It's Been 3 Years Since January 6. Did Anything Change?
From Ron DeSantis changing his tune to a Capitol police officer running for Congress, ESSENCE takes a look at where we are at the beginning of this presidential election year.
Trump supporters near the U.S Capitol, on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. The protesters stormed the historic building, breaking windows and clashing with police. Trump supporters had gathered in the nation’s capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Three years ago, on January 6, 2021, many of us could not begin to fathom the events that would unfold in our nation’s capitalcity.
“The U.S. Capitol would soon become an unimaginable scene: A deadly riot by a mob encouraged by President Donald Trump and other Republicans objecting to their loss in the 2020 presidential election and seeking to overturn the result,” The New York Times reported.
The Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021 is a jarring piece of our country’s history that will not soon be forgotten. And on this year’s anniversary, ESSENCE is looking at what, if anything, has changed.
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One of the U.S. Capitol police officers who was on hand that day, has announced his campaign for U.S. Congress.
Harry Dunn is running to represent the 3rd District of Maryland. Dunn announced his campaign on Friday, writing the following post on X: “On January 6th, I defended our democracy from insurrectionists as a Capitol Police Officer. After, President Biden honored me with the Presidential Citizens Medal. Today, I’m running for Congress to stop Trump’s MAGA extremists & ensure it never happens again.”
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 06: Capitol Police Offer Harry Dunn is seen following a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in honor of the US Capitol Police and those who protected the Capitol in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 in Washington, DC. Bipartisan and bicameral leadership held the ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medals to law enforcement officers who protected the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has changed his tune and become less critical of those involved as time has passed.
DeSantis initially condemned the rioters in the immediate aftermath, stating “Violence or rioting of any kind is unacceptable and the perpetrators must face the full weight of the law.” He has since pivoted to “a much more skeptical position…claiming that media focus on the events was just a way to ‘smear’ Trump.”
BETTENDORF, IOWA – DECEMBER 18: Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to guests during the Scott County Fireside Chat at the Tanglewood Hills Pavilion on December 18, 2023 in Bettendorf, Iowa. Iowa Republicans will be the first to select their party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential race when they go to caucus on January 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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More than a thousand people with connections to the insurrection have been arrested.
They have faced criminal charges “ranging from trespassing, a misdemeanor, to seditious conspiracy, a felony.” There are over 350 pending cases. According to The New York Times, around 710 people entered guilty pleas, “[a]round 170 people have been convicted at trial, while only two people have been fully acquitted…and more than 450 of them were sentenced to periods of incarceration, ranging from a handful of days to more than 20 years.”
(FILES) A supporter of US President Donald Trump holds a Confederate flag outside the Senate Chamber during a protest after breaching the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021. – The demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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Former President Donald Trump is facing criminal charges in federal court and has pleaded not guilty
Trump was “charged with obstructing an official proceeding and three other counts.” The trial date is currently set for March 2024, but pundits believe this date could be pushed back as the appeal continues. Meanwhile, Trump’s supporters are more loyal than ever, and he still maintains a large lead in the Republican field of presidential candidates.
TOPSHOT – Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump applauds at the end of a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023. An appeals court in Colorado on December 19, 2023 ruled Donald Trump cannot appear on the state’s presidential primary ballot because of his involvement in the attack on the Capitol in January 2021. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Corporate America has reneged on their commitment to change donation policies, a fate very similar to that of their pledges for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
“Companies [have] continued giving to lawmakers who tried to discredit the election.” There have been upwards of 700 corporations and trade groups that have made $18 million in contributions to various groups that benefit those lawmakers, including the national Republican committees for the Senate and House.”
Republican Party logo displayed on a phone screen and American flag displayed on a laptop screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on August 25, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
