- National Guardsmen called to defend the U.S. Capitol paused for a moment with a statue of a civil rights icon after a pro-Trump mob desecrated its halls.
- The tribute to Rosa Parks, who famously refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, is the first full-length statue of a Black American in the American Capitol.
- Americans were shocked by the pro-Trump mob that besieged the Capitol in a deadly assault and that carried hate symbols such as Confederate flags and Nazi-inspired – historic enemies defeating American troops in America’s deadliest wars.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
National Guardsmen called to defend the U.S. Capitol stopped for a week for a photo with a statue of a civil rights icon after a pro-Trump mob desecrated its halls with symbols of hatred.
A small group of black servicemen gathered at the statue of Rosa Parks in the National Statuary Hall of the Capitol, a monument depicting her refusal to surrender her seat to a white passenger who had just boarded the bus. Her courageous act drew national attention and inspired widespread civil disobedience to Jim Crow-era laws such as bus segregation, which was eventually ruled unconstitutional in the Supreme Court. According to the architect of the Capitol, the tribute to Parks is the first full-length statue of a Black American in the American Capitol.
Authorities are deploying 10,000 guards to the DC area by Saturday to support law enforcement, as the FBI warns that there could be days of gunmen disrupting or even threatening the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
On January 6, a mob incited by President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. capital and overwhelmed police in a riot that caused lawmakers to turn around and kill five people. Members of the mob wore clothes that claimed a 2nd Holocaust and the symbols of armed gangs, and they wore the Confederate flags and Nazi-inspired – historical enemies defeated American troops in America’s deadliest wars.
Colored people who work on Capitol Hill told the New York Times it will take a long time before they feel safe at work again. And black and Latino caretakers at the Capitol told Insider it was ‘humiliating’ to clean up after the white crowd smashed windows, scratched threats and smeared feces on walls.
Lawmakers arriving in the Capitol on Wednesday, when the House is holding accusations about Trump’s role in the riot, found pastures of guards around the Capitol, while some rested next to their weapons and riotous shields. The national guard is expected to be in the area by Biden’s inauguration.