Rioting for the Election?

Frankly, I wonder how could there have been a small contingent of law enforcement available to protect the Capitol Hill from a group of gun totin’¹ citizens. None of us objected to the groups’ right to protest because many of us have done it from time to time, whether at the statehouse or at the Capitol building.

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Protests at the Capitol Hill has taken place since the founding of the building in the District of Columbia. This land was given to our country from Virginia and Maryland through laws². So the groups protesting on 6 January 2021 is not the first, nor will it be the last group to protest.

I have a problem with this picture. Two protests actions that are close to parts of my identity did not carry guns (maybe concealed) and their protests were straight up to your face peaceful if possible. Did they clash with law enforcement, sure what are protests without them? Their protests may have lasted a long time but they made their point through “in your face” signs, marches and sit downs to name a few. They may have blocked people from accessing services, they did not harm others as they have been harmed over the years by being refused jobs, not being able to stay home and be independent and obtain medical care for their health.

Deaf President Now in 1988 fought for the right to have the position of Gallaudet University’s president to be held by a qualified deaf person.³ People with disabilities have protested for their rights to have jobs, education, housing and medical care.⁴ These people protested on authentic experiences and knowledge. The outcomes were for their lives, the same lives that have equal value as those “normal” people.

It was painfully obvious for the last 6-8 months that the conduct of these terrorist groups were coming. The Black Lives Matter movement had larger groups of law enforcement approach them with guns and rubber pellets, tear gas, and batons. As always with society, there will be splinter groups within a larger movement. Even federal law enforcement were called stand on the steps of the Lincoln Monument during DC’s BLM movement to protect the monument, to protect every single building on the land of our capital.

Yet, on the land of our capital, one group which makes up the majority of our country faced only a small contingent of law enforcement. A small force. And the media has the gall to parrot the DC police, mayor and the appalled Republicans (and some Democrats) that “they did not expect this to happen”. That is total BS.

This is because they thought they had nothing to fear from a gang of people who look like most of them. Some law enforcement officers let the people in because they support their beliefs. I wonder about an officer who is black watching that unfold in front of them and you wonder why the POC community has a problem with law enforcement? Even as a deaf person, how can I trust the officers to do their job when they can cherry pick who they let in or not.

The Congress came together after the dispersion of the group of terrorists (homegrown) and even with objections, confirmed Mr. Biden as president-elect. Unfortunately, it is too late. It is emblematic of why as a nation, we pretty much almost have no confidence in our representatives to truly represent the people. There are good representatives and bad ones, just like there’s two sides to a coin – a simple fact of life.

BLM, deaf and disabled people protest because of systematic oppression – years in the making. The system still exists because the people within that system does not want to let go of their privilege that was granted and carried by them through colonialism, which started about 700 years ago and only ended within the last 200 years.

I will quote what I wrote on my Facebook page on a post: ” BLM protesters are patriots too. They are composed of Native Americans, whose land was stolen from them and subject to genocide. African Americans, whose ancestors were brought to the States to work on plantations. They are immigrants who fled discrimination based on their ethnicity to the land of opportunity. They are people who knows what reality is, diverse and natural human beings regardless of race, ethnicity and many aspects that are still fundamentally human in every way possible.”⁵

So is it just the “fraudulent” election that this group is protesting through enablers of our elected officials? It is more than just that. It is the status quo that the group fears of losing. The very status quo that colonialism granted them before the start of the United States of America. The start of the United States of America was created by immigrants, who subsequently did horrendous actions against the native peoples, just because white civilization is superior and all others are savages.

So is the storming of the Capitol Hill the last we will hear from our home grown terrorists? We have delayed the inevitable and someone needs to plan better for 20 January.