Want to Understand January 6? Look to December 12.
While our country is, rightfully, preparing to observe the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, it’s important to remember that those events were the culmination of months of buildup, and we can’t afford to ignore the events that led to that day.
One of those dates is already upon us: Dec. 12 marks the one year anniversary of the second Stop the Steal rally to descend on the District of Columbia after the 2020 elections. And it might hold even more lessons about the importance of taking a stand against hate — and of the warning signs we ignore at our peril.
Thousands of rally goers marched on the Capitol. Early in the day warning signs emerged as headline speakers at the event called for violence. Stuart Rhodes, who founded the right-wing extremist group Oath Keepers, called for President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in order to cling to power, warning that otherwise his group would wage a “much more desperate [and] much more bloody war.” Alex Jones insisted that if Biden were to take office he’d be removed “one way or another.”
Perhaps most disturbing were calls early in the evening from the Proud Boys to “clean up the streets,” paired with what seemed to be a widespread understanding among Proud Boys not only that their mission was to enforce the law as they saw it, but that actual law enforcement personnel would be on their side.
And that rhetoric was matched with action: that night, about 700 Proud Boys roamed the streets, along with counter protestors, most of whom had positioned themselves to protect Black Lives Matter plaza, which had served as a makeshift memorial, formalized by the DC government in early June.
What followed was a night of violent clashes, including, most vividly, an incident in which Proud Boys set ablaze a Black Lives Matter banner torn down from the historically Black Asbury United Methodist Church. The incident wounded the District of Columbia, particularly African American communities, in profound ways, and sent a clear message that political violence was in the air — a message that was confirmed again a few weeks later when rioters invaded the Capitol to stop the certification of valid election results.
But while the events of that night were disturbing, even traumatizing, they also provide valuable lessons about how Americans can respond to hate and violence.
The first is the need to call out and stand against violence forcefully and unequivocally. Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills, leader of Asbury United, spoke to this need in her immediate response to the attack, saying, “we are especially alarmed that this violence is not being denounced at the highest levels of our nation.”
Since that time, many elected officials have taken her message to heart, and it’s had an impact. In advance of Proud Boy rallies scheduled in places such as New York, Oregon and Maryland, and acts of intimidation large and small, community members and elected leaders have stood hand-in-hand to make clear that bigotry and hatred would not be welcome in their communities. The result appears to be that a united front against hate helped minimize the impact of those events, ensuring community safety could be a priority and maintaining space for true productive dialogue.
Second, it’s clear that while law enforcement can’t be our entire solution to political violence, it plays an important role. Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, for example, wasn’t present on January 6 for the simple fact that he had been jailed for his actions on Dec. 12. (The recent verdict in Charlottesville makes clear that civil suits, too, can play an important role in disrupting political violence: groups that helped incite the violence in that city are unlikely to survive the financial impacts of being held accountable for their actions.)
Finally, it’s incumbent on all of us to pay attention to the warning signs — to recognize the rising danger, but to also know we have the power to act. Just as the events of Dec. 12 should have ensured that federal officials were ready for the attacks of Jan. 6, the ongoing activities of the Proud Boys and other groups should make it painfully clear to all of us that the threat of political violence hasn’t gone away.
Despite legal action against some Proud Boys leaders, rallies and intimidation have continued across the country. Over the last year, Proud Boys were present at well over 100 events in states across the country. Tracking done by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows that Proud Boys have seen a specific uptick in local chapters.
Even hateful graffiti by multiple groups is on the rise; and these seemingly minor public displays are all too often turned into profound danger out of public view. As a recent report by the National League of Cities confirmed, local Republican and Democratic officials alike are facing unprecedented levels of harassment and threats targeting them and their families too.
It’s clear that even a year after the events of Dec. 12, the threat of political violence hasn’t gone away. And it’s important that we learn from what we’ve seen in the past to make sure the same — or worse — doesn’t happen again.
