Police Response Slammed: ‘When Black Folks Are Protesting … They (Are) Shot With Rubber Bullets’
Many civil rights activists say law enforcement showed more restraint and used significantly less force against white protesters at the U.S. Capitol than they have against Black protesters at past events that were far less violent or disruptive.
USA Today:
'Double Standard': Black Lawmakers And Activists Decry Police Response To Attack On US Capitol
Civil rights leaders blasted law enforcement agencies for their slow response to rioters at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, noting the massive show of police force in place for Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year over police killings of unarmed Black men and women. "When Black folks are protesting and progressives are protesting peacefully they were tear-gassed, they were arrested, they were shot with rubber bullets. They were shot with real bullets," said Derrick Johnson, president of the national NAACP. "We watched it take place all summer long when people were peacefully demonstrating." (Hauck and Barfield Berry, 1/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘America’s Double Standard’: Racial Justice Activists Denounce Police Reaction To Pro-Trump Mob
The violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday sent shock waves across the nation and enraged Bay Area supporters and organizers of racial justice protests, who said police appeared to show much more restraint — and use significantly less force — in responding to the largely white crowd. “It is America’s double standard on full display,” said Zahra Billoo, a civil rights lawyer and executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in the Bay Area. “It is not surprising, but it is nonetheless disappointing to see how this violent mob of people attempting to disrupt law and order are treated so differently than civil rights advocates, like myself, and other Muslims and minorities who have been advocating for change through law and order for decades.” (Sanchez, 1/6)
The Washington Post:
Kid Gloves For Pro-Trump Mob As Black Lives Matter Face Strongarm Tactics
When Chanelle Helm helped organize protests after the March 13 killing of Breonna Taylor, Louisville police responded with batons, stun grenades and tear gas. The 40-year-old Black Lives Matter activist still bears scars from rubber bullets fired at close range. So Helm was startled and frustrated Wednesday to see a White, pro-Trump mob storm the U.S. Capitol — breaking down barricades, smashing windows and striking police officers — without obvious consequence. “Our activists are still to this day met with hyper-police violence,” Helm said. “And today you see this full-on riot — literally a coup — with people toting guns, which the police knew was coming and they just let it happen. I don’t understand where the ‘law and order’ is. This is what white supremacy looks like.” (Klemko, Kindy, Bellware and hawkins, 1/6)
Was the Capitol's lack of security related to coronavirus? —
The Washington Post:
Capitol Breach Prompts Urgent Questions About Security Failures
The Capitol Police was short some officers Wednesday, because they had been infected with the coronavirus or exposed to someone in a way that required quarantine, according to people familiar with the situation. However, law enforcement officials said, the Capitol Police and other federal agencies also seemed to underestimate the potential threat posed by Trump’s supporters — even as the D.C. police grew more alarmed. (Leonig, Davis, Lamothe and Fahrenthold, 1/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Capitol Police Weren’t Prepared For Rioters, Authorities Say
Former Senate historian Donald Ritchie said the Capitol Police might be excused for misreading the pro-Trump crowd. “This is just so totally out of character for the way in which Americans protest or Americans congregate or show their political feelings,” Mr. Ritchie said, noting that the Capitol has seen massive protests over myriad issues over its history. “I’m astonished that it happened,” he said, “for the same reasons the police were astonished that it happened.” The coronavirus pandemic also posed new challenges for the police department. As Congress has remained open for business during the pandemic, at least a dozen officers had tested positive for the coronavirus by May 2020, and were concerned about their working conditions, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. (Viswanatha and Gurman, 1/7)
