A protester holds a Trump flag inside the U.S. Capitol Building on the steps outside the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Pennsylvania Senate Democrats held a virtual press conference on Monday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the riot on Capitol Hill when supporters of President-elect Donald Trump attempted to overturn the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Though he was rarely mentioned by name, speakers alluded to Trump’s reelection and his attempts to reframe what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. During his 2024 campaign, Trump regularly attempted to downplay the events and violence of Jan. 6 and referred to it as a “day of love.” He has also promised to pardon those who were convicted of crimes stemming from their actions at the Capitol, though it’s unclear whether that will include those charged with violent crimes against law enforcement.
More than 1,580 people have been charged for their roles in the riot, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, including dozens from Pennsylvania.
“We have to make sure we keep coming back so that people understand that even though we had an attempted insurrection, it was not a walk in the park,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia). “It was not a peaceful gathering. It was an attempted insurrection to overthrow the government of the United States of America.”
Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) alluded to Trump more directly in his comments.
“To have our voices honored and respected, and our decisions democratically upheld, are among our most foundational and essential freedoms,” Saval said. “We are witnessing this in action today in Washington with the certification that’s already taken place of the election results of a man who just four years ago urged his supporters to overthrow the will of the people.”
Saval added, “in the days, weeks and years to come, a multiracial United States rooted in justice, freedom and equality will continue to spur authoritarian tendencies.”
The press conference began only minutes after the U.S. Congress finished certifying the results of the 2024 election, which Trump won. There were no objections and the Senate was presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in November.
Trump’s election as president certified by Congress, four years after Capitol attack
Responding to a question from a reporter at Philadelphia-area KYW news, Sen. Art Haywood (D-Montgomery), whose office organized the press conference, said that it was not a “reactionary event,” held because of Trump’s victory.
“One hundred years from now, we should still recognize these individuals for all that they have done,” Haywood said, referring to law enforcement officers who responded to the riot and lawmakers who certified the election in spite of it. “Our recognition of these individuals will go far beyond whatever happens or doesn’t happen with the current administration.”
Pastor Alisa Wailoo, a pastor at a church in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood, was in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time, she was working at a church near the Capitol and was a substitute Chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives. Many of the members of her church, she said, were involved in politics, including as civil servants and campaign staff.
“Our church was red and blue, and though they did not agree on everything politically, they shared this deep reverence … for the work that was entrusted to them and for the wide diversity of people whose needs they represented,” Wailoo said.
She recalled how numerous members of her congregation “lit up my phone on January 6, 2021 as these tragic events unfolded.” She was asked, for example, to call a member of her church’s husband, who had to barricade himself in the Capitol when rioters broke in.
Wailoo also recalled the shock on the morning of Jan. 7, 2021 of seeing national guard members placing barbed wire around the neighborhood of her church, and being asked to explain to children why there was so much militarized security.
“January 6 reveals part of who we are and where we are as a nation in this moment of time,” Wailoo said. “Following the courage of the officers and civil servants, we too can be courageous people to recognize some of this as a current American problem.”
No Republican lawmaker spoke at the event, though it’s unclear if any were invited. The event was organized by Haywood’s office, along with Hughes and Saval. Wallace Weaver, a spokesperson for Haywood, said that in previous years, Republican lawmakers had been invited to speak, though none ever did. This year, the invitation was only sent to members of the Philadelphia delegation, which, in the Senate, consists entirely of Democrats.
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