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It is absolutely critical that we understand the insurrection at the Capitol on Wednesday as the continuation of police and far-right auxiliary violence from over the summer.
One, there were a reportedly a number of off-duty cops among the people who stormed the Capitol Building. That’s allegedly how they were able to gain access in the first place.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-riots-doj-456178
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-riots-doj-456178
Two, many of the other protestors were “Back the Blue”/“Blue Lives Matter” types who have very specific ideas about what the police are for… like this woman. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/capitol-trump-insurrection-explosions/
Three, prominent police officials across the country — like the head of the Chicago police union here — endorsed the insurrectionists. https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-police-union-president-defends-those-who-stormed-us-capitol/6842fa80-3b83-4396-af05-a5f15f4ac740
Four, right-wing pundits and commentators are suggesting that this now somehow evens the score with BLM and left-wing violence. I'm not going to link but there are many, many examples on this platform.
[Which is of course a false equivalency — largely peaceful protests against police violence are not the same as sacking the seat of U.S. government.]
Five, the Capitol Police themselves acted in a way entirely within keeping with how the Portland PD handled the Proud Boys or Charlottesville handled the Nazis.
@pastpunditry's A12 podcast goes into detail about Charlottesville, especially on August 11. https://millercenter.org/A12
@pastpunditry's A12 podcast goes into detail about Charlottesville, especially on August 11. https://millercenter.org/A12
[I was there in Charlottesville on August 12 (though not August 11) and I remember thinking, “where the fuck are all the cops?”]
Six, DHS and other federal agencies downplayed, dismissed, or ignored the threat of far right violence at the Capitol Building. https://twitter.com/rachael_levy/status/1347326638162382849
Taken in sum, what does this all mean?
It should not shock anyone -- certainly not anyone familiar even in broads strokes with U.S. history -- that our policing system in America is brutal, violent, and racist, and values protecting white property owners above all else.
But it also means because the Capitol insurrection was essentially a variant of the police riots over the summer, calling it "terrorism" and demanding further expansion of the police state is EXACTLY the wrong thing to do.
The Capitol insurrection was a PRODUCT of our police state, not evidence of its failure.
So, what is to be done?
Honestly, the best policy solution here is the one that Democrats are convinced almost cost them the election:
Defund the police.
Honestly, the best policy solution here is the one that Democrats are convinced almost cost them the election:
Defund the police.
