On January 6, 2021, between 2,000 and 2,500 Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in the name of patriotism. Convinced that the 2020 Presidential Election had been stolen from them, they exercised their right to protest. However, passionate pleas quickly turned violent as more than 1,500 people were charged with federal crimes.
Now that Trump is back in the Oval Office, these rioters may not face consequences. The President even refers to January 6th as a “day of love,” according to NPR News.The dismissal of their acts only undermines the justice system and dismisses assaults made on the Capitol’s law enforcement that day. If this type of leniency continues, the lines between right and wrong will continue to be blurred.
One of the Capitol police officers, Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, sustained several injuries while protecting the capitol that day. After the attack, he had to undergo two surgeries, which forced him to retire from law enforcement altogether. Gonell testified to Congress about the harrowing events that took place on January 6, but he feels that elected officials do not care for the well-being of police officers.
He told NPR, “I’ve done everything that was asked of me,”. “I loved this country, and it feels like the country doesn’t love me back.”
When Trump decided to excuse the brutal offenses of that day, it showed that police officers’ lives are not worth the prosecution of criminals. Law enforcement has willingly put themselves in dangerous situations, but they should not go without basic legal protection. When they are assaulted and beaten by civilians, like on January 6, the people who carry out the crimes should bear the consequences of their actions.
There is no accountability or faith in the judicial system when elected officials and policymakers respond to the rioters with a slap on the wrist. If the ones who committed violent crimes do not take responsibility, it is the job of the elected officials to hold them liable.
According to NBC News, Trump called the rioters who served prison sentences, “hostages, not prisoners.”
Mislabeling the prisoners as “hostages” threatens how the justice system is viewed. When the President of the United States fails to see their crimes as punishable, the road for others to do wrong is paved. This sends a message to Americans that they can get away with anything, as long as it falls into line with what the President perceives to be right and wrong.
Our leaders and justice system are supposed to set the standards of what is acceptable, and therefore, unlawful — Trump is not here to make a wrong look like a right.
AP News reported that 100 police officers were injured during the mob attack on January 6, and rioters used makeshift weapons to attack law enforcement. To name a few weapons, flagpoles, firearms and pitchforks were used. These weapons give the impression that they were looking to incite harm, not hold a peaceful protest. Trump should not have pardoned the actions of the rioters because their protest turned violent. Right and wrong have been blurred, and this should never be a source of confusion.
Lastly, some may argue that Trump pardoned his supporters because not all of them carried out violent crimes. However, even though that could be true, some were intentional with bringing weapons to the Capitol that day. Instead of carrying out a peaceful protest, it turned into a deadly show on January 6th, 2021.
However, there is something to learn from the events that took place that day. Implementing public educational campaigns that promote the importance of voting, dismantling false political information and promoting conversations between the Right and Left, can be proven useful.
In the end, what caused the great divide in politics is people’s unwillingness to listen to the opposing side. Starting a public educational campaign can look as simple as setting-up booths on your school campus and engaging people in conversation about political topics.
Acknowledgement: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the respective author.
