The Debacle at the Capitol

The Debacle at the Capitol. Photo by Tyler Merbler on January 6, 2021. Used under CC License.

by douglas reeser

january 13, 2021

Well the year 2021 is certainly getting off to an interesting start - to say the least. Two weeks in, and the pandemic continues, with hospitalizations and deaths at daily highs in the US. Add the associated economic and social stresses that have resulted from the nearly year long disruption of daily life, and it seems like this is enough to deal with. But somehow there's more. Taking center stage in all of this is the conflict between Trump supporters and the rest of the world, now with a focus on the US government itself, and citizens who do not agree with their unsupported claims. To date, this conflict has peaked with the storming of the US Capitol building, with the FBI warning of potential violence across the US in the coming week.

For many people, the raid of the Capitol, with members of Congress in the building, must have been shocking. If they had seen events similar to this, they were always taking place somewhere else around the globe. Watching people scale the walls, break windows and doors, confront, harass, and even kill law enforcement officers in one of the most iconic buildings in the country was unprecedented, unimaginable even. There is general disagreement over what was actually happening - was it a coup? a riot? an insurrection? - but that detail isn't all that critical really. Simply, it's a shocking racist mess

We must hope that this is a last gasp for white supremacy in this country. With the racist rhetoric of Trump acting as a steady drumbeat for the last 4+ years, racism has reared its ugly head, out in the open, and in ways the country hasn't seen in decades. When Trump was nominated to head the Republican ticket, his racist and sexist views were clear and on display, only to be discounted by his supporters. The dismissal turned to acceptance, then to support, and now we've seen the confederate flag marched through the Capitol building. 

There may be more to come from those hanging on to this white-led fantasy, but there are many many good people working to move forward and working for change. A few things that need to happen: 

- Accountability for the Debacle at the Capitol. It appears that law enforcement is starting this long road to figure out what exactly happened, how it happened, and who the players were behind the scenes. All of these people need to be held accountable, no matter their status. These people need to be rooted out, exposed, and removed from positions of leadership and power. Their time is over.

- Black Lives Matter. Everyone must revisit the movement that blossomed this past Summer. The movement has already led many people to reevaluate their position in terms of racial justice and equality, and with the clear racist underpinnings behind the current Trump Followers actions, such work is as important and necessary as ever. Support for the visibility and influence of the BLM Movement is paramount. 

- Education! If ever there was an example of the need for well funded public education, the actions by the public mob at the Capitol is head and shoulders above the rest. The current social reality in which declarations of fake news reign supreme is a direct result of the decreasing ability of the general public to critically think and evaluate after years of funding cuts. We are in dire need of increased funding to our education system, and while we're at it, cancel student debt, and make higher education free.

- Policing. Because "defund" is so controversial with people, perhaps we need to talk in terms of "re-funding" the police. Start with demilitarization of local and state police departments. Shift funds from military-style equipment to police force education. The people charged with policing the public should be among our best and brightest, able to de-escalate, negotiate, and work from a base of empathy and understanding. Fewer situations than we may think require confrontation with weapons and force. Educate the police.

- In short: Fight Racism. Fight for Justice. Fight for education.