How racism drove the Capitol attack: Congresswoman
4 Min Read
Rep. Cori Bush recalls her experience on January 6, 2021, and how she believes racism and anger fuelled the attack on the US Capitol.
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Congresswoman Cori Bush (The Guardian)
Democratic Representative Cori Bush recalls her experience during the Capitol attack on January 6 of last year.
The Congresswoman tells AP that when she looked out her window and saw confederate flags along with makeshift noose and gallows, she knew the reality was "sinister".
Bush, who is an activist for Black Lives Matter, said, “I’ve been to hundreds of protests and have organized so many protests, I can’t count. I know what a protest is: This is not that."
The day's events painted a grim picture for US security and its future.
Particularly for many people of color, the storming, which challenged the election results, was similar to white supremacist violence.
Considering the confederate flag was carried inside the building, Bush expressed that is "already just tough on a level that's different from what a white person would experience," stressing that it's "especially different for Black people because of our history. The history of this country has been that type of language and imagery is directed right at us in a very negative and oftentimes violent way.”
More than 100 officers were injured on the day, and four have since taken their lives.
Harry Dunn, a Black officer, said that when he told rioters he voted for Biden, the response from a white woman in a pink MAGA (Make America Great Again) shirt yelled, "You hear that guys, this n—- voted for Joe Biden!’”
Dunn expressed that was the first time he was ever called the racial slur while in uniform.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the chairman of the January 6 probe, said the day reminded him of unpleasant experiences from his past days in Mississippi.
“I saw the kind of hatred in the eyes of the people who broke in the Capitol. It was that same kind of hatred I saw in people who wanted to stop people of color from casting a ballot for the candidate of their choice in Mississippi,” Thompson said.
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn, expressed how he would easily be able to "blend in" with the rioters because he was a white male, adding that "in retrospect, I reflected on the fact that was not true for Ilhan Omar."
Himes said that "it wasn’t until that day when I was on the receiving end of the violence of white supremacy in our nation that I understood."
Rep. Andy Kim D-N.J., recalled joining the janitorial staff in picking up shards of glass and Trump flags left behind, expressing that “it’s so hard because we don’t look at each other and see each other as Americans first.”
White House to hold Trump responsible for Jan. 6 'chaos and carnage'
White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki announced last Wednesday, that US President Joe Biden will call out Donald Trump’s “singular responsibility” behind the January 6 insurrection, when his supporters attacked the US Capitol, which houses Congress.
The Pentagon was chastised for its slow response during the January 6 attack on Congress by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, which resulted in five deaths and dozens of injuries.
Trump has refused to admit defeat to Biden and continues to make baseless claims that he won the election.
The former President responded to the saying in a recent statement, “We will fight the Subpoenas on Executive Privilege and other grounds."
