SAY THEIR NAMES….
by C.C. Campbell-Rock
Civil rights activists have always “called out” those who were against the movement for justice, fairness, equality, and civil/voting rights. They do this to inform people. We shine light on the evil people do. And we send a message to the offenders that their behavior is unacceptable. Justice will prevail.
In that grand tradition, Think504 calls out the enemies of the American people, within and without, who attempted to overthrow our government, democracy, and subvert the rule of law in real time.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021, is a day that will live in infamy. It was the day that a Trump mob of insurrectionists stormed the United States Capitol. They fought Capitol police and went on a rampage, stealing, ransacking offices, and, yes, killing, and injuring Capitol police officers. When the tear gas cleared the treasonous criminals were escorted out of the Capitol building. Five people are dead, and 50 Capitol police injured. U.S. Capitol Pro-Trump rioters killed Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick.
THE ENEMIES WITHOUT
Trump invited his cult to Washington D.C. to challenge the results of the presidential election. The same day Congress voted to confirm the election of Joe Biden, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Donald J. Trump Jr., Representative Mo Brooks, Jr. (R-AL), and others stood behind bullet-proof glass. They whipped the massive crowd of misinformed sycophants into an angry lynch mob, reminiscent of the KKK and Night riders.
And estimates are that at least 40,000 were in the nation’s Capital to pull a seditious coup. They came from all over the U.S. Among the crowd were members of the Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, Neo-Confederates, and White Supremacists waving Trump flags and Confederate flags and wearing cheap Trump merch and shirts with anti-Semitic slogans. .
Primed and pumped, they tried to overthrow the U.S. government. Brooks was one of the opening speakers at Trump’s “Save America” rally. Brooks told the crowd, “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.”
Giuliani suggested that the Trump supporters conduct a “trial by combat.”
“Trump told followers, ‘You will never take back our country with weakness,’ and, “We are going to have to fight much harder.” Trump called the election results, an “egregious assault on our democracy, before ordering the crowd to “walk down to the Capitol.”
Donald Trump Jr. urged the seditionists to “Fight for Trump.”
While Trump’s mob was pillaging the Capitol, senators, representatives, and media were whisked away to safe, undisclosed locations.
An array of insurrectionists stormed the Capitol. Among them were:
The Q Shaman/QAnon Shaman, the dude dressed up like a wolf with hours. His name is Jake Angeli, and he has been a regular at right-wing political rallies in Arizona, where he is from, since 2019.
Derrick Evans , a Republican Delegate in the West Virginia legislature, filmed himself and fellow Trump supporters banging on the Capitol’s door. Wearing a helmet, he jumps in the building and shouts: “We’re in” Keep it moving, baby!”
In addition, another Trumpster, a Neo-Nazi, wore a ‘Camp Auschwitz’ shirt at the U.S. Capitol.
Pictured walking through the Capitol with a stolen lectern as he waved at photographers, was Adam Johnson, a psychology graduate from Florida.
Richard ‘Bigo’ Barnett’s picture went viral. The self-described white nationalist is the one with his feet on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk. He showed a New York Times reporter a letter he had taken from her desk. Barnett said he left a note on her desk . It said, “Nancy, Bigo was here, you b****.” Police arrested him. His charges include entering and remaining on restricted grounds, theft of public property, and violent entry, according to NBC.
The Proud Boys were out in force and many other slimy, criminally insane people who follows Trump were present. One man was arrested with an assault weapon and 11 Molotov cocktails. Some of the insurrectionists shot ammunition into the House chamber, according to news reports.
THE ENEMY WITHIN
After the Capitol Hill Police escorted the mob out of the Capitol, the Senate and House of Representatives continued the certification process.
And of course, the majority of the Louisiana delegations showed their true colors and sided with the Racist-in-Chief. Five of the seven Louisiana lawmakers objected to the certification of Electoral Votes for Arizona and Pennsylvania.
