During yesterday’s (Jan. 6) pro-Trump insurrection at the Capitol, many on social media compared the police and National Guard’s lack of response to the breach — with some officers even posing for pictures with rioters — to the heavily policed Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.
On Instagram, Kevin Hart shared a photo of a Trump supporter who had broken into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and was calmly sprawled out in her chair. Another photo showed rioters scaling the walls of the Capitol Building without an officer in sight.
“[Two] completely different America’s that we are living in. If these people were black they would have all been shot dead,” Hart captioned the post. “This shit is past the word sad… At this point it’s pure disrespect to all people of color.”
“Why can’t we see this situation handled the same way that we have seen our people handled repeatedly… when the armed officers are supposed to use force they don’t,” he added. “Shit is fucking SAD!!!!!”
As reported by REVOLT, players for the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat also spoke out about the blatantly unequal treatment.
“2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed. We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on,” they said in a statement.
“The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today’s protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.”
According to The New York Times, over 52 people — out of the thousands there — were arrested during the breach. However, the majority were arrested for being outside after the 6 p.m. city-wide curfew, rather than storming and breaking into the Capitol Building.
In a tweet on Thursday (Jan. 7), the FBI said it was “accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting or violence in and around the U.S. Capitol” to aid in their investigation. See Kevin Hart’s post below.