January 6, 2021, is a tragic day in US history, but many wonder if it could happen again and how to prevent it. Sadly, the answer to this is not to anyone’s satisfaction.
Capitol Police Chief is confident
Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger took over office last August, and he said, among other things, “The last thing that I want to do is say, ‘this could never happen again’ and have it sound like a challenge to those people.” The Chief confirmed the police were better prepared, but what if the riots became bigger?
Many Capitol officers retired after the January 6
Capitol Police Chief, despite his optimism, said that over 135 officers have retired following the January 6 riots, and a Republican Senator from Missouri, Roy Blunt, warned, “My concern about the Capitol Police is that we’re making them work too hard and too long.”
National Guard assistance
Among the changes implemented following the Capitol riots were several drastic changes, including the authority to seek National Guard assistance directly from the Capitol Police Chief.
Republican is not so assured
Rodney Davis, House Republican, said, according to Politico, “I don’t believe we’re in any better security posture today than we were on January 5.” Davis added, “There’s still way too much politics involved in security decisions.” This brings us to guns at protests and political violence.
Political violence leads to the erosion of democracy
Tim Carey, the lead author of “Defending Democracy,” wrote for USA Today that a survey by Protect Democracy and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins concluded that “the effects of political violence on our elections is leading to a significant erosion of democracy in the United States.”
Guns at protests
Some states do not allow guns at protests, and many see this as an attack on the 2nd Amendment. Yet, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project and Everytown for Gun Safety projections concluded protests are 6.5 times more likely to turn violent if people are armed.
The majority still sees January 6 as an attack on democracy
A recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that 55 percent of Americans believe that January 6 was an “attack on democracy that should never be forgotten.” But, 43 percent of those polled said it was “time to move on.” This means that a large number of people see it as a protest rather than an insurrection.
The narrative changed
Kevin S. Aldridge of Cincinnati Enquirer asked people to watch the footage, writing, “Forget the revisionist history of far-right politicians and media who want you to forget how truly horrifying the attack was. It wasn’t just a ‘normal tourist visit.'” He urged people to go back and listen to those in charge and what they said the day before and on the day of the riots. Specifically, Aldridge was talking about Trump.
Ignoring the “politicking”
“Ignore the spin and punditry and politicking that has, for the past three years, convinced so many Americans they saw something else, something insignificant. Something normal,” wrote. In his op-ed, Aldridge said, “Jan. 6 insurrection wasn’t normal. It may be the start of something worse.”
Hateful rhetoric and real-world violence
Pete Simi, who had studied far right far-right extremism for decades, testified in Colorado that Trump’s rhetoric around January 6 was “a violent call for revolution” and an example of “doublespeak.” He explained, “It would have a certain meaning to outsiders,” adding, “But insiders would understand and interpret that word differently.”
There will always be different views on January 6
Trump or any other US politician did not invent extremism. Yet, it is up to the regular people to denounce violence. Why? Carey explained that better implementations of existing laws and tighter laws regarding guns in open spaces are a necessity. But rejecting extremism is vital because “the time is now to ensure that our democracy not only endures but thrives in an atmosphere of safety, inclusivity, and respect for the principles we hold dear. ”
Focusing on policies
In the election year, one’s main focus should be on what each candidate brings to the table outside their PR campaigns and promises they have already failed to fulfill. Since it is a likely rematch between Trump and Biden, people have a general idea of what to expect. The primary focus should be the effects of global economic crises on the US, women’s rights, and border crisis, to name a few.
January 6 legacy
Elections workers are fearful following “the harassment they endured during the 2020 election.” Five people never got to see the next day. Another four officers took their lives in the following months after the riots. Yet, to this day, not even one court proved there was election fraud. Ken Block, whom the Trump campaign hired in 2020 to find voter fraud in the election, confirmed, “The campaign found no evidence of voter fraud sufficient to change the outcome of any election.”
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