Capitol riot: “Absolutely disgraceful”
Trojans expressed horror and disgust at the rioters who attacked the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, and many blamed President Donald Trump for inciting them.
“He is responsible for inciting the violence on that specific day and for brainwashing his supporters into believing fabricated fascist lies. So yes, the terrorism at the Capitol is a direct result of Trump,” said senior Shane Tayag.
“Absolutely disgraceful,” said junior Charlotte Caistor.
Pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol Building and delayed Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Lawmakers evacuated their chambers for safety as the mob stormed into the Senate and House chambers.
Earlier that day at a rally, Trump made unsupported claims that he won the election and his opponents used fraud to steal his victory, as he has falsely insisted for months. He encouraged thousands of supporters to walk to the Capitol, “show strength” and “cheer on” the Congress members challenging Biden’s win.
Five people died as a result of the riot that erupted. Police shot and killed one woman. Three others died from other causes which are so far unrevealed. One police officer sustained fatal injuries, and dozens of other police officers and rioters were hurt.
“You have to go home now. We don’t want anyone hurt,” Trump said on a video posted on Twitter as his supporters engulfed the Capitol. However, his message failed to disperse the mob.
The mayor of Washington issued a curfew of 6 p.m. Congress finished the certification process early the next morning.
“Of course, the fault of this event rests entirely on Trump and other just as cowardly Congress members who have encouraged this kind of behavior,” said junior Brooke Kasl-Godley. “However, it’s so obvious that the systems in this country that prioritize and support white power, like the police, allowed the attempted coup to happen. That’s what truly infuriates me. I think we need to overhaul these systems as well as remove every guity elected official if we really want to recover.”
Caistor expressed a similar view. “The events of Jan. 6 were, to put it lightly, a horrific and yet not very surprising confirmation of what we all already knew- America’s government, law enforcement and citizens actively and unapologetically uphold the white supremacist agenda. We’ve witnessed time and time again that the aforementioned group of people will fight tooth and nail to preserve the racist ideals that have plagued our country since it was ‘discovered.’”
Two members of Trump’s cabinet and several other administration officials have resigned. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other world leaders condemned the riot.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatens a second impeachment against Trump if his cabinet does not invoke the 25th Amendment to strip him of power. His term ends on Jan. 20 though fallout from the riot may last far beyond that.
“It will take a long time for the rest of the world to look at us the way that they used to: a place where the transition of power is smooth,” said senior Kameela Newell. “If there is a chance that the country can heal after this, it’s not during the Trump administration. Biden or a president after him may be able to heal the country, but I believe that the rest of the world will never forget this and won’t look at us the same.”
Corinne Davidson, David Hernandez and Amanda Wong contributed to this story.
I think that because of the Capitol Riot and the way that Donald Trump has handled COVID-19, he needs to be given at least one of these 2 penalties: life in prison (WITHOUT ANY CHANCES OF EVER BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE) or the death penalty. He does NOTHING but cause MORE destruction to the US and to anything else, and he causes destruction to humanity and to society, and he needs to be charged with treason and murder, and with crimes against humanity and peace. There are so many other crimes that he has committed that I would NOT be able to list them all in even a decade. You would NOT be able to even imagine just how much I despise Trump. Give Trump the 2 worst punishments possible for his crimes, and PLEASE convict Donald Trump.
I absolutely agree. I think that Trump MUST go to jail and I think that he is a dangerous white nationalist criminal and should never run for office again. This presidency is over. He will be held accountable ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, and the sooner he gets in jail the better it is for our future and reputation as a country. I think that it was MORE than disgraceful. It was a treasonous act and a dangerous crime and both the riotous mob AND Trump, Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani should ALL go to jail if we want any chance to save our country.
I see the Olympian has joined in lockstep with other media in embracing intolerance of diversity with censorship of any point of view from outside the echo chamber.
I think that what happened was unacceptable and this all could’ve been prevented from happening if the president didn’t say the things he said and thought about his actions before he acted on it.
I think former president Trump’s actions were very uncalled for, and a form of punishment is required to deal with the outcome of these riots on the capitol building.
I think that what happened was completely out of hand and was preventable if the president didn’t act the way he did.
I agree with what Caistor said about this not being surprising and that it just further deepens what we already know about America and I think we all know what would have happened if these were the social justice protestors that did something like this in this past summer
I think Trump’s behavior was unacceptable because he should’ve did more to stop the capital riot and his response wasn’t enough.
I agree what occurred on January 6 was definitely disgraceful!