protest the outcome might have been quite different.

• 2020 Presidential Election
• capitol hill
• protests