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As the dust settles, so do the reactions to Wednesday's mayhem in U.S. Capitol. A roundup:
► Via the Detroit Free Press, civil-rights activists and people of color on the very different treatment of yesterday's mostly white protesters, as opposed to the summer's Black Lives Matter marchers:
In August, "we had 200,000, not one violent act, nothing was broken, tore up, fully organized to make our voices heard," (the Rev. Charles Williams II of Detroit) said. But the rioters Wednesday "are literally terrorizing this nation and exposing a frailty in our democracy. It's absolutely upsetting."
► Via Twitter, Detroit Will Breathe, the group that organized and led marches in Detroit for over 100 days last summer:
"The coup attempt happening in D.C. right now is a dangerous sign of the growth in the far-right fascist movement, boosted by the right wing, nationalist policies, and anti-democratic, populist rhetoric of Trump. It shows how the police are a force beyond reform, as they give space to a racist, violent, anti-science, misogynistic and anti-immigrant mob."
► Via Fox 2 Detroit, Rob Cortis, who drives his Trump float around the country, mostly to rallies:
"They said Pence didn't support Trump so they just started rallying and said they are going in," Cortis said.
This was referring to the vice president's refusal to block the election certification of Joe Biden. Then he learned about the violence inside the capitol including a woman being shot to death.
"Never in a million years would I think that would happen," he said. "I pray that it was an accident and nothing of intention."
► Via Twitter, General Motors CEO Mary Barra:
The peaceful transition of power is a cornerstone of American democracy, and regardless of politics the violence at the U.S. Capitol does not reflect who we are as a nation. It’s imperative that we come together as a country and reinforce the values and ideals that unite us.
► Via the Free Press, Edward McCall who sued to stop certification by the Wayne County Board of Canvassers and "hold a new election:"
McCall said he didn’t want to disparage the "Stop the Steal" movement and he voiced doubts the people who broke into the Capitol were associated with the group.
“But the chaos does speak for itself,” McCall said. “It does make it really hard for the operations of government when there is a loss of security.”
However, Trump was not responsible for the violence at the Capitol, McCall said. “I don’t want to blame (President-elect Joe) Biden for the violence of the summer and I don’t want to blame Trump for this,” he said.
► Via Twitter, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit:
This is on Donald Trump, period. He called folks to D.C. and gave them marching orders. He needs to be impeached and removed immediately.
► Via Detroit News editorial:
Not since Richard Nixon stepped onto that helicopter on the White House grounds in 1974 has the office been laid so low. ... The fault lies entirely with Trump. ... Trump swore to uphold the Constitution, and yet now is encouraging his loyalists to ignore that document and do whatever it takes to illegally keep him in power.
► Via Tony Daunt, executive director of the conservative Michigan Freedom Fund:
Today’s assault on our institutions of government – and on ordered liberty – is an outgrowth of the rhetoric, lies, and conspiracies spread by the president and other elected Republicans who’ve falsely and feverishly claimed November’s election was stolen. Their actions over the last two months have today produced disastrous and violent consequences.
