Black Capitol Police officers say they were called the N-word during the Capitol siege and that some officers 'were catering to the rioters'

capitol siege
Trump supporters confront police and security forces at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021.
  • Two Black officers with the US Capitol Police told BuzzFeed News that they were repeatedly called the N-word by Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday. 
  • One pointed to a "big difference" in how his colleagues dealt with the rioters, compared to this summer's Black Lives Matter protesters. 
  • "Some of the officers were catering to the rioters," the officer said. 
  • Capitol Police has come under fire for its handling of Wednesday's attack. Some officers were seen ushering the mob into the building and posing for selfies. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Two Black US Capitol Police officers told BuzzFeed News that they were repeatedly called the N-word by Trump supporters storming the Capitol last week, and suggested that their fellow officers went easy on the rioters.

One of the officers who spoke to BuzzFeed News, a newer recruit, pointed to a "big difference" in how his fellow officers treated Wednesday's mob, compared to Black Lives Matter protesters this summer.

Much attention has been paid to a video showing officers appearing to open a barricade to the mob, and the fact that initial arrests paled in comparison to the amount of people arrested at anti-Trump and BLM protests. 

"[On Wednesday], some officers were catering to the rioters," the officer said.

capitol siege
US Capitol Police officers fight back a pro-Trump mob outside the Capitol building on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

The younger officer said it was hurtful to see video of one of his white colleagues posing for selfies with some of the rioters. 

"That one hurt me the most because I was on the other side of the Capitol getting my a-- kicked," he said.

The officer said that if it had been Black people breaching the Capitol last week, he's not sure his white coworkers would have been as chummy with them. 

Read more: After US Capitol riots, cable giants face criticism for enabling the spread of misinformation

"If you're going to treat a group of demonstrators for Black Lives Matters one way, then you should treat this group the same goddamn way. With this group you were being kind and nice and letting them walk back out. Some of them got arrested but a lot of them didn't," the officer said. 

The second officer who spoke to BuzzFeed, who has been on the force for more than a decade, said that after he and others regained control of the Capitol later, he was overwhelmed with emotion. 

"I sat down with one of my buddies, another Black guy, and tears just started streaming down my face," he said. "I said, 'What the f---, man? Is this America? What the f--- just happened? I'm so sick and tired of this shit.'"

He said he broke down in the rotunda and yelled out: "These are racist a-- terrorists." 

"I got called a n----- 15 times today," the officer recalled saying. "Trump did this and we got all of these f------ people in our department that voted for him. How the f--- can you support him?"

"I cried for about 15 minutes and I just let it out," he said. 

Read the full story at BuzzFeed News»

Read the original article on Business Insider


Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/39oGbMD
Black Capitol Police officers say they were called the N-word during the Capitol siege and that some officers 'were catering to the rioters' Black Capitol Police officers say they were called the N-word during the Capitol siege and that some officers 'were catering to the rioters' Reviewed by mimisabreena on Monday, January 11, 2021 Rating: 5

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