The deadly violence of the insurrection and attempted coup carried out at our Nation’s Capitol last Wednesday was treason.
There is a stark disparity between law enforcement’s response to this violent insurrection compared to their response to overwhelmingly peaceful Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. Peaceful Black Lives Matter protestors were met by several law enforcement agencies and the National Guard in full riot gear, beaten with batons, and choked by tear gas. In Portland and Seattle unidentified federal agents violently suppressed protestors with no oversight or accountability.
The domestic terrorists who perpetrated the violent insurrection on the 6th of January were nothing short of ushered into the heart of our democracy, the U.S. Capitol building. The blatant hypocrisy of law enforcement is clear. The violent and forceful tactics used against BLM protestors, compared to the limp-wristed response to the insurrectionists, lays bare the structural racism that exists within our current law enforcement systems that has been fomented by the incompetent leadership of a tinpot demagogue.
This is the America we live in, and we have to fight against this tooth-and-nail. While the Capitol building might seem far from Sacramento, we too have witnessed the violence and brutality of law enforcement in our own city.
Sacramento law enforcement:
Gives preferential treatment to white supremacist groups when they attack, harass, and provoke.
Beats, shoots, gasses, and targets Black Lives Matter supporters and allies.
Targets our unhoused neighbors, legal observers, and the press with extreme prejudice.
The most basic step you can take in response to these actions is the explicit condemnation of the treason on January 6th, and the condemnation of groups and individuals that support the white supremacist pretenses under which it was carried out.
We support Sacramento Board of Supervisor Phil Serna in his condemnation of supporters of violent domestic terrorists and wholeheartedly reject Scott “Mini-Trump” Jones’s characterization of the Supervisors comments as “discrimination.” Condemning racist terrorists is not discrimination, it is an act of true patriotism.
Scott “Mini-Trump” Jones has made his racism, sexism, and broad support for discrimination and insurrection groups abundantly clear over the years.
An insurrection and domestic terror group sympathizer is in no position to speak on issues of discrimination, and it would be an act of patriotism to let him know that is the case. In closing…
Supervisor Phil Serna,
We commend your swift condemnation of acts of treason and your recognition of the inherent racism in the difference in law enforcement response between the Jan 6th insurrectionists vs BLM protestors.
Now that you have made it clear on social media you have some understanding of these discrepancies. We encourage you to take such realities into account in the future when dealing with matters of policy and funds allocation pertaining to local law enforcement and public health (which suffer the same inequities). This type of support would be helpful on the board of supervisors floor when making decisions on:
- CARES Act funding allocations
- More practically distributing law enforcement budgets to areas that actually improve public health
- Finding a competent CEO
- Find an equity-focused Health Services Director
- Depopulate the jail
- Decriminalize homelessness
- Establish safe ground
- Provide rent and mortgage assistance
- Fight to lower COVID positivity rates
- Address the specter of climate change
SacChange and friends of the coalition look forward to future opportunities where we can be supportive of your actions and positions.
SacChange
