Civil unrest: Students react to the attack on the capitol
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FILE – In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent protesters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol, in Washington. Federal prosecutors say a retired Air Force officer who was part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol was arrested Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Texas. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
The day started out like any other day, but it would soon take a turn for the worst. The president of the United States held one of his rallies on the DC National Mall in response to the electoral college votes being counted by Congress. This event is where he told his followers to march on the capitol and “cheer on” the senators.
“I initially didn’t believe that it was even real and didn’t understand that they broke in until I saw clips on the news,” sophomore Maya Reichenbach said. “I was really angry and enraged because that extremist riot demonstrates that white supremacy is alive and well.”
At the conclusion of the rally on the Mall, thousands of its attendees began the march to the Capitol building with the intent to “stop the steal” of the election. A mob formed as the crowd broke through police barriers and pushed the measly police force back to the steps of the Capitol.
“I think it [the mob attack on the Capitol] was completely inappropriate. The people who stormed the Capitol put fear into both the American people and those who serve our country. — Isabelle Whitten
Reichenbach went on to say, “[The most shocking part was] the way that force and violence weren’t being used towards the mob at the capitol. Also, the government and police force knew that people were planning to riot but didn’t see it as a threat.”
The mob chanted things like “Hang Mike Pence” after he refused to skew the electoral college votes in their favor. They violently pushed the police back to the entrance of the Capitol, where after a time they broke in.
After breaking into the Capitol, rioters stormed both the House and the Senate floors, broke into Senators and Congressmen and women’s private offices, and stole sensitive government information from the building. Many rioters such as the man photographed with his feet up on Speaker of the House Nancy Polosi’s desk have been charged with felonies and detained by the FBI.
Carlisle senior Noah Brown spoke on his reaction to the attack saying “…this mob was the outcome of what happens when political extremists do not get their way… [their] actions were very irrational.” He went on to say he was “a little panicked..” when the news broke.
Five people in total died as a result of the day’s events; one police officer and four rioters. Three of the rioters died of causes unrelated to the riot itself, but one was shot by police.
According to Dartunorro Clark and Frank Thorp V, writers for NBC News, “Three other people died in “medical emergencies” after the riot, officials said. Capitol Police officials, however, have not released many details about the circumstances of these other deaths.”
The police officer, Brian D. Sicknick collapsed at Capitol Police Headquarters after clashing with the MAGA rioters. He died at the hospital later that evening.
On January 13, 2021, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for the second time. According to The Guardian, “The House of Representatives has voted 232 to 197 to impeach…” He was impeached on the charge of inciting an insurrection, and the vote moved to the senate to vote for removal from office.
By Inauguration Day on Jan 20, when Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, many people are releasing a sigh of relief, as the confusion of the past few months is finally being resolved. No matter one’s political views a bit of change seems to be what this nation needs.
Junior Isabelle Whitten discussed the swearing-in of a new government saying, “I’m ready for a lot of good change and I am hopeful for all Americans, no matter their background.”
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Kathleen O’Neill is currently a senior at Carlisle High School. This is her third year as a Periscope staff member. In the past, Kathleen has written...
Jay is a freshman at Carlisle High School this year and new to the Periscope staff. They like to do all types of art in their free time, such as pencil...
Alex House • Feb 19, 2021 at 9:58 pm
I was at the rally that day with my church praying with complete strangers for God to intervene on the meeting happening inside. We started with about 20 people from our church, and when we came to a close, we opened our eyes to about 200 more that had joined us out of their own volition. The devil was obviously not having it; while it’s unfortunate and inappropriate that a sum of the protestors chose to show their opinion the way that they did, I feel that it’s important to note that the majority (and I mean MAJORITY) of people that were there were not involved the way the news has portrayed all of Trump’s supporters to be. Once we saw what was going on, we decided to leave for our own safety and so did many others. May I also say that while I was there watching our former POTUS speak, he made it very clear that we needed to be peaceful and it was very wrong that some of his supporters took that motivational speech and ran with it (all the way into the capital building). So yes, while I felt the same urge to protest, the way in which some decided to do so was wrong. But don’t think for a minute that everyone there (or even most everyone) was there to cause harm or fear.