How The Storming Of The Capitol Was — And Wasn't — About Police
People around the world watched in shock on Wednesday as thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, descending on the halls of Congress and postponing the vote that would make Joe Biden's election official. And while there was much to take in — windows shattered, Trump flags waving, a man with his boots up on Nancy Pelosi's desk — many were particularly struck by what they saw from police at the scene. The police force seemed quickly overwhelmed and unable to secure the Capitol. In some cases, officers were even criticized for appearing sympathetic to the will of the crowd.
Over and over in the news and on social media, people imagined how different — and likely more deadly — the police response would have been if those people lined up outside the barriers had been Black or brown. And that alternate scenario is raising complicated questions about what role the police can, and should, play in response to protests, riots and mobs.
But Alex Vitale, author of says it's a mistake to boil Wednesday's events down to questions of police force and tactics. Rather, Vitale, who is a professor of sociology and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College, says that, in addition to examining the role of the police in these incidents, we need to open up a broader conversation about race, politics and justice. (We'll be talking more.)
