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Arkansas Granny

(31,484 posts)
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 01:57 PM Oct 2021

An interesting article concerning the Capitol windows broken during insurrection.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-10-04/jan-6-rioters-exploited-little-known-capitol-weak-spots-a-handful-of-unreinforced-windows

WASHINGTON — Four major access points that Jan. 6 rioters used to break into and overtake the U.S. Capitol had something unusual in common: They were among a dozen or so ground-floor windows and glass-paned doors that had not been recently reinforced.

The majority of the Capitol’s 658 single-pane windows were quietly upgraded during a 2017-19 renovation of the historic building. The original wooden frames and glass were covered with a second metal frame containing bomb-resistant glass.

But planners skipped about a dozen ground-floor windows, including some located in doors, because they were deemed to be low risk in the event of implosion, largely due to their discreet or shielded location, or because the building couldn’t structurally handle the load of the heavier frames.

And whether by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge by rioters, several of those vulnerable windows and two glass-paned doors — protected with only a thin Kevlar film added after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — became easy entry points for hundreds of Trump supporters who overran and ransacked the building on Jan. 6.
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An interesting article concerning the Capitol windows broken during insurrection. (Original Post) Arkansas Granny Oct 2021 OP
I read somewhere the main doors on the east side were Tomconroy Oct 2021 #1
No paywall for this NTY INSURRECTION VIDEO REPORT, released June 30, 2021 CrispyQ Oct 2021 #2
Inside job. Ask Cawthorne, Boebert, Greene, and Hawley where the insurrectionists learned about it. lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #3
+1--and Gosar and the other pro-insurrection representatives and senators. tblue37 Oct 2021 #4
Yes - unfortunately the list is essentially the entire Reptilian Caucus now. lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #5
Some of the Capitol Police who were sympathetic Sogo Oct 2021 #6
Well, let's find out. lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #7
Yes! Sogo Oct 2021 #8
Yes, I think security or maintenance personnel would be more likely tanyev Oct 2021 #31
Beyond a doubt. dalton99a Oct 2021 #10
That was my first thought, as well. I also would like to know about those "tours" of the Capitol Arkansas Granny Oct 2021 #11
If they aren't held accountable, it encourages more of this behavior IronLionZion Oct 2021 #13
One door was left open. They showed that on the news. True Blue American Oct 2021 #25
Who told the violent Republican traitors about these windows? Champp Oct 2021 #9
insurrectionist employees Slammer Oct 2021 #14
We already know some members were giving "tours". lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #17
I work here. Action_Patrol Oct 2021 #19
Thanks for the info Slammer Oct 2021 #26
Someone with specialized training could have examined the doors and windows ahead of time. Irish_Dem Oct 2021 #23
Panic buttons in Dem offices were removed ahead of time. Irish_Dem Oct 2021 #12
Need to find that work order; the paper trail will be damning. lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #18
I suspect no work order. Done on the sly the night before or that morning. Irish_Dem Oct 2021 #20
In that case, why the fuck aren't we seeing the surveillance videos? lagomorph777 Oct 2021 #21
I know, it is all so frustrating. Why aren't we hearing more about this. Irish_Dem Oct 2021 #22
professional escort Slammer Oct 2021 #24
Yes. Some basic forensic/detective work should have been done. Irish_Dem Oct 2021 #29
That was some truly evil Republican traitor shit. Champp Oct 2021 #28
Yes the motive for removing these buttons was not good. Irish_Dem Oct 2021 #30
one Democratic office reported buttons removed stopdiggin Oct 2021 #32
It goes to the premeditation. Irish_Dem Oct 2021 #33
if there were a lot of offices targeted, yes stopdiggin Oct 2021 #34
Is there any hope at all to see one or more of the traitors in Congress held to account? Vinca Oct 2021 #15
No, I have no hope that anyone in Congress will ever face justice for their complicity in this SoonerPride Oct 2021 #27
I'll take advanced knowledge for a true Daily Double malaise Oct 2021 #16
 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
1. I read somewhere the main doors on the east side were
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 02:07 PM
Oct 2021

Opened from the inside. I'd like to know a lot more about how that happened but haven't been able to find anything.

