2021 Storming of the United States Capitol - Washington, DC
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 38° 53.388 W 077° 00.533
18S E 325770 N 4306465
On January 6, 2021 thousands of people broke into the nation's capitol which resulted in at least 5 deaths, and over 100 arrests.
Waymark Code: WM13N8V
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 01/13/2021
Views: 22
Taken from Wikipedia, "The storming of the United States Capitol was a riot and violent attack against the 117th United States Congress on January 6, 2021, carried out by a mob of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump in an attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.[2] After attending a pro-Trump rally, thousands[31] of his supporters marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Many stormed the building to disrupt the Electoral College vote count by a joint session of Congress, attempting to prevent the formalization of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.[32][33] Breaching police perimeters, rioters then occupied, vandalized,[34][35] and looted[36] parts of the building for several hours.[37][38][39] The assault[40] led to the evacuation and lockdown of the Capitol, as well as five deaths.[41][42]
Called to action by Trump,[43] his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., on January 5 and 6 in support of his false claim that the 2020 election had been "stolen" from him,[44] and to demand that Vice President Mike Pence and Congress reject Biden's victory.[45][46][47] At a "Save America" rally on the Ellipse on January 6, Trump,[48][49] Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and several members of Congress incited a crowd of Trump supporters.[50] Trump told them to "fight like hell" to "take back our country",[51][52] encouraging them to march over to the Capitol.[39] Giuliani called for "trial by combat"[53] and Trump Jr. threatened the president's opponents by saying "we're coming for you", having previously called for "total war".[54][55] After marching to the Capitol and overwhelming police barricades, many protesters became violent. They assaulted Capitol Police officers and reporters; erected a gallows on the Capitol grounds; chanted "Hang Mike Pence"; and attempted to locate lawmakers to take hostage and harm. Aside from Pence, whom they wished to harm because he refused to comply with Trump's wishes regarding the counting of the electoral vote, they also intended to harm House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).[56][57][58][59][60]
As the rioters entered the Capitol by breaking through doors and windows, Capitol security evacuated the Senate and House of Representatives chambers. Several buildings in the Capitol complex were evacuated, and all were locked down.[61] Rioters broke past interior security to occupy the empty Senate chamber while federal law enforcement officers drew handguns to defend the evacuated House floor.[62][63][64] The offices of many members of Congress, including Pelosi, were looted and vandalized.[65][66][67] Improvised explosive devices were found on the Capitol grounds, as well as at offices of the Democratic National Committee, the Republican National Committee, and in a nearby vehicle.[68][69] Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died from the events, while dozens more were injured.[70]
Trump initially resisted sending the District of Columbia National Guard to quell the mob.[71] In a Twitter video, he called the rioters "great patriots" and told them to "go home in peace" while repeating his false election claims.[72][73] Pressured by his administration, the threat of removal, and numerous resignations, Trump committed to an orderly transition of power in a televised statement.[74][75][76][77] The crowd was dispersed from the Capitol later that evening, and the counting of the electoral votes resumed and was completed in the early morning hours. Pence declared President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris victors and affirmed that they will assume office on January 20.
The events were widely condemned by political leaders and organizations in the United States and internationally. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called the storming of the Capitol a "failed insurrection" and affirmed that Trump's claims of election fraud were false. Following calls to remove Trump from office,[78] he was impeached for "incitement of insurrection", making him the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. Several social media and technology companies suspended and/or banned Trump's accounts from their platforms,[79][80] and many business organizations cut ties with him.
The storming of the Capitol was variously described as treason,[81] insurrection, sedition, domestic terrorism,[82] and an attempt by Trump to carry out a self-coup[83] or coup d'état.[84][85] Opinion polls showed that a large majority of Americans disapproved of the storming of the Capitol and of Trump's actions leading up to and following it, although some Republicans supported the attack or did not blame Trump for it.[86][87][88][89] The FBI opened more than 160 investigations into the events.[90]"
Date of crime: 01/06/2021
Public access allowed: yes
Fee required: no
Web site: [Web Link]
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