Wednesday’s violent pro-Trump protests at the U.S. Capitol, which resulted in four deaths and just 52 arrests, drew reactions of shock and horror from people around the world.
In response to the widespread chaos, many are condemning the violence as undemocratic and joining the steady drumbeat calling for the removal of President Trump. President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris joined others in sounding the alarm on the discrepancy between the police response to these events and last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests—which prompted over 430 arrests in D.C. (88 in one night) and police use of tear gas and other violent crowd control measures, which on Wednesday were inadequate and delayed at best.
Lawmakers Call for Action
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with multiple public officials and business leaders, have called for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Trump from office.
“This man is deadly to our democracy and to our people,” said Pelosi during a Thursday press conference. “In inciting sedition as he did yesterday, he must be removed from office. Although there are 13 days left, every day can be a horror show in America.”
Pelosi added that if Pence and his Cabinet do not act, Congress is prepared to move forward with impeachment, adding, “That is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus — and the American people by the way.”
Pelosi also said that House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving will be resigning, and called for the resignation of Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. When Democrats take the Senate majority later this month, Schumer announced he will fire Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mike Stenger.
“In the early moments, there were not enough forces there,” Schumer said at a press conference. “And the question is, why weren’t they there in advance? And then why didn’t they get there ASAP? All of that needs a looking into.”
Meanwhile, members of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee that funds the Capitol police, announced its intention to open an investigation into the security failures which allowed yesterday’s mob to breach the Capitol.
“The breach of the Capitol raises serious questions about what law enforcement did and what they should have done differently,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) in a joint statement.
After all, journalists who monitor far-right online communities said Trump supporters have been openly planning for weeks on social media, and Advance Democracy, a nonprofit research organization, reported that in the days leading up to the riot, social media abounded with signs of imminent violence.
Several other Democratic Congress members, including Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jamal Bowman (D-N.Y.), and more, have signed on to a resolution to impeach President Trump (again), introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
In addition to these efforts, newly-elected Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) has also introduced legislation calling for the removal of the Republican legislators who “incited this domestic terror attack.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who had called for National Guard assistance in advance of the protests, went on air Wednesday to condemn the protests as “shameful” and “unpatriotic” as protesters stormed the Capitol, as well as ordered a 6 p.m. curfew. On Thursday, she called the Capitol Police response to the riots “a failure,” adding, “We must understand why the federal law enforcement response was much stronger” during this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.
Double Standards Abound
Many feminists have also pointed out the discrepancy between the behavior of Capitol police towards protestors yesterday, and their behavior towards past protests in the same building—like their forceful removal of disability advocates from the Senate in 2017, or the arrest of over 200 peaceful protesters, many of them sexual assault survivors, during the 2018 Brett Kavanaugh nomination hearings.
Paying Tribute to Those on the Frontlines
Many paid tribute to the journalists and photographers who risked injury to document yesterday’s events.
And to the essential workers, who are ultimately the ones who have to clean up in the aftermath of this violence—havoc wreaked by violent rioters and looters with noted ties to white supremacy.
You may also like:
Our opponents are using the lame duck period—the time between now and when the new president is inaugurated, and a new Congress convenes—to do as much damage as they can. Help ensure Ms. remains strong and independent during this period of challenge and change. If you found this article helpful, please consider supporting our independent reporting and truth-telling for as little as $5 per month.