In a largely symbolic resolution, the D.C. Council condemned the police response to last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests as compared to the law enforcement response to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The council said race was a motivating factor in determining the presence of law enforcement agents during both protests.
Ward 8 Council Member Trayon White said Black Lives Matter protesters were met with extreme force and immediate arrests for protesting, in stark contrast to the Jan. 6 riot.
“Domestic terrorists, extremists and white supremacists who stormed and trashed the U.S. Capitol in an effort — as they said — to lynch members of Congress and the former vice presidents were not met with the same force,” White said.
He said the disparate treatment of protesters is not anything new, but the proliferation of social media makes it easy for people to capture the incidents on camera.
White said protesters of all races suffered immediate arrests for demanding equitable treatment under law enforcement.
“Their peaceful chants of Black Lives Matter were met with flash bangs, chemical irritants, tear gas and a military response,” he said.
The resolution declares that the Capitol was taken over as an act of domestic terrorism by extremists and white supremacists. It also states that the insurrection was incited by former President Donald Trump’s speech given that exact day.
It passed with a unanimous vote.
