Police criticized for 'double standard' in US Capitol response
CHICAGO - While dozens have been arrested in connection to Wednesday’s violent mob at the U.S. Capitol, there is outrage over the treatment of those involved.
Citizens, activists, lawmakers and the President-elect himself are all calling out the police response to the mob as evidence of a double standard in law enforcement when compared to the Black Lives Matter protests which unfolded in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
"To see folks that were supposed to protect the Capitol building just acting almost like it was a party to a certain degree and taking selfies that was really frustrating, I feel like it was a dereliction of duty," said Professor Joe Flynn from the NIU Center for Black Studies.
"What I was shocked about is there was no readiness. There was no response, there was no real law enforcement there prepared. What we saw in the summer with BLM, when they were protesting, you had police, you had riot gear, you had tear gas, you had machine guns, you had everything out there," said Author Dwayne Bryant.
These sentiments were echoed by local lawmakers.
"When Black Lives Matter was demonstrating peacefully in downtown D.C., 16,000 people were arrested. Yesterday? Fifty-seven people were arrested!" said Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky.
During the summer's Black Lives Matter demonstrations, law enforcement used tear gas and rubber bullets, neither of which appeared to have been deployed during the attack on the Capitol.
"We have to have an investigation of security," said Schakowsky.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said the actions of law enforcement highlighted the "two systems of justice" in the U.S.