How The U.S. Capitol Mob Was Treated Differently Than Earlier Black Protesters
The way police handled Wednesday's onslaught showed that "some people are ... given certain kinds of leeway or space, and other people are not," says African American studies professor Eddie Glaude.
When a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, surprisingly few police stood in the way. Protests had been expected for days, but police appeared unprepared for an actual insurrection and not even prepared to keep all the doors locked. Video showed police calmly talking with attackers after they moved into the building.
This came after a year of protests and confrontations with police after police shootings and other kinds of killings across this country. Many of those protests were put down more harshly, including those in Washington, D.C. Officials often responded with tear gas or Tasers or stun grenades.
