Respect Equality

As the Capitol was under attack, protests erupted across the country

by Anagha Srikanth | Jan. 7, 2021 | Jan. 07, 2021

Story at a glance

  • A pro-Trump mob led an insurrection of the Capitol Building and forced lawmakers to evacuate.
  • The crowd gathered as the House and Senate convened to certify the results of the presidential election.
  • Protests — both planned and unplanned — broke out across the country, centered around state capitols.

As the nation’s eyes were on Capitol Hill last night, supporters and opponents of the pro-Trump insurrection took to the streets of their own cities. Here’s how the night unfolded across the country. 

In Los Angeles, dozens of President Trump’s supporters gathered downtown in violation of COVID-19 restrictions. As fights broke out with counter protesters, police took several people into custody and ordered the rest to disperse, declaring the gathering an “unlawful assembly.”

In New York, eight anti-Trump protesters were arrested outside Trump Tower for disorderly conduct and other charges, according to the local ABC News outlet, after officers clashed with the crowd. 

 

In Chicago, a similar crowd gathered outside Trump Tower remained peaceful as officers put up barricades and questioned drivers trying to pass through, reported a local FOX News outlet. 

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In Georgia, where two critical Senate runoff races were decided that day, armed pro-Trump protesters gathered outside the state’s Capitol building, forcing the Secretary of State and others to evacuate. 

In Kansas, where the legislature was not in session, a group of protesters who reportedly secured a permit gathered in and around a mostly empty state Capitol building.

In Washington state, another pro-Trump mob — some members were armed — broke through the gate and onto the grounds of the governor’s mansion. Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and his family were reported safe and the crowd was cleared — with no arrests made. 

In Minnesota, hundreds of pro-Trump protesters gathered outside the state Capitol building while others met counterprotesters outside the governor’s mansion. 

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Similar protests were reported in Arizona, Florida, Michigan — where armed anti-maskers occupied the statehouse in protest of a stay-at-home order in the early months of the pandemic — Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah. 

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