Twitter sounds off with receipts of police complicity in the Capitol attack yesterday

Attribution: Getty Images

The police have long shown where their allegiance lies. But people are still on this "How could the police let this happen?" nonsense.

Jan 07, 2021 4:59pm PST by Cara Zelaya, Daily Kos Staff

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The attack on the Capitol yesterday has re-ignited the conversation around the double standard and outright violence that the police exhibit against peaceful communities of color versus white terrorist organizations. Given the brutality that Black communities have experienced at the hands of the police, not just throughout history but more recently during the summer of 2020’s civil rights protests, the stark difference has rightfully gone viral. Cries of bewilderment from the mainstream media and from many white Americans at the inaction during the Capitol attack has at best further exposed the extent of American ignorance towards its own police system, and at worst shown a deliberate desire to turn a blind eye to a wholly corrupt system of law enforcement that perpetuates white supremacy and white violence. At the time of writing, the Capitol Police chief has just resigned amid criticism of the department’s response to the violent mob, and there are conflicting reports about why the National Guard was nowhere to be found during the early hours of the riot. Throughout all of this, Twitter has been instrumental in the fight to hold police accountable for their involvement with violent white terrorists.

This is a not-so-complete thread of the videos I have seen on Twitter since yesterday's attack.In the following clips, the police were either tepid in their response to a violent mob or actively egging them on in their attempt to seize control of Capitol Hill.

Peak white privilege

Law enforcement helping a terrorist who stormed the US Capitol down the stepspic.twitter.com/pYlpx6BmXC
— Khary Penebaker (@kharyp) January 7, 2021

Police officers are shown cautiously, slowly bringing white terrorists who stormed the American Congress carefully down the stairs by the hand. “THEY JUST LET THEM IN?????” Yeah. It looks like they did. It also looks like they just let many of them go.

THEY JUST LET THEM IN ?????? yeah i’m logging off pic.twitter.com/QJ0JCARWOC
— joy⁷ (@sugaspov) January 6, 2021

They also did some “squabbling with protestors” and then some moving out of the way while Trump’s mob seized a federal building.If that wasn’t enough to make your stomach churn, cops not only got out of the way, they took selfies with the members of the mob inflicting terror. Selfies.

Cops are taking selfies with the terrorists. pic.twitter.com/EjkQ83h1p2
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 6, 2021

That police officer should be charged with treason. The mob scrawled “MURDER THE MEDIA” on Capitol doors near police officers leading the mob outside of the building. Seemingly just letting the people who stormed Congress … just … go?

They wrote “Murder the Media” pic.twitter.com/SmUps5Sgll
— Maria Ines Zamudio (@mizamudio) January 6, 2021

Just calmly walk out? I guess? After vandalizing and trying to overthrow the American government? Sure.

A line of people exit the Capitol building. One bloodied in the head and more came out who previously stormed the building. pic.twitter.com/0MF2aAp3Ly
— Matthew Miller (@mattmiller757) January 6, 2021

The police decided that zip ties and handcuffs simply don’t work on or apply to white people. Weird how that works. They juxtaposed inaction with the egging on from different police officers.

Confirmed that some police were involved in the Capitol attack yesterday #CapitolRiots pic.twitter.com/XawgoRK8T8
— Steven Bumbera (@bumbera_steven) January 7, 2021

Go back and watch the above video again. And again.

Looks looks like some of them were in on it. pic.twitter.com/6o6dc42pVn
— Dawn (@AlternativeDon) January 7, 2021

Just in case some of you missed it the first time. But even when the police managed to hold the line, they somehow decided to not pin down and immediately arrest assailants.

Here he is minutes earlier punching a cop. Clean hit right to a cop’s chest plate. I have never in my life seen someone swing at a cop and not get immediately overtaken and arrested. pic.twitter.com/TXC79fpYqz
— TALIA JANE (@itsa_talia) January 7, 2021

Is “USA! USA! USA!” now not an unbelievably terrifying thing to hear?Let’s not forget the now infamous West Virginia delegate, Derrick Evans, who not only was among the white supremacists, he was filming while committing treason.

Here is another, going in the door and coughing. “MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!” pic.twitter.com/kTd9AQfYri
— Brad McElhinny (@BradMcElhinny) January 6, 2021

The police nationwide expressed their sympathies to the complicit Capitol police, even expressing sympathetic feelings towards the violent rioters who attempted a coup.

They’re not even pretending anymore about who they consider citizens and who are nuisances to be controlled. https://t.co/NDhzycuEHj
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) January 7, 2021

Equally important to why the police were so poorly staffed will be full investigations and justice brought upon the police officers who were complicit in the Capitol attack.Including off-duty police officers.

A New Hampshire police chief was apparently one of today’s terrorists. I’d love to know how many other cops participated in street clothes. Bet it’s not a small number. https://t.co/KqHZTXNgMw pic.twitter.com/1SS7vHPeph
— Jamie 😷’Grady (@JamieOGrady) January 7, 2021

The insurrectionists who saw any resistance were shocked. After all, they know full well that the police will protect violent white people and brutalize Black people.

Whew. https://t.co/84zGZwm0uQ
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) January 7, 2021

Before anyone misunderstands my point, I’ll insert this here.

Just to be completely clear today, pointed questions like "Where is the teargas?" or "Why don't we see more choke slams?" are not demands for police brutality. They are rhetorical questions meant to highlight the fact that police *do* know how to avoid police brutality.
— tj usiyan (@griotspeak) January 6, 2021

If only attempting to destroy the legislative branch in order to seize control of the executive was seen as a higher offense than looting a Target.

I don’t know who needs to hear this but looting a Target is not the same as looting our legislative branch but the fact that we view them equally says all you need to know about capitalism.
— Nicole Najafi (@NicoleNajafi) January 7, 2021

What a different America that would be!Meanwhile, Representative Maxine Waters said she personally met with the head of Capitol police. She asked him 30-40 specific questions about preparations for the announced coup attempt and he lied consistently through the line of questioning.

Has @RepMaxineWaters gotten the credit she deserves for recognizing the coup threat and warning the chief of @CapitolPolice ahead of time?https://t.co/poinHBAukp pic.twitter.com/EnaT4r3WkW
— Brad Johnson (@climatebrad) January 7, 2021

This could have all easily been prevented. The police knew it was coming. The police didn’t properly prepare. The police didn’t properly resist. And some of the police even facilitated it. If you’ve seen any other footage or tweets about police complicity in the Capitol attack please leave it in the comments.

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