by Adwaith Hariharan
Photo: SkyNews
Bursting through the stately senate chamber, an aide hurriedly whispers into the senate leader’s ears. Within moments, the senate leadership is whisked away to safety. Meanwhile, the remaining powerful lawmakers cower fearfully in the aisles as the Capitol Police barricade the doors and stand guard. They stand with their weapons drawn, attempting desperately to prevent the riotous mob from entering the chamber within the solemn halls of power of the strongest country in the world.
This is not a movie scene—nor is it an emergency drill.
The storming of the U.S. Capitol Building. Photos: Getty Images
On the fateful afternoon on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, with callous disregard for equality and popular sovereignty - the basic tenets of American Democracy came to the forefront. The often unacknowledged race inequality that is constantly simmering under the surface of the fabric of American society bubbled up to the surface yet again. On a day earmarked for certification of the Presidential election results, the world watched in disbelief as the bizarre events unfolded, sending shockwaves into the very foundation of America’s democracy. Called to action by a President unwilling to concede defeat in a democratic election, his supporters marched to the Capitol to air their displeasure to the county’s lawmakers. The day quickly devolved into chaos and mayhem, with undertones of deeply disturbing and unchecked show of the power of white supremacy.
As the large unruly groups of predominantly white protestors descended on Capitol, the situation spiraled out of control. The volatile mob, a Trump-endorsed insurrection, overran the meager law enforcement officials who couldn’t keep the largely all-white, angry, destructive mass at bay. The situation dissolved into angry mayhem swiftly. Unsetting photos of white protestors began circulating in the media, depicting: a gallow erected outside the Capitol; protesters scaling the walls to gain access; rioters in gas masks pushing through the security barriers and breaching the buildings security; desperate cops with guns drawn inside the barricaded senate chambers; unruly packs tearing off name decal and carrying out lecterns from a lawmaker’s office. Many more visuals were of mostly all white, angry pro-Trump protesters smashing windows and doors, brazenly overtaking the hallowed halls of the Capitol Building. The storming of the Capitol ended late in the evening the same day with five deaths, including a police officer, and 68 arrests. Coming off the recent George-Floyd-inspired Black Lives Matter debacle in the summer, one question lingered in the forefront of everyone’s mind as they saw the visuals. “What if the mob had been predominantly black?” Would the police have dispensed the same treatment to blacks if they had committed the same acts? In a nation already burdened by a raging pandemic, an economic slowdown, this alternate scenario raised complicated questions about race and the role of police in response to protests and mobs.
The reality is that racial inequality exists in the way police treat white people and black people. This is the reason why the overwhelmingly white mob easily attacked, and for a brief period, overran the Capitol. Had the attacking populace been predominantly black, we would have seen the police come down hard and fast. There would have been hundreds dead, not just five. The lack of guards, the nonchalant security preparations of a rally with white supremacist undertones, the unhurried response afterwards – all these were in stark contrast to the visuals from the summer, when the peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington were faced with rows after rows of masked National Guard troops at the Lincoln Memorial while the President threatened to crack down the lawless “hoodlums” and “thugs.” The absence of similar renouncement during the violent Capitol breach screamed injustice and racial inequality.
Peaceful BLM protests at Lincoln Memorial Storming of the U.S. Capitol Photos: Getty Images
The turn of events was shocking and outrageous, especially for our generation. We were taught early on to find common ground, even with those we disagree with vehemently. We are taught to “agree to disagree” with dignity. A robust and dynamic democratic society such as ours can succeed only when everyone agrees on the ground rules, the most obvious of which is that we don’t settle disagreements through violence or mob action. In reality, not everyone agrees to the ground rules, as evidenced by the actions of Trump’s supporters. Peace, prosperity, the opportunity to learn and grow, and belief in the future are some of the core concepts of democracy—the most urgent of which at this moment is the peaceful transition of power after a free and fair election.
The events of Wednesday, January 6, 2021, called into question the guardrails of the American democracy, which were circumvented by a President tethering on the brink of grandiose ideas of an authoritarian encroachment of the highest office in the country. History has judged us on this day and for a brief time, on this fateful day, found us lacking in the hallmark of our Constitution - the checks and balances and the peaceful transition of power.