Friday, March 29, 2024

The Journal of Steffanie Rivers: After the Capital Storm

Watching Trump supporters storm the Capitol Building last week – with little to no immediate consequences – reminded me of how I felt watching the mini-series ROOTS when it first aired in 1977. Then I didn’t understand why us African-Americans were treated with no respect and with so little humanity? Today I don’t understand why those White people who stormed the Capital were treated with so much respect and so much humanity despite their violence, disorderly conduct and trespassing when clearly they didn’t deserve it. We know why, but seeing White privilege without all the subtleties and excuses that usually comes with it was more proof of the two different America’s we live in.

Even after everybody around the world watched what happened, expecting some people to acknowledge their White privilege is like asking them to give up their legs – it’s the only thing that’s kept them from falling to the bottom of the food chain. 

If you want to know the essence of who a person really is just watch how they behave when things aren’t going their way. President Donald Trump and his supports are angry he was not re-elected. Despite his lack of leadership, lies and racial insensitivity they don’t blame Trump for Trump’s failed re-election bid. They’d rather claim it was stolen!

When U.S. Capitol police said they didn’t know there was a chance of violence by Trump supporters on Capital Hill those claims were either (1) lies or (2) dereliction of duty of those in charge of intel to not have done the homework! Regardless, previous training of police should have prepared them to act, even without forewarning. If defending federal property is their job and there’s an angry, violent mob forcing it’s way into a building you’re supposed to protect, climbing the walls like mindless zombies, breaking glass to gain entrance like thieves and rummaging through offices like rats, self-preservation – if nothing else – should kick in at some point.

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: Black Capitol Police Officers Describe How They Fought Off ‘Racist-Ass Terrorists’

noose at us capitol on day of insurrection (getty
Gallows and noose at US Capitol on day of insurrection – Getty Images

Because of their inability to do their jobs during the melee, five people are dead, including a protester and a Capitol police officer. It’s led to the dismissals of Capitol police chief Steven Sund, House Sargent-at-arms Paul Irving and Senate Sargent-at arms Michael Stenger. 

Now after the fact law enforcement agencies across the country are forced to use their resources and time to hold people accountable and try to arrest them after the fact because lawless White people were allowed to run wild with no accountability in the moment.  But non-violent Black Lives Matter protestors last summer were met with tear gas, batons and arrests in the moment. 

If you recognized any of the people who stormed the Capitol Building use your social media platforms to turn them into your local law enforcement, to DC police and Capitol police. Don’t give the cops an excuse to let these criminals get away with it any longer. Let’s be law abiding citizens and snitch on their asses. 

If they are allowed to get away with these offenses some of these lawless White people will think they can get away with a purge and start assaulting you and me! It’s started already

Even though Donald Trump’s instigated this storm on the Capitol and now his Twitter account has been deleted his followers have tasted blood and they’ve seen their numbers. Trust they are organizing. If you’re not ready, you need to get ready, be ready and stay ready for whatever. Have your game plan for what you will do if something kicks off when you’re at home or at work and you can’t get back to home base? To get more details about a gameplan and find out more about recent domestic terrorist plots uncovered, click on the video version of my journal. 

Steffanie Rivers is a freelance journalist living in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. Email her at [email protected] with your comments, questions and speaking inquiries. Follow her @TCBStef on Instagram and Twitter.

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