Since the death of George Floyd, there have been countless protests and some riots around the world, most taking place in the US. Videos of these events clearly demonstrate a stark difference in the treatment of BLM peaceful protestors (and looters) in comparison to those that stormed Capitol Hill. This fact is precisely the problem, not only with the events that occurred on January 6th, but with America; analogous or identical actions between races are met with inconsistent, oppositional rewards and consequences. Surely if this had been a BLM protest the narrative and unravelling of events would have been far different. How? Take for example these videos (LINK LINK LINK) depicting the difference in police treatment. Agreeably, the first two videos are selective in the clips and protests that were displayed—failing to show the riots and looting that took place during BLM events. In the spirit of impartiality, the third link displays both the protests and riots that took place in Minneapolis. Although the riots are egregious, and the subsequent looting was largely exploitative behaviour, irrelevant to the death of George Floyd, there are three things that should be taken away from these comparisons: the application of the use of force, police preparedness, and the lack thereof.

In the first two videos, what can be seen are peaceful BLM protests where police are, dressed in riot gear, and using force to control the crowds. What’s more, the national guard is even deployed in one scenario to defend the Lincoln Memorial. In the third video, in some cases police officers are unprepared to deal with the riots that targeted police property, but in most cases, they are clothed in riot gear, and using force to control both violent and peaceful crowds. In some clips, police showed greater aggression, likely because they anticipated protests and riots that would cause significant damage, either from experiencing this in the days prior, tracking the organization of these events online, or watching how the untamed anger destroyed other cities. Nonetheless, be it a riot or peaceful protest, police officers were largely prepared (in terms of manpower) and demonstrated an uncanny eagerness to use force (even when unprepared) to both non-violent and violent citizens alike. This preparedness and eagerness to use force was further amplified by former President Donald Trump who, threatened the deployment of the military, called the protesters “thugs,” and called for order as “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” In contrast, the mob that stormed that Capitol faced little resistance. Why? Because there was a lack of preparedness and a reluctance to use force.

To be clear, I’m not saying that police should have began shooting wildly into an angry mob that greatly outnumbered them. Such an unintelligent decision would have ended in bloodshed that would have had a significantly greater impact on police officers at the Capitol. As such, any police officer who wished to survive this attack rationally decided not to engage. Police officers who described their experiences with the mob indicated that these rioters tried to remove their masks, while prompting the mob to kill police officers “with their own gun[s]” or the weapons they came armed with. They stripped police officers of their own gear and ammunition, removing their radios, beating them with their own batons, and even sprayed them with bear spray. Other officers were seen engaging in suspicious interactions, wearing MAGA hats, posing for pictures, seemingly leading protestors into the Capitol by simply removing barricades and allowing them to pass and steal items from the Capitol with pride. The conclusion drawn from these interactions was that these officers were White nationalists who served as inside men for the riots. Considering that the Capitol Police department has been sued by over 200 Black officers for racial discrimination, these conclusions are not farfetched. And to make matters worse, Donald Trump who incited the mob to go to Capitol Hill to protest (as he had been doing for weeks in an attempt to overturn the presidency) proceeded to thank the rioters, telling them, “We love you. You’re very special.” He further tweeted, “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long.” So, what’s missing here? Most notably, there is a glaring difference in preparedness, eagerness to use force, and presidential prudence to exercise control.

Despite these differences, some have argued that shifting the conversation of this event to race petty fogs the issue, as the police officers were clearly unprepared. Agreeably, this was an attack on America’s democratic system; however, the idea that it can only be an issue of either race or democracy is a parochial discourse that fails to see the issue from multiple angles, and disregards the logic that it can clearly be, and is, both. Yes, the officers at Capitol Hill were unprepared, but the question is, why were they unprepared? Especially considering that in the case of the BLM protests, cities were often prepared to respond through sheer manpower and use of force because they monitored the trends and calls for protests, subsequently knowing when and where they were going to occur. This situation should have been no different being that, there was knowledge of the riots being organized, Donald Trump spent weeks entreating citizens to protest in Washington on January 6th, and he further told protestors to go to Capitol Hill during an event that day. Why were these not signals to be better prepared? Why was Donald Trump not calling for the military, or suggesting that he can’t see such a sacred city and important building be ravaged? Why was there such a lengthy delay in the deployment of the national guard? Why were the trends and online coordination of this riot not monitored? Based on the available information, I deem it the answer for this specific case to be willful ignorance, and a skewed perception of Black people as threatening and dangerous, while White civilians are the opposite. That’s to say, this mob was not perceived as threatening, and thus there was nothing to prepare for.

In terms of BLM protests, the willingness to use lethal and non-lethal force was greater, even in scenarios where the lives of police officers weren’t in jeopardy. Whether they were fearful or not, police officers certainly weren’t exchanging articles of clothing with BLM protestors to calm the crowd (use of force was a more likely go to), and they weren’t allowing BLM protestors to pass barricades. There was no apprehension to shut down and control BLM protests through force, despite their facemasks not being ripped off, not being beaten with their own weapons or threatened. Yet, this boldness and preparedness that was present in BLM protests seemed to vanish at the Capitol. Even though they feared for their lives, they thought twice before shooting or using force; and if this can be done in the face of danger, why was it not done in the face of peace? But more frightening is the question, if police units were so prepared, yet use non-lethal and lethal force in the face of peace against Black bodies, what would have happened if BLM supporters stormed Capitol Hill? And the most interesting element to this is the difference in treatment in terms of ideology, where one was attacking the Capitol due to the belief of a delusion, whereas Black people calling for, and being outraged about, equality is a legitimate concern. President Biden’s words shouldn’t be taken as mere pandering to Black and democratic voters. Quite simply, it’s the truth. If this had been a BLM riot they would have been treated very differently, primarily because, the Capitol would have been more prepared, more willing to use force, and Donald Trump would have surely called for reinforcements.

The events of January 6 relayed a critical message about race relations in America. At face-value, this riot unquestionably was related to the trust—and lack thereof—in America’s democracy. Be that as it may, on a deeper level, it brought to the forefront the notion of White privilege. 

Black Lives Matter too. And we know it. We believe it. But do you?