I can honestly say that I am embarrassed to be an American. America has always been viewed as the land of the free, but for many this statement is simply not believable. It is clear that the rules only apply to some, not all. 

The police that have sworn to protect the citizens of America have gone back on that oath. While they beat and kill young black women, men and children for simply protesting peacefully, others, clearly, fall under different rules. The real problem with America is that the government officials who are supposed to protect all citizens are racist and hateful, and nothing is being done about it.  

The thugs who stormed the Capitol on January 6th had their own agenda. They invaded the offices of legislators and stormed onto the floor of both the Senate and the House of Representatives not to defend democracy or to protest an injustice, they did it in the name of Donald Trump and everything that he stands for. 

This army of thugs gained access to Washington, DC’s streets and the Capitol almost unencumbered. Where were the barricades? Where was the tear gas? Where was the National Guard? Why wasn’t this group treated with  the same aggressive and violent response that was imposed on the BLM protesters who came to Washington to peacefully protest and march this past summer.

It is clear that police responses suffer from a double standard. According to Reuter Graphics, only 82 people were arrested following the assault on the Capitol, an assault that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. In contrast, during the BLM protests, there were roughly 14,000 arrests and 19 dead, according to The New York Times. 

It is clear to me that the only reason for this disparity is because the assailants were largely Caucasian. The way that police officers treated these rioters was appalling. The behavior of some of the police toward these rioters was atrocious as some were photographed helping rioters down the steps of the Capitol or posing for selfies inside. There is no surprise that some have even alleged that some officers were either in cahoots with rioters or at the very least supportive of their actions. These are the same officers who are supposed to protect people and enforce the law.

It is clear that the rioters and those who support them have no respect for America’s values. They are the real terrorists. This is what America is like and it has always been like this, but now people are seeing more clearly how America is a one-sided nation. The last time that the Capitol was breached was during the War of 1812 when the British set fire to  the Capitol, the White House and other government buildings. That event was considered an act of terrorism, so why 200 years later when the Capitol is invaded by American citizens, is it not considered an act of treason?

There is a lot of uncertainty on what the future is going to look like, but one thing is clear to me: nothing will change unless we fight back. To me, that means more protests and more black people being put in positions of power so that they can speak and fight for us as a people. It is clear that the societal issues of racism and inequality are nowhere near being resolved, so I suggest that citizens start preparing themselves for the political unrest that is yet to come.