The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler.

Hundreds of white angry men are holding Trump flags as they chant the Pledge of Allegiance. They throw rocks at the windows of the Capitol building and pull doors open with their bare hands. A man is running around the Capitol with a Confederate flag. Police laugh and smile with the intruders as they break into the Capitol,  maskless and enraged. Officers gently push and block people in MAGA hats in a vain attempt to protect the Capitol. Reinforcements–thousands of police and National Guard troops– show up far too late. The destruction has already happened, and no one stopped it. 

Out of thousands of rioters, only 69 were arrested. 

What happened on on January 6, 2021, was not only an attack against American democracy, but it also gave us a clear view of systematic racism and white supremacy in America. The police were unprepared and weak. They took selfies and gently escorted rioters out of the Capitol. If these rioters had been Black, they would all be dead or arrested. The police system is corrupt and racist, and this was a sad and horrible day for America. 

In response to the Black Lives Matter protests this summer, the police were aggressive and violent. In contrast, at the Capitol, on the day Congress was certifying the election of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, the police were gentle and weak towards this group of white supremacists and conspiracists. 

During the Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, D.C. this summer, 194 were arrested and soldiers with the DC National Guard, armed and wearing camouflage uniforms, stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. According to Business Insider, on May 26, 2020, the day after George Floyd was murdered, 570 Black Lives Matter protestors were arrested in Minneapolis.

An excessive amount of force was used throughout the country on peaceful protestors, including rubber bullets, tear gas, and beatings that led to severe wounds. 

Former President Donald Trump called the BLM protestors “thugs and looters.” Yet he called the terrorists who stormed the Capitol “patriots.” The BLM protestors were fighting for their lives and for their voices to be heard. These so-called “patriots” stormed a federal building because they couldn’t accept that Donald Trump lost the election. Five people were killed due to their destructive ways.

The disparate police responses regarding Black Lives Matter and the Capitol rioters were significant and telling. Catlin, 16, a Black Lives Matter protestor, described her experience to me: “There wasn’t any violence [on the part of protesters]; we wanted to keep it safe for the kids that were there and get our message across in an appropriate way.”

“The police were there from the moment we were, and they basically laughed at us the whole time,” Caitlin said. “When we asked them to take a knee with us to honor George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and all Black lives they refused and whispered at each other till they left.”