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If you watched the disgraceful
invasion of the United States Capitol and the horrific destruction
that took place on January 6, you observed a legion of
limited-intelligence low-life louts. But you’d be mistaken if
that’s all you thought of the Trump-incited mob. Those people
could not have infiltrated the Capitol without the help of some “law
enforcement” officers in the Capitol. Somebody had to open
locked doors and side entrances. Somebody had to tell the invaders
where certain Congressional offices were. And too many Capitol police
officers took selfies with the invaders and treated them with extreme
courtesy, going so far as to open doors for them and even walk them
down steps.
Why
were the Capitol police so woefully unprepared for the throngs of
people who had been communicating by Internet since an unhinged 45th
President invited them to the Capitol weeks ago, on December 18?
Contrast that under-preparation to the army of thousands that Black
Lives Matter activists faced this summer. The contrast was stark.
After
the invasion passed, many speculated about the inside nature of this
invasion. Some of the Capitol police seemed to feel quite
comfortable, even chummy, with the invaders. Why shouldn’t they
be? Some members of the mob might be their cousins. There is an
historical relationship between so-called law enforcement and white
supremacy, so it is easy to believe that the Capitol invaders may
have had help from the inside.
We
could go into history to explore the founding of the Ku Klux Klan and
its purpose to terrorize and otherwise oppress Black people. We could
explore how many Klan members were also “law enforcement”
officers. In Wilmington, North Carolina, we could consider how
sheriffs deputized more than two hundred racist civilians to force
Black people to turn their property over to them and leave town. But
if we had to go back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth
century, that would allow us to talk about how much our nation has
changed instead of focusing on the intransigence of the myth of white
supremacy.
Michael
German of the DC-based Brennan Center for Justice released a report
in the fall that explored law enforcement and white supremacists’
connection. Titled, Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy,
and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement, the report is a
comprehensive exploration of racism in law enforcement. It documents
ties between law enforcement and “violent racist and militant
groups.” It says that the FBI has not appropriately responded
to the threat that is posed from this connection. But, according to
German, “Despite the FBI’s acknowledgement of the links
between law enforcement and these suspected terrorists, the Justice
Department has no national strategy designed to identify white
supremacist police officers or to protect the safety and civil rights
of the communities they patrol.”
The
Brennan report appropriately notes that “only a tiny percentage
of law enforcement officials are likely to be active members of white
supremacist groups.” But even a tenth of a percent is enough.
It only takes one-armed white supremacist to aid and abet the
terrorists who stormed the Capitol. It only takes one to unlock a
door. It only takes one to turn the other way as terrorists bring
weapons into the Capitol.
The
Brennan report documents several cases of white supremacists law
enforcement “officers” who collect Klan paraphernalia,
participate in racist social media posts, rant rhetoric on their
government-issued radios, and more. Few face any consequences. Some
have supervisors or police chiefs who look the other way. Others have
police union backing and often claim their First Amendment free
speech rights. How does their racism affect their ability to enforce
the law? Ask Breonna Taylor, or George Floyd, or Tamir Rice or Sandra
Bland.
Why
have federal, state, and local law enforcement failed to tackle
evidence of virulent racism among police officers? No wonder there is
so little trust between law enforcement and the Black community. If
there were an active attempt to combat law enforcement racism, it
would be almost unthinkable that anyone could see the Trump
insurrection as an inside job. But there has been no such attempt,
perhaps because too many police officers are either outright racists
or have sympathy with these racists.
What
to do? In March 2019, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (D) introduced the
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act. It gained 22 cosponsors but was
never put on the floor for a vote. Durbin has now said he will
reintroduce the legislation soon. The Brennan report offers other
recommendations, including diversity training, anti-racist
enforcement, and the development of a database for law enforcement
officers, since so many move from city to city, carrying their racist
attitudes with them.
Was
there an inside job with this Trump insurrection? It is likely, and I
look forward to the inevitable investigation and its results.
One
can’t write about the insurrection without noting the murder of
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. He was doing his work and
defending the Capitol, and its flag has been flying half-mast in his
honor. It is telling that the White House took four days to lower its
flag, perhaps because they so forcefully incited the terrorists who
invaded our Capitol. Inside job? The rot goes straight to the top.
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