It was on Wednesday, January 6th that our democracy underwent great danger.
After Donald Trump lit a match by encouraging his army of brainwashed supporters to demonstrate against Congress’ efforts to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, a fire spread, and it spread rapidly. In his own words on Wednesday morning, Trump said “we are going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, I love Pennsylvania Avenue, and we are going to the Capitol,” which his supporters took as an invitation to storm one of the most sacred buildings in the entire United States of America.
While Congress pursued the confirmation process, the world watched a mob of ruthless animals lay siege to the Capitol building. They made their way up the Capitol steps, some even climbing the sides of the building. Soon after, they walked swiftly past several police officers who didn’t hesitate to let them proceed into the halls of the Capitol. The maskless rioters soon filled every corner of the building, bringing their Confederate, Nazi, and Trump flags with them. The rioters brought weapons of all sorts, including explosive devices that were sent to both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington. As more and more rioters entered the Capitol, the offices of several high profile congressional figures were also raided, causing the Capitol Police to disperse tear gas. The whole Senate was forced into the Capitol basement, congressmen and congresswomen sought safety, and others were brought to undisclosed locations. Trump attempted to “control” the domestic terrorism via Twitter by instructing his supporters to “remain peaceful,” instead of simply ordering D.C. National Guard to intervene. As the chaos continued to escalate, Virginia’s governor had to dispatch the troops. Being that Washington D.C. does not have statehood, National Guard requests must come from the President as opposed to a governor, like it would if the request was for one of our 50 states and not a federal district. Following a period of complete silence from Donald Trump, he finally told his supporters to “go home.” Currently, there are 5 deaths that are directly attributable to the havoc caused at the Capitol; 4 Trump supporters, and 1 Capitol Police officer. Days after Wednesday’s events, another police officer died by suicide, however, this individual is said to have been off duty during the insurrection that took place.
Many of us are shocked, disturbed, possibly unsurprised, and maybe at a loss for words. While all of this darkness is lingering amongst us all, the heroic acts that occurred during the invasion cannot go unnoticed.
Starting with the two female Senate aides who had the presence of mind in a time of utter turmoil. While the Senate was being evacuated, these young women grabbed the box of ballots, risking their safety to protect the electoral votes from being tampered with by the terrorists who set foot in the Capitol. They remembered what they were there to do: preserve our democracy. They put the entire country before themselves, something the President of the United States can’t even do.
Next, Representative Andy Kim of New Jersey joined the support staff of the U.S. Capitol to help them clean up after the attack. He was deeply hurt by the sight of the destroyed Capitol so he grabbed a trash bag and got to work. He cleaned up water bottles, car keys, Trump flags, broken furniture, body armor, photos smeared with blood, shards of glass, and endless litter. He, a man of Korean descent, accompanied the janitorial staff who is largely made up of Black and Latino custodians. The message of a culturally diverse group cleaning up after primarily white terrorists is white privilege at its finest and will not be tolerated during the Biden Harris presidency.
More, Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who happened to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, took action when the mayhem ensued. He stood on top of a chair, yelling out directions to the nearest exits. Gallego also helped his elderly colleagues put their gas masks on as they exited the premises. As the congressmen and congresswomen were being brought to safe areas, various reporters and members of the media were being turned away from the safe zones, however, Gallego insisted that they be allowed in as well. Gallego has also joined Nancy Pelosi in calling on the Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment or impeach the President (once again).
Abigail Spanberger, Representative of Virginia, also helped to ensure the many reporters at the Capitol safety during the invasion. She scolded Capitol Police as they were trying to force the reporters out of the safe zones. Spanberger also advised her colleagues to remove their Congressional pins so that they couldn’t be identified as members of Congress. Her quick thinking saved a lot of lives.
Finally, Representative Jason Crow of Colorado demonstrated true patriotism as he was the last individual to exit the chamber because he wanted to make sure that everyone else got out, and got out safely. Crow served 3 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and was awarded the bronze star, a US military decoration awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement. He comforted his colleagues, helped prepare gas masks, and moved individuals away from a barricaded door during the raid. He protected and served, resulting in many saved lives.
While Wednesday’s events are incomprehensible, it is important to highlight the courageous efforts made by several members of Congress. A theme that we’ve seen all throughout Donald Trump’s presidency is the fact that he’s never, not once, put America first. Instead, he’s only tried to benefit himself. The heroic acts that took place on Wednesday were the complete opposite of selfish--Donald Trump’s middle name--confirming that there is hope for our country. The past 4 years of Trump and his flock of racist turds have been exceedingly cruel, but hate will never win, heroes will.
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