ATLANTA — Two days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, there’s still a lot of sadness and anger over what happened.
As we watched the situation unfold Wednesday, many noticed the difference in the way police responded.
Many in the African American community in metro Atlanta and across the country are questioning how police respond to protests involving people of color.
Earlier this week, an angry mob of President Trump’s supporters invaded the nation’s capital. They were upset over the outcome of the presidential election.
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“Their intention was to loot, riot, and intimidate and terrorize elected officials. That is not protected first amendment activity,” said Georgia State University law professor Tanya Washington.
Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce watched the violence in D.C. He said he believes there’s a double standard when policing protesters who are Black.
“They would’ve never even made it in the building – nor should they have – but we know and we’ve seen had they made it in the building it would’ve been a different ending,” Pierce said.
Last summer, D.C. police arrested more than 200 people during a Black Lives Matter protest.
In this pro-Trump riot, U.S. Capitol police made 14 arrests, while D.C. police locked up 68 people.
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“The fact that they were not making a mass arrests for people that clearly were in violation of the law, federal law, it was amazing. Compared to what we see, you know, in this past summer,” said retired Atlanta police detective Vince Velazquez.
Bridgette Simpson said he protested peacefully in Atlanta over the summer and says the majority of people did not break the law.
“We were peaceful. I saw police officers have barricades that kept us so far back. I saw them use force on us,” Sampson.
Washington said police respond differently to protests based on the color of your skin.
“I hope that going forward, we don’t have to have conversations where people have to explain the disparities in law enforcement responses to people based on race,” Washington said.
Cox Media Group
