Uncertainty for the Future Emerges with the Capitol Riot

On January 6th, two weeks prior to President Biden’s inauguration, supporters of former President Trump raided the United States Capitol in order to protest the claims of voter fraud during the election, resulting in five total deaths ranging between the rioters and police officers as a result of the incident. 

The storming of the Capitol has been concluded as another dark day in American history by multiple news sites and even by President Joe Biden. Video evidence obtained by The New Yorker shows Americans and people around the world can see the insurrection and attempted coup on the US Government as well as the violence that police officers suffered trying to hold back a sea of rioters.   

Former Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker Pelosi, and the rest of Congress were all in danger. Specifically, rioters were upset over Former Vice President Mike Pence’s decision to not overturn the election results and to stick to his constitutional duties. In a video discussion by CNN, rioters can be clearly heard chanting “Hang Mike Pence”.

“I was shocked by the images and video, I was in disbelief and couldn’t believe this was happening. I was really sad about the deaths and injuries, I’ve visited the Capitol building before, and to see what happened hurt my heart,” Constitutional Law Teacher Ms. Flores  said.

Amiya Marbles, a junior, was shocked seeing the events unfold at the Capitol, “My initial thought was to turn on the news and watch my country that has already been through entirely too much specifically in last year get dragged into another tragedy. I was filled with worry, worry for the many people whose job it is to protect the capitol, worried for the people who came simply to do their job, and most importantly how the rest of the world would react to this.”

Furthermore, there is, unfortunately, another level of controversy towards the riots in comparison to the Black Lives Matter movement. Marbles noted the hypocrisy that came with the attitudes towards Black Lives Matter and the Capitol Riot.

“I immediately thought of the Black Lives Matter protests during the summer which were an uproar and were seen as riots. Peaceful protests that ended in horror, I couldn’t help but compare. Compare the reasoning, compare the reactions by first responders, and compare the actions taken by our former President. Not to say less I was filled with anger, fear, but most of all betrayal. I felt as if the insurrection in/on the capitol grounds were encouraged and filled with the most terrifying parts of America,” said Marbles.

Earlier that day, the protestors for former President Trump’s “stop the steal” and “election fraud” movement were encouraged with his words and Tweets. At a rally near the White House, Trump said, “Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong,”. There’s so much more to be unraveled but readers can see more on how those protestors were tempted as insurrectionists with The New York Times article “Incitement to Riot? What Trump Told Supporters Before the Mob Stormed Capitol.” 

A week after the riot, former President Trump was yet again impeached by the House Of Representatives and is awaiting an impeachment trial. Both Ms. Flores and Marbles stated their thoughts on the matter of President Trump getting impeached

“I agree with the House’s impeachment and I do believe the Senate should charge him because words have power and it is a danger to the future as future Presidents may think it’s okay to do the same,” said Ms. Flores.

“No matter your stance in politics you can not deny that former President Trump motivated and justified the capitol insurrection. I believe that impeaching Donald J. Trump was the only right decision for America. He should be accountable and charged for his horrible acts of sedition, violence, and chaos. As president, his duty was to put Americans first and the people were the last thing on his mind. After these rioters broke in and disrespected everything the capital stood for, our former president goes forth to tell these people that he loves them. He threw the stick and his supporters brought it back,” said Marbles.

Trump in a now deleted Tweet and now deleted Twitter account told his supporters and those at the riot that “We have to have peace, so go home. We love you, you’re very special,” which was after the rioters had broken into the capitol which was in the way of police officers who may have been injured.

Questions that have been arising about how President Biden will handle the fallout of the insurrection while making fast and eager changes to the country. 

“President Biden already has a lot of focus on his new administration getting started so one thing he could do is to be more vocal as the process goes through,” Ms. Flores concluded. 

On the matter of Biden’s plans, Marbles said, “I believe after the attack on the capitol the one thing I expect from our current president Joe Biden is love, which is so needed within our nation. I expect Biden and his administration to resolve the horrific things that are happening currently like climate change, racial injustice, and COVID-19. As cliché as it might sound but unity and the keeping of his promises to restore and build what America once was 4 years ago. There was and will always be work to be done to ensure protection and prosperity.” 

As Politico reported, the Biden Administration will have a hands-off approach so whether that is good or bad is yet to be decided. However, someone is responsible for the insurrection at the Capitol and that will hopefully be determined soon. As for the perpetrators, the mob who broke in, the FBI has been very open on their search and if anyone has any information, please contact them at fbi.gov/USCapitol.