CrispyQ

(36,231 posts)
2. No paywall for this NTY INSURRECTION VIDEO REPORT, released June 30, 2021
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 02:08 PM
Oct 2021
Day of Rage: An In-Depth Look at How a Mob Stormed the Capitol
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007606996/capitol-riot-trump-supporters.html

=====

8:55 - Map of the outside of the Capitol Building & where the rioters were gathering.

14:14 - Floor plan of inside of Capitol Building & then fans out to the entire grounds.

19:17 - Floor plan of Senate side of Capitol Building. Rioters have broken into the Capitol building by this point.

20:44 - Officer Goodman lures the rioters away from an unguarded door & into a line of fellow officers.

21:33 - Layout of the Rotunda & Crypt & House side of the Capitol Building.

22:22 - A copy of the tweet Trump sent out at 2:24pm as the Capitol Building was being stormed by angry MAGA.

22:50 - Rioters breach the other side of the Capitol Building & look for House chambers.

27:16 - Ashli Babbitt arrives at the place where she will be shot.

28:20 - Ashli Babbitt is shot trying to breach the House chamber.

29:49 - Map of outside Capitol Building & where the crowd is. Continues into stunning footage of how the police were overwhelmed, & calls for backup were ignored.

33:00 - "Law respecting" trumpers beating police as they storm the Capitol Building.

34:06 - Trumpers trample one of their own, after she collapses & her friend's cries for help are ignored.

34:55 - Map of the Capitol Building & an overview of all the places it was breached. If you don't watch any other part of this report, watch this. It shows the scope of the breach.

Sogo

(4,967 posts)
6. Some of the Capitol Police who were sympathetic
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 02:18 PM
Oct 2021

to the Trumpsters certainly could have been the ones to leave an entrance open or inform insurrectionists which windows were vulnerable....

tanyev

(42,362 posts)
31. Yes, I think security or maintenance personnel would be more likely
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 05:27 PM
Oct 2021

to know that kind of detail than a fairly new legislator. But I’m sure the aforementioned legislators were involved in plenty of other ways.

Arkansas Granny

(31,484 posts)
11. That was my first thought, as well. I also would like to know about those "tours" of the Capitol
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 02:31 PM
Oct 2021

that were conducted in the days leading up to the insurrection.

IronLionZion

(45,262 posts)
13. If they aren't held accountable, it encourages more of this behavior
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 03:41 PM
Oct 2021

The law and order types always claim punishment is a deterrent.

Champp

(2,114 posts)
9. Who told the violent Republican traitors about these windows?
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 02:22 PM
Oct 2021

Some skanky, dark-minded traitor to America guided the treasonous Republican mob directly to the vulnerable places.

Lock 'em up.

Slammer

(714 posts)
14. insurrectionist employees
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 03:52 PM
Oct 2021

I doubt the members of Congress or their staff paid enough attention during the renovation to take note of which windows were upgraded and which weren't. (I know you aren't supposed to be able to tell the difference from the outside but I don't know if you can tell the difference from the inside.)

On the other hand, someone had to do the actual renovations and would definitely have noticed which places were upgraded and which weren't.

I know they're federal contractors. But we've seen news reports in the past about federal contractors who were big MAGA fans.

It's not too difficult to believe that someone at the construction firm either looked it up in the company records, or just remembered, then blabbed to the insurrectionists during their planning.

lagomorph777

(30,613 posts)
17. We already know some members were giving "tours".
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:02 PM
Oct 2021

We have to look at all possibilities. Members, staff, contractors, and (a few) Capitol Police are all potential suspects at this point.

Action_Patrol

(845 posts)
19. I work here.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:03 PM
Oct 2021

The windows don’t look any different at first glance. Those rabid idiots were everywhere that day. I don’t believe they targeted any specific window.

Same with the doors. None of the doors are opened from the outside, they are all electronic locks

Slammer

(714 posts)
26. Thanks for the info
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:25 PM
Oct 2021

Thanks, that's what I figured.

When we had shatterproof glass installed, you couldn't tell it from real glass and the frames weren't much different.

