CHAOS AT THE CAPITOL
All week, we will be publishing essays from San Diegans about last week’s rioting by a mob incited by President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C.
We must vow to never let this happen again
During the terrible events of Sept. 11, 2001, and grieving for all the lives lost, I remember being thankful the people’s house, the Capitol building, that beautiful dome, was not destroyed and still stood proudly. I never could have imagined that almost two decades later, its security would be breached not by foreign terrorists but by domestic terrorists intent on disrupting the work of our nation.
The halls of Congress are sacred grounds where our elected representatives do the work of the people. Those halls were desecrated on Jan. 6 by members of an angry mob stoked by a president who invited and encouraged them because he refused to accept that he lost the election. And that mob tried hard to thwart the will of the people.
Thankfully, this group did not succeed. Order was restored, and Congress certified the election results, paving the way for the president-elect and the vice president-elect to be sworn in on Jan. 20.
But the fact that a violent mob tried to subvert the democratic process should remind us of an important lesson: Words matter. Many Americans feel numb to the president’s rhetoric, yet this incident shows that thoughtless and dangerous rhetoric can trigger tragic violence. Nobody has a megaphone as loud as a president, but this is also a reminder that our words to each other matter, too. Because when amplified, they can do great good — or great harm.
As Americans, each of us has a responsibility to preserve democracy. However, the events in Washington, D.C., underscore another important lesson: A well-trained, sufficiently staffed and well-prepared police force is necessary to protect democracy.
Law enforcement must plan for the worst and hope for the best. But as San Diego’s former chief of police, take it from me: Hope is never a strategy. Planning for events, especially when violence is likely or even possible, must be a proactive, coordinated and continuous effort.
When Donald Trump came to San Diego as a presidential candidate in May 2016, I vowed if anyone attempted to disrupt the peace or engage in illegal activities, we would take quick and decisive action to make sure we had a nonviolent event. It was a collaborative effort with many local, state and federal law enforcement partners assisting.
The fact there was no major violence or property damage that day around the San Diego Convention Center or Downtown areas was not luck. It was the result of years of training and weeks of preparation by law enforcement at every level.
It is up to all of us to make sure our rights to campaign, vote and peacefully protest go on unabated. Elections do not happen every day, but we must never forget the importance of upholding democracy and the rule of law every waking moment.
Jan. 6, 2021, will long be remembered as a terrible, heartbreaking and embarrassing day for our nation. What happened that day never should have happened, and there are those who must be held accountable. We must vow to never let this happen again.
Shelley Zimmerman is San Diego’s former chief of police. She retired in 2018 after 35 years with the San Diego Police Department.