During the U.S. House vote on the objection to electoral votes for Arizona, Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03). Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-04) and Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-01), all Republicans, voted to oppose the Arizona election results. The three have voted in lockstep with Trump. And they even repeated the “big lie” that there was massive voter fraud in Arizona’s election.
Scalise has long sided with racists. Although Scalise apologized for speaking at a David Duke rally in 2002, one has to wonder how he remains so loyal to Trump, who is obviously a racist. His own actions confirm that fact.
Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA-02), the state’s lone Democrat Congressman, and Rep. Garret Graves (LA-06), voted to accept of Arizona’s electoral college votes.
In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Bill Cassidy voted in favor of the certification of Arizona’s Electoral College votes while Sen. John Kennedy voted for the objection to both Arizona and Pennsylvania’s electoral college votes.
The Fallout
To be sure the Republican Party is fractured. New factions range from moderate to extremely right wing. Commend Senator Cassidy for doing the right thing.
As for John Neely Kennedy, if he moved back to his native Centreville, MS, he wouldn’t be missed. According to govtrack.us, Kennedy is next up for reelection in 2022 and serves until Jan 3, 2023. “Kennedy is a member of the so-called Kraken Caucus- Republican legislators who fomented the terrorist attack on the Capitol. They aimed to prevent the election of the next president of the United States. And they even called for entire states to be disenfranchised in the 2020 presidential election. They want to change the outcome of the election from Democrat to Republican — an attempted coup.
A photo of Donald Rouse Sr., the owner of Rouse’s Markets, show him and a former employee cheesing for the camera at the Trump coup. After the photo went viral, Rouse released a statement admitting he attended the “rally” as a supporter of Trump. Rouse said he left before the violence began, and he condemned the violent behavior of his fellow Trump supporters.
Locals boycott
Rousse’s statement has not placated black New Orleanians who are calling for a boycott of his stores. It’s one thing to support a Republican if you’re a Republican. But Donald Trump has insulted every brown and black person in America and called black women horrible names. He has put brown and black children in cages. Anyone who supports or contributes to Trump obviously doesn’t give a damn about the way he treats people of color. He’s a racist, full stop, and birds of a feather…
The Insurrection has unveiled serious concerns over the way police treated Trump’s white mob vs. the way they treated Black Lives Matter protesters. An investigation may be imminent.
Video doesn’t lie. There it is in our faces. The Capitol Police opened barricades and let rioters in. Some took selfies with the insurgents. Another stood by and watched while the looters broke windows. Still others gently escorted the lawbreakers out of the people’s house.
According to a New York Times article, “Six days before the storming of the Capitol and Trump’s Civil War, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) asked the chief of the Capitol Police about his preparations for various scenarios: Were the rooftops secured? Would streets be blocked off? Did he know that violent groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were vowing to stir up chaos? Waters said her concerns was met with a similar response from Chief Steven Sund. “He assured me that they have everything under control, that they were on top of everything.” They weren’t.
Not Prepared
“Instead, an angry mob of pro-Trump extremists swarmed the barricades around the Capitol on Wednesday. Spraying chemical irritants and wielding lead pipes, injuring more than 50 officers. They battered doors, broke windows and scaled the walls, rampaging through the building as congressional leaders made desperate calls for help.”
The Capitol Police should have arrested everyone of the people who breached the Capitol. Police only arrested 55 insurgents. The FBI estimates that it may take a year, to track do the other offenders.
But in June 2020, when Black Lives Matter protesters walked the streets, more than 200 were arrested, while others were tear-gassed, beaten with batons, and assaulted. The double standard of it all is glaring.
Those responsible for the failed law enforcement response on January 6, should have to testify at a Congressional hearing as to why the National Guard, the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia police didn’t arrive until 90 minutes into the siege.
Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who served as the Joint Taskforce Commander during Hurricane Katrina, told MSNBC reporters that law enforcement’s response should be investigated. “They were complicit,” the General added.
[…] Related: The Insurrectionists Within […]