The Double Standard: BLM vs January 6, 2021
On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters and white supremacists stormed Capitol Hill, invading the Capitol building and causing destruction and disturbance, in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory in light of Trump's continual denial of the election results and refusal to concede. This mob had goals to take hostages, such as the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and even put up nooses. They also brought in the Confederate flag and displayed other symbols of white supremacy and Anti-Semitism. Months earlier, Washington D.C. had seen demonstrations of similar magnitude for Black Lives Matter. But was the response the same?
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If it had been a group of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesting yesterday, they would have been treated very, very differently,” – President Joe Biden (Thomas). |
This past summer, when people came out to protest peacefully (at least for the most part), for BLM, military helicopters flew over Washington D.C, law enforcement and troops were out on display, and tear gas was used against peaceful protestors (Thomas). On June 1, 2020, peaceful protestors were forcefully cleared from Lafayette Square. They were sent running after being bombarded with chemical agents and rubber bullets. The three days before were largely peaceful by day and pocked violence at night, yet Trump ordered a militarized response with shied-bearing officers and police on horses who routed the protestors without any warning. On January 6, 2021, only the Capitol Police was on hand, and were quickly overpowered by the rioters. Despite the insurrection being planned online, and FBI warnings of the insurrection, the police failed to make a coordinated plan (Chason, Rachel, and Samantha Schmidt). Police officers failed to hold back the mob and even stopped to take pictures with them as they broke through barricades ands strolled through the halls of the Capitol (Griffith, Janelle, and Deon J. Hampton) Tear gas and smoke grenades were reported only after rioters entered the Capitol, and there have been no reports of police discharging their weapons. In fact, officers even tried to de-escalate the situation with armed rioters who were trying to break in (Srikanth).
On January 6, only 60 rioters were arrested, while around the same number of officers were injured. On June 1, 6,000 law enforcement officers were stationed in the area and over 300 people were arrested that night. The protestors were not in close proximity to the Capitol or the White House (Ray). |
*Note that the picture on the left actually shows the Lincoln Memorial, but the rest is correct.
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One double standard is media coverage. Conservative protests receive much more favorable coverage than those seeking radical change, like Black Lives Matter. Conservative protest articles, like protests opposing immigration, LGBT rights, or those supporting guns are less likely to be framed as "riots" while Black Lives Matter protest coverage are very likely to be labeled as such. There is also a heightened focus on violence and property damage with Black Lives Matter (Harlow).
Learn more about how the media has covered BLM protests and the Capitol riot differently:
"There’s a double standard in how news media cover liberal and conservative protests" (The Washington Post)
Learn more about how the media has covered BLM protests and the Capitol riot differently:
"There’s a double standard in how news media cover liberal and conservative protests" (The Washington Post)
One journalist, Davin L. Phoenix, even cites a "racial anger gap" in which African Americans express significantly less political anger than whites despite having greater dissatisfaction with their treatment and a greater lack of trust in politics. One cause of this is the "angry Black person" stereotype, that is used in particular against Black women. The risk that being labeled an "angry Black" carries is quite high and results in a higher risk of arrest or police violence. Whites on the other hand can more comfortable express their anger about politics and act on it (Phoenix)
Learn more about the racial anger gap here: "The Capitol siege shows how White Americans can express anger that Black Americans cannot" (The Washington Post). |
It is important to comprehend that the people who stormed the Capitol are our co-workers, lawyers, CEOs, military veterans, police officers, neighbors, and family members. This is America and we must admit it" (Ray). |
Some people have said that the reason the rioters were able to break in so easily is essentially because the police and the rioters were "on the same side" and hold the same views. In other words, that the police support white supremacy and Trump as well, so they permitted the rioters to enter. These concerns are not new, as white supremacy has long existed in law enforcement. A 2017 Pew Research poll found that 92% of white officers believe that the United States has made it possible for Black Americans to have equal rights, while only 48% of general public believes this. As a result, some wonder if the police are sympathetic to Trump's rhetoric. Because of their power and access to weapons, police departments are attractive recruiting grounds for white supremacists. There are three main concerns about the action/inaction of the Capitol Police on January 6, 2021:
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America should be honest about the fact that while many people are attracted to law enforcement because they truly want to protect and serve, there are others who seek out these jobs because they want to enforce white supremacist ideologies. Enforcing these ideologies means relegating pursuits of racial equity and criminalizing Blackness" (Ray). |
Learn More:
Resources:
- Learn more about the events of June 1, 2020, and January 6, 2021 here
- Learn about why we cannot equate the Black Lives Matter Protests to the insurrection here
- Read an interview of with a journalist who was there
- Read about white supremacy in law enforcement:
Resources:
- "Don’t shy away from talking to kids about the Capitol riot. They know more than you think." (The Washington Post)
- "How to talk to your kids about the Capitol riots" (The Harvard Gazette)
- How people of color can cope with Capitol riot hypocrisy (CNN)