White Privilege and the Insurrection at the Capitol
Most of the insurrectionists at the Capitol didn't bring firearms with them. That puzzles some people. It doesn't puzzle me.
The reality is that those white people knew that as long as they didn't point guns at the cops and others who were trying to defend the Capitol and Congress, they wouldn't be shot and killed. Why? Because they're white. They knew they had white privilege. Those are the rules. You won't get shot, as long as you're white and aren't pointing firearms at people.
And so it was. They could beat cops with sticks and other objects, and not get shot and killed. They could break into the Capitol and threaten members of Congress and Senators, and they knew they wouldn't get shot and killed. They could invade our legislative halls with impunity, break things, steal things, use bear spray on cops, and threaten people, and still not get shot and killed. White privilege, pure and simple.
Had they been armed with firearms, the story would have been different, perhaps. The Capitol Police and other law enforcement personnel would have returned fire if threatened with firearms by white people. In just one case, a woman was shot and killed as she broke through into a secured area. I don't know who shot her. But that was the only shooting that occurred.
Had the insurrectionists been people of color, a different outcome would have occurred. That, I guarantee.
Even a white mob has privilege, and can get away with almost anything without lethal results by those guarding the place. White privilege. It's real, and it's really, really frightening. It's long past time for it to stop.
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