It’s been five years since the attack on the U.S. Capitol where a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results. In Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexicans held a protest on Tuesday to remember the event.
Over 150 people gathered at 4th Street and Lomas Boulevard. Ariel Mauldin from Rio Rancho said it’s important to remember this day.
“They tried to overthrow our government in their own little way. Luckily, it didn't go well, but people lost their lives that day, and our now President said that that was great, that the White House trying to be overthrown was great,” she said.
Donald Trump has called Jan. 6 a “day of love” and has pardoned hundreds of participants, including those convicted of violence against police officers. There are at least seven deaths directly linked to the attack, according to NPR.
Damian Petro from Albuquerque said democracy was under attack that day, and it still is.
“It's what we've seen from Donald Trump and his administration, the total disregard for the Constitution, total disregard for legality, and now we see it with Venezuela bypassing Congress, going in like he's a dictator, which he is. We did not elect a king, we elected a president,” he said.
Barbara Endicott said that day was an insurrection and that President Trump broke the law.
“And what is so sad about it. It is that there was never any consequences to him about it. It would be more celebratory if something had happened to him, you know, and the people that were involved, and now they're free and doing mischief in our country,” she said.
Trump was eventually indicted for his role on that day, but those charges were dropped once he was elected president.
Endicott mentioned former French President Nicolas Sarkozy who was jailed for criminal conspiracy last October.
“It's not like countries can't do it,” said Endicott. “ We've chosen, we've made that choice, that somehow presidents are beyond any kind of punishment, and I think they should be held even more responsible than a regular citizen.”
The protest lasted for an hour and included two separate live music performances, protesters waving signs and cars honking in approval.
Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
