Capitol Police, in full battle gear holding long rifles, tried to disperse Trump supporters. (JOHN NACION/SOPA IMAGES/ZUMA PRESS)
Meredith resident Tim Carter described his experiences attending the pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., in today’s Laconia Daily Sun.
There are all kinds of theories about what went wrong and who was responsible for the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, with most placing the blame with President Donald Trump for his inflammatory rhetoric. As Americans review that day’s events, blame also is falling on the Capitol Police, who rebuffed efforts from other law enforcement agencies to assist with crowd control. Tim Carter raises another possibility: the lack of toilet facilities.
Businesses closed their public rest rooms to the crowd, and the nation’s capital did not provide alternative facilities. Tim suggests that some of those streaming into the Capitol building were going in to use the rest rooms, although he admits that “it sounds crazy.”
Theories that Antifa was responsible for the storming of the building are gaining popularity among those who don’t believe it’s possible that patriots would desecrate the sacred halls of Congress. The Franklin resident who expressed that view on social media, pointed out that the Facebook account of Jake Angeli, the man appearing in several photos taken inside the U.S. Capitol and identified by the press as a QAnon adherent, “doesn't even look real- he has no friends, no photos and half of it isn't even in English........”
Meanwhile, President Trump finally condemned the action in a video released late in the day on Thursday. In it, he called for calm and recognized Joe Biden as the next president.
“We have just been through an intense election and emotions are high,” he said. “But now tempers must be cooled and calm restored. A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”
His aides and supporters have been calling for the president to issue such a statement, but he resisted until it became clear that his intransigence was leading to censure, impeachment, or removal from office under the 25th Amendment.
Also on Thursday, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund resigned amidst calls for him to step down. Also resigning were Michael Stenger, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, and Paul Irving, sergeant-at-arms in the House of Representatives.
Capitol Police, who were praised for safely getting the members of congress out of the way when the protesters broke into the Capitol building, have been scrutinized for inadequate crowd control measures. Some have charged that there was a double standard when facing a crowd of white protesters after using heavy tactics against black protesters last summer, but police have said they learned their lessons from the Black Lives Matter protests and did not want to have another such show of force against American citizens. Nevertheless, there were warnings that violence was possible, yet planners were prepared for only peaceful protests.
Mostly overlooked in the news coverage of the day’s happenings was the potential for the spread of the coronavirus among thick crowds where many were not wearing masks. When members of Congress were rushed into safe areas, many representatives were crowded into a single room where physical distancing was not possible, and many of the Republicans refused to wear masks. With the daily death toll from COVID-19 now exceeding 4,000, those close encounters are likely to lead to another spike in cases.
We ran a column by Meredith attorney Robert McDaniel on Jan. 6 in which he made the case that Americans have a responsibility to others, and should wear masks to avoid spreading the virus. He received a blistering response from Dan Vale:
“I couldn’t disagree with you more.We absolutely have the right to ignore unlawful orders from king john the tryant.I have gone to 4 protests at the statehouse with my friends Smith & Wesson.Alot of us opencarry as it is our right.I Absolutley refuse to wear a goddamn facemask.Enough is enough!You are a very poor excuse for a lawyer you commie pig.I am so very proud of my fellow patriots storming the Capitol.This is just the beginning.It’s gonna be 1776 all over again.
Happy New Year,
Dan Vale
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