If you thought 2020 was bad, you should get a load of 2021. The New Year started off with a historic attack on  United States democracy.  On Wednesday, January 6th, a group of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol building as the electoral votes for the presidential election were officially being tallied. This attack on the Capitol was so bad that members of Congress were moved to an undisclosed location for their safety.  There have been countless reactions to this event and, in the days since the attack, the public has learned more about what happened before, during, and after this event.     We asked our writers to reflect on one or both of these questions.

What was your initial reaction to the events at the capitol building? How do you feel now?

Do you believe authorities at the capitol handled the situation appropriately? Why or why not? How could it have been handled better?

Wyatt Lee, Staff Writer- I was unsurprised that there was a political insurgency, given that most of 2020 consisted of nothing but protests and riots in the headlines. 2020’s problems didn’t magically disappear when time struck 12 a.m. on January 1st. I think that the country is the most polarized that it’s been since the 1860’s.

Julian Banks, Staff Writer- My initial reaction was disbelief because I would assume that the Capitol is the safest place in America. Especially after seeing what happened during the BLM protests it didn’t add up. I feel as if it should’ve never happened. I don’t think it was handled appropriately as members of Congress shouldn’t have feared for their lives.

Kayla Gross, Staff Writer- I was initially shocked to see people breaking into the Capitol. I feel like authorities handled the situation to the best of their ability but there was only so much they could do since there were so many people.

Kailani Vera, Staff Writer- I believe that the situation was greatly mishandled. I think that it went way out of hand, and some of the behavior from security was unacceptable. Taking pictures together, allowing rioters further inside, or joining them was not appropriate. It could have been handled better if they planned adequately beforehand for the number of rioters or their violent behavior. Greater precaution and a quicker response would have prevented rioters from entering the Capitol.

Breanna Patierno, Staff Writer- My initial reaction to the rioting at the capital was, “How stupid can people really be?”. It’s been a little over a week now and talking about it still puts me on edge. I think the situation could have been handled differently, especially since videos were circulating over the internet of one guard waving people through. The government was in session at Capitol Hill, and yes, I think it was a stunt pulled by all parties of government but maybe I’m being a little far-fetched since I don’t trust the feds.

Helaina Ballou, Staff Writer- I wasn’t really surprised, I had a feeling something like this was going to happen eventually but I didn’t think that it would happen at the Capitol. I don’t think authorities handled the situation as well because the rioters shouldn’t have gotten that close to the Capitol.

Matthew Swanenburg, Staff Writer- When I turned on the television and saw the events unfolding at the Capitol Building, I felt like I was watching a movie. Seeing one of the most sacred buildings in America being stormed was certainly a crazy thing to see live. I feel like the authorities could have handled the situation better, but I understand them trying not to use firearms as some of the security guards have said they believed the rioters had weapons too.