By: Roy Douglas Malonson
What occurred on January 6, 2021, will be a moment in history that many Americans did not see coming. On this day, many people stormed the capitol to protest President Biden’s transition to power as if they’re protest was going to stop it. This day was not only disrespectful to the historic site, but to the history that America stands on.
Even before the results of the 2020 election, Trump started the idea that the election was going to be rigged if he lost. This idea of “election fraud” started a chain of events that now has democracy in question for many. What people don’t realize is that all of this did not happen overnight, this all started due to Obama taking office back in 2008. The world could not handle a Black man as president and since then, many attempts have been made to “make America Great again.” If Obama would have done the things Trump has done, would he still be roaming free?
If you have been following the circus surrounding the event at the capitol, there have been many pieces of evidence that shows Trumps direct involvement, yet he is still untouched. Some people have been called in to question while others have been taken to jail. An example of this is Mark Ponder, a Black man from Washington D.C., who was pictured assaulting police officers with a pole during the capitol uproar and was sentenced five years and three months in prison, and one White man, Guy Wesley Reffitt received seven years. There have been hundreds of people who have been sentenced, but again, Trump remains free. No one is above the law and that includes the President.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, stated in an interview that the law will apply to everyone stating, “We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding Jan. 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable. That’s what we do. We don’t pay any attention to other issues with respect to that.”
Garland further stated, “That’s the only way we can pursue the rule of law. That’s the only way we can keep the confidence of the American people in the rule of law, which is an essential part of our democratic system.” Trump has used Twitter as a platform over the last years to express his thoughts and opinions on any and everything, including “election fraud.” On December 19, 2020, Trump tweeted, “Peter Navarro releases 36-page report alleging election fraud ‘more than sufficient’ to swing victory to Trump…statistically impossible to lose the 2020 election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” This tweet alone shows proof of Trump’s direct involvement in not only trying to overturn the election results, but to promote violence.
Amongst one of his greatest supporters is Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who had many text messages between herself and Trumps Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. One of the text messages that were released said, “The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.” Her involvement has also brought many to question the integrity of the Supreme Court and their code of ethics.
In recent developments, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida is under investigation pertaining to classified White House documents that were removed and brought to the resort. It was noted by the National Archives that several boxes of documents, including classified documents were found on the property. Trump continues to do whatever he wants and has shown that he has no regard for the law. If there is any merit to what Attorney General Garland has said, then Trump must be held responsible for all that he has done and caused.
If January 6th has taught us anything, it is that we as a people need to get out and vote. Now is not the time to sit back and watch democracy destroyed before our eyes. Our democracy and our vote are currently in question, and if we don’t act aggressively and get out and vote, we will lose both. Voter suppression is real, and many politicians are doing what they can to suppress our votes. Just take what happened in Georgia during the 2020 election specifically in Fulton County, where there was controversy over absentee ballots and voter fraud. Trump was not satisfied with the fact that he lost, so he demanded a recount. He lost Georgia, and he couldn’t believe it.
One reason Georgia was the center of the 2020 election was because of people like Stacey Abrams, a well-known activist and political leader. She and many other residents fought tirelessly to get as many people registered and to the polls to vote. She even ran for governor and won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. After everything Abrams witnessed with voter suppression, fraud, and poor management during the 2018 election, this motivated her to start Fair Fight, which is an organization created to make sure that everyone has a voice and their vote heard. She also created Fair Count in 2019 to help with the accuracy of the 2020 census, “and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South.”
It is people like Abrams who are constantly fighting for our democracy. This is the momentum that we need for the upcoming November 2022 election. You need to know who is on the ballot, what they represent, and if they are truly for the people or just for themselves.
Too much power has been given to Trump, and if he isn’t held accountable for his actions, let alone given the opportunity to run again in the 2024 election, then America, anything now goes. Stay tuned.
