On January 6, 2021, an attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C. turned deadly for five people. Ashli Babbitt, Rosanne Boyland, Kevin Greeson, Benjamin Philips, and Officer Brian Sicknick all lost their lives during an angry riot coming from a nearby Trump rally, headed toward the Capitol. Some deaths were caused from the violence of the riot, while others are reported to be due to unrelated medical emergencies.
As United States citizens, we have the right to peacefully assemble. This includes the right to protest, but what these people were doing was far from peaceful. Five people lost their lives during this event, and that is not something that anybody can get back. Others were also put in danger, and hate symbols such as the Confederate flag were waved proudly.
What happened on that day was not okay. It doesn’t matter if you voted for Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or even Kanye West. If you have a belief, it should be shared in a peaceful and respectful manner. There are other ways to take action and express a belief, ways that do not involve the destruction of important government buildings or putting people in danger.
On the day that this article was published, Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as the new President of the United States of America. He has claimed that he will try to unify our divided country and be a president for everyone. Will he be able to follow through? Some believe that now more than ever, the U.S. is polarized, and the tragic event at the Capitol is proof of this tension.
The world has been through a lot within the past year, including the United States. There has been a lot of political unrest amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and as much as I hate to say it, our country’s problems are not over. The beginning of 2021 seems promising, but it does not mean that we get to reset. What the new year and new presidency certainly do offer, though, is the opportunity for us to further solve the problems that we are faced with. Only when we have made progress can we begin to recover.