And I figured the government probably spent a lot more and had access to better materials than I did.

Irish_Dem

(45,654 posts)
23. Someone with specialized training could have examined the doors and windows ahead of time.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:12 PM
Oct 2021

Perhaps someone with military training.

Irish_Dem

(45,654 posts)
20. I suspect no work order. Done on the sly the night before or that morning.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:04 PM
Oct 2021

I wonder when people noticed the buttons missing.

lagomorph777

(30,613 posts)
21. In that case, why the fuck aren't we seeing the surveillance videos?
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:08 PM
Oct 2021

It's been way too long. I sure as hell hope they've been preserved.

Irish_Dem

(45,654 posts)
22. I know, it is all so frustrating. Why aren't we hearing more about this.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:10 PM
Oct 2021

And where are the videos, good point.

Slammer

(714 posts)
24. professional escort
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:16 PM
Oct 2021

Yeah, that's one really bizarre aspect of the case.

I really don't see why those offices weren't sealed and treated like a crime scene. Fingerprints are pretty delicate but can stay on some surfaces for years if the surface is protected from the elements and isn't cleaned.

Sounds like the panic buttons were hidden, maybe behind a panel or under a desk.

Whoever removed them probably did so during the Christmas break and likely had to touch the surrounding surfaces at some point in order to remove the equipment.

The sane thing to do would have been to try to lift prints in the area around the button, compare those prints to the office personnel, then run any anomalous prints through criminal databases, any contractor databases which might exist and against insurrectionists who'd been picked up.

And someone had to sign the workmen into the building and go around an unlock each individual office as the contractor was going from office to office removing the panic buttons then lock the off ices behind them.

There should be a record of signing in the workmen and a note of who was their escort. And even if the escort is entirely innocent, he probably still has useful testimony to give about the person who was doing the removal: height, weight, name, whether he seemed nervous, what he was wearing, whether he seemed competent, the excuse/explanation he gave for doing the work, who signed the work order, who assigned him to escort the workers around the building, how long he was in the building (to compare to log-in/log-out sheets), what other parts of the building he accessed, whether he observed the guy at all times to make sure he wasn't doing unauthorized work like planting microphones, bugging phone lines, or messing with the office computers.

You could probably get a lot of information if you offered the escort complete immunity and gave him every opportunity to nail someone else to the wall.

Irish_Dem

(45,654 posts)
29. Yes. Some basic forensic/detective work should have been done.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:39 PM
Oct 2021

Around the issue of the panic button removal.

It would not have necessarily been an escorted work order project.
Someone could have gained entry and done it off the books.

We know that there was recon going on prior to 1/6.

Someone scouted out the window and door situation.
Also the insurrectionists had maps of the building.

They also knew the location of the secret offices some MOC use when they need privacy.
Nancy Pelosi's daughter stated that she had grown up in the building and had no idea where these
offices were located. She questioned how the insurrectionists knew about them.

Irish_Dem

(45,654 posts)
30. Yes the motive for removing these buttons was not good.
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 04:40 PM
Oct 2021

Indicates premeditation of serious crimes.

stopdiggin

(11,095 posts)
32. one Democratic office reported buttons removed
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 07:50 PM
Oct 2021

(and perhaps one other reported 'non-functioning'-) - but the larger point is this does not appear to be something that was wide spread or systematically targeted against Democratic officeholders - or in fact any officeholders when it comes right down to it.

(there are plenty of legitimate question marks surrounding the attack - and pre-attack - out there. this just doesn't seem to meet that standard.)

stopdiggin

(11,095 posts)
34. if there were a lot of offices targeted, yes
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 08:08 PM
Oct 2021

a single office doesn't really support the idea. Sounds more like a garden variety screw up.

Vinca

(50,172 posts)
15. Is there any hope at all to see one or more of the traitors in Congress held to account?
Tue Oct 5, 2021, 03:54 PM
Oct 2021

There's no way a random terrorist would know about the windows. It's a real shame the characters doing the breaking weren't arrested on site at the time and searched. I bet there would be maps that would tell the story and those maps might have had fingerprints.

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