Campus Voices: Jan. 6 Insurrection
A pair of President Donald Trump’s supporters take a selfie together while other supporters storm into the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, breaking windows and clashing with police officers. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election.
January 17, 2021
Students in Mrs. Rodriguez’s Introduction to Journalism class as well as members of the National English Honor Society reflected on the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and what they think it means for the future of our country.
Freshman Ava Burke
The world believed that 2020 started off horribly, but the events on Jan. 6 may foreshadow that 2021 could be an even more hectic year. It began absurdly, with Trump supporters rioting and breaking into the Capitol Building. The incident at the Capitol Building astonished me greatly — something that I never anticipated. This situation produced differing opinions amongst different groups of people. I was personally appalled by the whole circumstance with the rioting of the Capitol. The protesters were acting in a brutal, disrespectful demeanor, breaking windows, injuring police officers, etc. In my opinion, I think that the protestors should have been more respectful and tranquil in their way of protesting. I am further stunned by the lack of security and safety at the Capitol Building. I thought there would’ve been more high-level security methods, but it seemed as if the building was not safeguarded in a stable manner.
Junior Victor Quirch
Last week, Trump supporters and other conservatives stormed the Capitol building. Their actions were horrible and should never have happened. This is a horrible act and a horrible way to get their point across. Not only did they storm the Capitol, but they went through some of the government officials’ mail and offices, tearing everything apart. Now, I am a conservative, but do not condone the actions of my counterparts. What they did was wrong and should be punishable by jail time.
Freshman Mateo Lowe
The Jan. 6 Capital Hill attack was not a means of democracy or act of patriotism, but was an attack on a nation, an insurrection, a rebellion, and an uprising against the state. It demonstrated the United States as something of a Banana Republic. Scarcely armed rioters supporting who one could call a leader of a deadly revolt. President Trump simply calling off his supporters is not enough for the rioters to stop, they will stop at nothing for the President. This was a truly unusual, unorganized, and ineffective attempt to stop a democratic election.
Sarina Smith • Jan 19, 2021 at 12:32 pm
About two weeks ago, the capitol building was breached by a mob of Trump supporters attempting to take away democracy. Personally, I was not surprised by the attack. Based on the president’s inability to admit defeat regarding the election, it was only a matter of time before his supporters did something irrational. It is really scary to see how easily people broke into a building that was supposed to be so strongly protected. In my opinion, anyone involved in the attack on the capitol should be sentenced to prison.