Comparing the presence of law enforcement at Black Lives Matter protests and the Capitol riot

Wes Peters, News Editor
March 28, 2021

[slideshow_deploy id=’12418′]The events at the United States Capitol on January 6th were a shocking moment in history that displayed the immense passion currently behind American politics. Afterward, amidst the chaos, many citizen journalists and commentators pointed to the difference in police presence at the Capitol riots versus at the recent Black Lives Matter protests and riots. Photos have the capacity to display the differences and similarities between the law enforcement response at these events. Through these photos, we can attempt to better understand the response to each situation, and how to mend our country’s deep-rooted injustices.
The capitol protests came after the conservative side of America widely criticized Black Lives Matter protests as being unjustly violent which, they say, justified a strict police and National Guard response. The Capitol riot on January 6th, which was initiated by the false claims of a stolen election, brought into perspective the hypocritical talking points made by many far-right commentators and showed the division in American politics. The failure of the Capitol Police and the refusal to call in the National Guard are seen as symbols of the more lenient treatment of the predominantly white Trump supporters by the police when compared to the treatment of the Black Lives Matter protestors. Hopefully, the photos shown here can make that distinction more clear, and demonstrate the difference in treatment by the police based on skin color.