On Jan. 6, Trump supporters, delusional conspiracy theorists and racist groups joined together to protest the victory of Joe Biden. The Los Angeles “Stop the Steal” rally in front of City Hall was much less erratic than the riot at the nation’s Capitol building.
In Los Angeles, the “Stop the Steal” rally was attended by over 100, mostly maskless, Trump supporters. The protest was made up of conspiracy theorists, Coronavirus deniers, and Republican voters who wanted to show support for the soon-to-be-former president.
Conspiracy theories ranged from China and the Democrats teaming up to fix the presidential election to the survival of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Protesters could be heard from several blocks away. Drive-by protesters honked their horns and stopped traffic and a “doctor” even used a bullhorn to tout false Coronavirus information.
“Masks are bad for you,” the unidentified “doctor” claimed, “It is not healthy to breathe in your own CO2.”
As she made this statement, 554 people died in Los Angeles county from the Coronavirus on Jan. 6. Every legitimate health official has pleaded with Americans to wear a mask, social distance, and stay home whenever possible.
Pastor Tim Tomson, of 412 Murrieta Church in CA., also spread lies about the Coronavirus to the large crowd on the city hall steps.
Tomson expressed his position to open up churches, knowing that doing so would spread the virus.
“Every doctor I’ve talked to has said the same thing about getting to where we call ‘herd immunity,’” Tomson said.
When asked if he was concerned for his congregation’s lives if they contracted the virus, Tomson shrugged.
“Everyone in my congregation is going to die at some point,” Pastor Tomson said.
It should be noted that the pastor had trouble recalling the address of the church he founded and leads.
San Jacinto Councilman Brian Hawkins and his wife and two children also refused to wear their masks.
“I don’t want others around me to feel oppressed,” Hawkins said. “I put the mask on where people feel comfortable with it because it is my right not to have it on.”
Councilman Hawkins also stated that he “respects the Constitution,” yet he attended a protest intended to overturn the democratic electoral process.
A majority of protesters believed that China, Democrats, or both, contributed to a “rigged election.”
“You have ballots that are printed in China and filled out in customs,” says Patriot Party advocate Leo Kelly. “The deep-state runs deep.”
There seemed to be no consistency between protesters about who specifically rigged the election.
There were even some protesters who claimed that Republicans fixed the election against their own party.
“Our government is corrupt,” says Isaiah Isom. “So it’s probably not just Democrats, it’s probably Republicans and third parties as well.”
The protester’s claims were not the only bizarre thing at City Hall. Many Trump supporters wore costumes to reflect how they feel America should be governed.
“It’s 1776, we are forever free,” said Diana Herrera. “It has to do with our Constitution and our freedom, and I am dressed as a colonial.”
While Herrera wished to go back to a time where people owned slaves and she couldn’t vote, one protester spread one of the most bizarre theories at the rally.
A man who identified himself as “United States Patriot” claims that Jeffery Epstein, famous for sexually trafficking and raping young women, worked with Democrats and the Chinese. He also claimed Epstein survived his suicide attempt and is alive and well at Lynn Woods Reservation in Massachusetts.
Several protesters referred to the news outlet News Max, a far-right news source when asked where they received their information.
The City Hall protest quickly turned violent, with several fights breaking out between counter-protesters and Trump supporters.
Some BLM members were pepper-sprayed by “Stop the Steal” protesters and mocked as they cried out in pain. Several arrests were made as law enforcement declared the protest an “unlawful assembly.”
Most of the crowd dispersed after three SWAT vehicles arrived. The police made a scrimmage line to control the remaining group.
However, what started as a non-violent “Save America” rally in Washington D.C. turned into a violent insurrection as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capito, overwhelming the defense teams.
Rioters broke into the building, smashing windows and breaking down doors, allowing them to walk through the main entrance and into the House and Senate chambers.
Matthew Rodriguez, an Architecture major at Cal Poly Pomona, responded to the violent acts.
“I was woken up by mom, telling me that Trump supporters were storming the Capitol. I was in disbelief,” Rodriguez said. “I even asked, ‘Like they are protesting outside?’ I couldn’t believe my eyes when I actually saw that they had broken in and stormed the chamber and offices in the Capitol building. I was very broken to see our democracy attacked and infuriated by the president’s lack of action against this.”
Kihambo, a Youtuber/Twitch Streamer, said, “I’ve lived in this country for 20 years now, and to see it change the way it has at the start of 2021 makes me really scared for America’s future as a community.”
The U.S. Capitol Police took little to no action to stop the crowd from going in. Videos of police moving gates and taking selfies with the Trump intruders have caused outrage.
These intruders began roaming around the Capitol, breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Richard Barnett, from northwest Arkansas, went into her office and put his feet on her desk and stole mail from the office.
Stealing mail from someone is a felony with a risk of five years in prison and fines of thousands of dollars.
Rioters stormed the Capitol as the Senate was certifying the votes to elect Joe Biden as the 46 President and Kamala Harris as Vice President. Senators were able to get safely out of the chamber and barricade themselves in their offices.
Several rioters stormed into the Senate Chamber and sat in the President of the Senate’s chair.
It wasn’t until the National Guard came that the Capitol was cleared. The president initially denied the request to deploy to the Capitol. Mike Pence had to order in troops himself.
Rodriquez said, “The root of the problem is with the president. He was the one who instigated all of this and basically encouraged his followers to do this. Him and his team. They called for this to happen with a march onto the Capitol and with combat.”
Kihambo responded by saying, “Well technically speaking, Trump is still holding office as our president, and he did light the spark for the riots at the Capitol building, so I definitely think it’s our president’s fault. However, it could be argued that this security didn’t do their job well at all. They would have guns ready to fire at BLM protests, but this time against white people, it almost looks like they invited them to come and raid the whole building.”
The Senate and the House of Representatives would finish certifying the election votes later that evening, officially declaring Biden and Harris President and Vice President.
Many Congresspeople and White House officials have expressed their wish to either impeach the president or use the 25th Amendment to remove him from office.
“He should definitely face this. I’d prefer him to be impeached so he can’t run again in 2024. But he needs to face the consequences. And no – he should not be pardoned.” Rodriguez said.
Kihambo also agreed, saying, “Impeached. I feel like I don’t need to explain why.”
Four rioters died as a result of the Capitol storming, including one woman from San Diego, CA shot and killed by police outside the House chambers.
With the Presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, many citizens fear that a riot like this will most likely happen again.
