U.S. Capitol Breached January 6, 2021

Britney LaVecchia, Co-Editor in Chief|January 7, 2021

On January 6 2021, the U.S Capitol was breached by an angry mob (With some wearing masks) of Trump supporters. This event left the country in shock as these protesters disrupted Congress with the first breach of the U.S. Capitol since 1814.

Leading up to this event, President Trump hosted a large rally minutes away from the capitol where he urged his supporters to walk to the Capitol in order to counter the pending vote to confirm Biden who won the 2020 Presidential election. This led to a stampede of Trump loving protesters to push against security forces into the Capitol, waving Trump flags, taking photos and most importantly disrupting the Congressional vote.

After storming the Capitol, the protesters walked around the building, putting in into a lockdown. This event was streamed nationwide as the protesters walked into the Capitol with little force used against them. The images of this event feature the protesters holding podiums, sitting at the speaker of the house’s desk and even carrying the confederate flag which has never in America’s history been waved within the Capitol.

Many have considered this an act of domestic terrorism with four fatalities as well as 69 arrests (currently). The FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism states it as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature”.

Trump’s own tweets were used against him as many believe he used his social media in order to incite the riots. His Twitter account was later banned. However Trump’s Tweet from July 2020 has sparked much controversy as he stated that those who damage or vandalize any federal buildings will be subject to “MINIMUM TEN YEARS IN PRISON”.

After the chaos ensued, the Congress reconvened and voted President-elect Biden as the official winner of the 2020 election. Although the madness was put to an end, many were very upset with the situation and how it was resolved.

Darien High School students were able to speak their opinions about this matter during the following school day. Senior Iyanna Green, a member of the Black Student Union, stated that “Yesterday showed how privileged certain groups of people are in America”. She continued to state how “both sides are hypocritical when it comes to deciding when it’s necessary to riot and not, but this doesn’t excuse the unfair treatment”. This event has affected students like Green within our community, they feel strongly that this riot was not handled in the same manner as the blm protests last year.

This is a very important view to understand, but it should also be noted that students within our community disagree with these statements. Senior who would like to remain anonymous states that “everyone had a right to protests but they shouldn’t be protesting the capitol” demonstrating that some believe this event was more a political issue rather than a racial one. No matter what side a student in on, their opinion on the issue is valued within our community. It is important to learn of the matter itself and discuss in order to form views.

This event has affected everyone in our country, and now as we take time to discuss and understand the meaning of this, it is also important to recognize the voices of our student body.In light of the recent events teachers have started to discuss what occurred in order to better educate students. In order to see if this is beneficial to the class it is important to hear what they have to say. Senior, who would like to remain anonymous stated that “Teachers are forcing their opinions on us and should be open to both sides which they are clearly not”. This demonstrates how some students are uncomfortable with these discussions in class, and feel that they are biased in a way.

After the madness of January 6th, it is very important for students in our community to learn and understand what is happening within our country. This moment, while disturbing, is historic and we should learn from it as a community.