Remember When: January 6, 2021 - The Day that Our Capitol was Attacked
One year ago today, our nation's Capitol was attacked by right-wing American insurgents at the behest of President Trump and other Republican leaders. We want to mark this terrible day by remembering exactly what happened. If we all continue to raise our voices and not normalize this behavior, maybe it won't happen again. As it stands, polls are showing that we are going to have to expect violence after elections. We haven't experienced this before and must do everything we can to save our democracy.
So what happened on January 6th? NPR aired an interview this week that went over the timeline of events that occurred. You can listen to the interview here.
Wednesday morning, January 6:
Congress will begin a joint session to certify the votes for President-Elect Joe Biden. Protestors are gathered outside the Capitol, speaking with lawmakers. The protestors are demanding that Trump should remain president even though Biden won the popular vote and the Electoral College.
12:00 Noon:
Trump begins his speech at a rally down the street from the Capitol. He tells the crowd to "never give up, never concede." He says that Vice President Pence should reject the certification and send the votes back to the states.
Protestors gather around the state capitals in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Boise, Idaho.
Crowds from the rally begin to move towards the Capitol building.
Vice President Pence announces that his vote is ceremonial and he that, "my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."
1:00pm: The first wave of protestors swarm around the police barrier around the Capitol.
1:05pm: Speaker. Nancy Pelosi calls the joint session of Congress to order.
Trump ends his speech calling on the protestors to go to the Capitol to "try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country." He returns to the White House.
1:07pm: Rep. Paul Gosar objects to the counting of Arizona's electoral ballots.
Sen. Ted Cruz joins Gosar in objecting to the votes.
Vice President Pence calls for the two houses to withdraw from the joint session to deliberate separately.
At the Michigan state capital, hundreds of protestors gather.
A large crowd of Trump rally protestors marches toward the Capitol.
Rioters at the Capitol start to overwhelm the police. The police run into the Capitol building. Rioters cheer as they watch the police try to gain safety inside.
A mob breaks through the police barricade on the steps of the Capitol.
Meanwhile, both houses of Congress are in session. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell takes the floor of the Senate and says, "The voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our republic forever."
Suspicious packages containing pipe bombs are found outside the national DNC and RNC headquarters. Nearby buildings are evacuated.
After 2:00pm:
Rioters break the glass windows in the Capitol and climb through, opening the doors so other protestors can get inside.
2:20pm:
Sen. James Lankford is speaking on the floor and is interrupted. The Senate is called to recess. Lankford is told that protestors have entered the Capitol.
The Capitol goes into lockdown.
Officer Eugene Goodman leads rioters away from the Senate chamber.
2:24pm:
Trump tweets, "Mike Pence doesn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our Constitution." He tweets that the election was fraudulent.
Rep. Peter Welch tweets a video that he and others inside the Capitol have to don gas masks.
Capital buildings throughout the nation are evacuated as protestors gather outside their sacred halls.
3:11pm:
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R) tweets a video from his Capitol office where he is sheltering in place. He says that the Capitol is overrun by protestors, saying, "this is the cost of telling people they could overturn the election. Mr. President, you have got to stop this. You are the only person who can call this off. Call it off. The election is over."
Another swarm of rioters overwhelm the police who were guarding the speaker's lobby. They break windows and try to force their way into where lawmakers are sheltering. Ashli Babbitt is shot by police as she attempts to climb through the doors.
Trump tweets that everyone should remain peaceful.
3:36pm:
Over two hours after the first breach of the Capitol, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweets that Trump has called the National Guard to the Capitol.
4:00pm:
Reporters see clouds of tear gas coming out of the Capitol. Rioters are throwing bottles at the police.
Joe Biden calls on Donald Trump to go on national television to call off the protestors.
4:17pm:
Trump tweets a video telling the protestors "We love you. You're very special. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel, but go home, and go home in peace."
National Guard troops are sent to the Capitol from Maryland and Virginia.
Around 5:00pm:
Rioters in Arizona break a window into the state capitol. A rally in Salem, Oregon, becomes violent.
After 6:00pm:
Over five hours after the Trump rally, police begin to clear and secure the Capitol building.
Washington DC is under curfew.
6:01pm: Trump tweets another lie
7:54pm: The RNC condemns the violence that occurred.
8:00pm: Vice President Pence reopens the Senate.
Sen. McConnell states, "The United States Senate will not be intimidated. We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats."
9:00pm:
Speaker Pelosi calls for the House to go back into session. "We always knew that this responsibility would take us into the night, and we will stay as long as it takes. Our purpose will be accomplished."
11:32pm: Vice President Pence re-opens the joint session, 11 hours after the first session had begun.
3:42am: Vice President Pence calls the majority of Electoral College votes for Joe Biden, certifying the election.