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Written by Binta Marong, 15.
Atlanta, Georgia.
Edited by Laiba Lakhani
On January, 6th 2021 a mob of Trump supporters rioted and caused chaos in various parts of Washington, DC specifically, the U.S Capitol building and monument . Not only did this riot shock individuals around the world but it brought light to many social issues. Ever since president-elect Biden’s projected win of the U.S presidential election Trump has been making false claims of voter fraud; causing unnecessary speculation and anger amongst his supporters. For months, Donald Trump has been compelling his supporters to ‘fight back’ following his projected loss in the election. His supporters decided to take his words literally, and proceeded to attack and vandalize buildings, offices, law enforcement, and the nation’s seat of government last week.
People around the world watched as more news and media unfolded the events surrounding the capitol attack. Though many normal civilians were watching this event unfold, like me and probably you, people should understand the privilege that this riot brought to light. It is clear that these ‘protesters’ were treated very differently than any other protests surrounding POC(people of color). Out of the hundreds of rioters only 83 individuals were arrested, security was weak, and there was no usage of rubber bullets, tear gas and unjustified force. These are all common defense mechanisms used against Black Lives Matter protesters, which occurred earlier in the year. This is a prime example of white privilege and how real it is, no matter the amount of people that are ignorant to this issue. Thousands took this use to a multitude of social media platforms to highlight the privilege that the rioters possessed; President-Elect Joe Biden had even stated that if the tables were turned and it was a BLM protest the individuals would be treated completely different. This event was unfortunate and sheds terrible light on the strength and security of us as a country and government,this event shows how flawed every aspect of the country is. It is abundantly clear that there is much work to be done.. For a terrible event like this to happen to bring awareness and understanding on social issues like racial privilege, could be an advantage but a slim one.
