It’s been three years since the day that our very democracy was threatened by the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, a day that is so firmly planted in our collective memory. It was one of those rare generational events, where many Americans know what they were doing or who they were with when they heard the Capitol had been stormed. This wasn’t an attack conducted by foreign entities, it was an act of insurrection carried out by citizens of this country, and encouraged by the then-leader of the country.
I was in the Capitol that day. After I heard a gunshot that I would later learn killed one of the rioters, I ran from the tunnels underneath the Capitol back to my office. Myself and another member barricaded ourselves inside. The rest of my day was spent on calls with defense officials, pushing for some kind of backup as we waited for the all-clear to return to the Floor. Later that night, we confirmed Joe Biden won the presidency.
The acts of heroism carried out by Capitol Police officers, National Guard, and federal law enforcement are something I’ll never forget. Big acts, like putting their own bodies against a wall of rioters to small acts, like escorting members quietly to safety. They saved countless lives that day. I am so grateful for their bravery in the face of an attack they never thought they’d have to face: one carried out by their fellow Americans.
We shouldn’t forget what has come out of those events: 5 officers dead, 4 rioters dead, 749 rioters convicted, 1,265 rioters arrested.
We are still feeling the reverberations here in Michigan now. Over the last few weeks, we have seen report after report about how Trump tried to use fake electors to overturn the presidential election and undermine the will of Michigan voters. When Trump and his allies couldn’t convince statewide elections officials to illegally overturn the elections in their states, they began to recruit fake electors to sign false certificates claiming that he won the election. Recently released recordings and emails have revealed that Trump and his campaign’s lawyers even went as far as flying fake electors from Michigan to DC, carrying the falsified election results.
The domestic extremism we saw that day hasn’t vanished from our society, and it is up to all of us to ensure the ideals this country was founded on are protected. If you use or incite violence, especially violence meant to disrupt democracy, you should be held accountable. It is my fervent hope that we carry the lessons from that day with us as we look towards November.
Elissa
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