We can all remember where we were when a sudden tragedy strikes. What we were wearing, who we were with, small details you’d forget if it was any other day are engraved in our memories whenever the anniversary approaches. Everyone remembers it differently because of that.
What little pleasure I could take during my first life-changing event derived solely from the fact I was in the comfort of my own home when it happened. Like every other 14-year-old on winter break, I was sitting in my bedroom playing video games. I had the “Minecraft Handbook” collection beside me just in case I needed to consult the professionals on how to build a shack and I was in the purple hoodie my mom had bought me for Christmas.
It was around 2 p.m. when my brother knocked on my door, urging me to come downstairs. When I didn’t immediately jump out of bed and follow him, my dad shouted from the living room that whatever they wanted me to see was important.
On our television was video of an ongoing terrorist attack. I saw violent beatings and property destruction – horrific acts unfolding on the screen. I stood in disbelief as I watched the chaos unfold in real time, worried that if an attack so vicious could go unpunished at our capitol, something far worse could happen anywhere.
Dad was glued to the TV for over three hours, my brother pacing the room as he rambled on about how the world was ending. Curious to see the public’s reaction to everything, I’d moved to the couch to browse TikTok. I was hit with hundreds of videos of people across the country panicking, crying, worried for families and friends.
The chaos continued well into the next week when school started again. As the death toll began to rise, so too did tensions amongst the student body. Differing opinions lead to hallway fights. Slurs were thrown left and right. The problem grew to the point where the principal had to ban any political discussions unrelated to schoolwork, however, that only solved one of the many problems we were facing.
Back in town, neighbors would get into screaming matches with each other. All political signs seemed to go missing overnight, stolen by the opposing side.
This is what January 6th was for me — a time of uncertainty, violence and loss.
The aftermath of this attack lasted far longer than anyone is willing to admit. While news stations stopped reporting on it a few months after it happened, I still feel the effects of it today.
My neighborhood, friends and family are still divided on the incident, dancing around the vocabulary and refusing to call the attack what it was. I have had to cut contact with people who were once close friends because I cannot justify having any relationship with someone who can excuse domestic terrorism.
Four years have passed and what has changed was not for the better. There now exist people who celebrate the attack as if it were a holiday. They smile and laugh while toasting to the death of police officers, claiming the “protest” was a necessary act of patriotism. Never did I think any fraction of the United States would be calling the actions of the Proud Boys patriotic, but here we are. The world finds new ways to disappoint me every day.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; however, I hope anyone who defends the January 6th riot understands what they are supporting. In saying “There was nothing wrong with the protest,” you are claiming the violent infiltration of the U.S. Capitol, injuries and deaths of federal law enforcement, and the demands to “hang Mike Pence” were a completely rational response to democracy.
You are supporting the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, two violent political groups. You are supporting over three hours of brutalization to the U.S. Capitol which totaled more than $1.5 million in damages. You are supporting the deaths that followed the attack and the hundreds of injuries many are still suffering from to this day. You are supporting convicted felons and those who attempted to overthrow the U.S. government.
There is a line when protests become riots. When a protest turns into beating officers with metal poles, building gallows and calling for the deaths of members of Congress with the end goal being the overtaking of the government, it becomes an act of terrorism.
Understand what January 6th is before giving it your support. It is always important to do research, consult friends and evaluate your morality before deciding.