Trump supporters attempted to get the #SayHerName hashtag trending on Thursday (Jan. 7) while tweeting about Ashli Babbit, a rioter who broke into the Capitol Building yesterday (Jan. 6) and was fatally shot by police.
“Ashli Babbit was killed during yesterday’s protests,” one person wrote. “She was a 14-year veteran who served her country and just wanted to make sure America has free and fair elections. She was unarmed when she was killed. SAY HER NAME!”
Thankfully, other Twitter users quickly shut down the effort and reminded Trump supporters that the phrase #SayHerName is reserved for Black women who have been killed by police.
“#SayHerName is for Sandra Bland,” one person tweeted. “It’s for Tanisha Anderson. #SayHerName is for Atatiana Jefferson. It’s for Breonna Taylor.”
“#SayHerName is NOT for that girl who stormed and terrorized The Capitol,” they added. “It’s for innocent BLACK WOMEN who lost their lives to police brutality.”
Others on Twitter also remembered Miriam Carey, a Black woman who was fatally shot by Capitol law enforcement in 2013. Carey, a dental hygienist from Connecticut, had been attempting to drive through a White House checkpoint and accidentally hit a security rail. Officers chased her from the near the White House to the Capitol, where they opened fire. The 34-year-old was fatally shot in the back of her head while her infant daughter was in the car with her.
“I remember when Capitol Police killed a Black wom[a]n, Miriam Carey, for making a u-turn at a checkpoint NEAR the Capitol,” one person tweeted in response to the riots.
Besides Babbit, three other people died during yesterday’s chaos from medical emergencies. Babbit’s shooting is being investigated by the Metro D.C. Police Department’s internal affairs unit, “which is responsible for investigating all officer-involved deaths in Washington, D.C.,” CBS News reported.
See tweets about Trump supporters’ use of #SayHerName and other tweets remembering Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson and more below.