Editorial: January 6, 2021
At the very least what happened yesterday was a riot (and was really a terrorist attack). A reported total of 4 deaths in yesterday’s pro- Trump mob that breached the Capitol has been announced to the public. These members of this rally assaulted the police offices and vandalized the Capitol Building. Of the 4 people who died, one woman was fatally shot by police and the other three people died of apparent medical care emergencies. It was also reported that at least 14 DC Metropolitan Police officers were injured from yesterday’s events. Senior, Maya Salzman stated that, “Yesterday’s events left everyone in shock.”One in which was hospitalized after suffering serious injuries when he was pulled into a crowd and assaulted by the mob. One officer even had prominent facial injuries from being struck by a projectile, and an additional officer was hospitalized after being pepper-sprayed.
According to the mayor’s spokesman The Metro police made approximately 80 arrests because of the unrest this week. Out of these 80 arrests 68 were from yesterday’s events. However most of these arrests were solely due to the mayors 6 pm curfew, not even for what events unfolded. Senior, Lizzie Kennedy, stated, “For the crimes that were committed yesterday, the fact that so many people got away with crimes of hatred and racism is disgusting.”
These rioters were using flag poles and other items to smash glass windows inside the capitol building. One woman even tried to climb through one of these windows that were smashed open, and when she did, she was shot right in the neck. This woman was trying to enter an area that was not yet breached by the rioters. The area she was trying to enter was an area that was completely blocked off, with chairs and tables up against it so people could not enter. The three other people that were reported dead had come from out of state and died from medical emergencies while at the riot. One was an adult female and the others were two adult males that were reported to have been suffering from separate medical emergencies during this riot. These three people were on the grounds of the Capitol when they experienced their medical emergencies. yesterday was an active domestic terrorism.
They hung Nazi and confederate flags in the Capitol building; a change needs to happen. Senior Allison Brown stated, “I think everyone is shocked by the news of everything that happened at the Capitol Building. While this event has swept across the news, articles and new information are providing more questions than answers. I am stunned with the events that have transpired.”
Those flags are not “heritage” to a black person or a Jewish person; those flags are deeply rooted in hatred and racism and that is not ok. Yesterday’s events have proven once again that this is no longer about politics, it's about humans rights and human decency.