Lodi’s leaders condemn violence at U.S. Capitol
Hours after law enforcement in the nation’s capital restored peace, local leaders released statements and publicly condemned violence that erupted during the Congressional confirmation of president-elect Joe Biden.
“Today we witnessed discouraging and shocking events in Washington, D.C. .Demonstrators storming the U.S. Capitol building disrupting the proceedings of Congress is something that our country has never experienced,” Lodi Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Cathy NicholsWasher said in a statement released late Wednesday.
“We are committed to teaching students about good citizenship, the importance of being a part of the democratic process, and how to utilize our rights to express opinions and concerns in appropriate ways,” she said. “We hope to have a positive influence on the youth we serve as they become adults who will lead our communities, states, and nation in the future.”
Washer released her statement after a protest by tens of thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning turned violent, with a mob breaking into the Capitol Building and interrupting the counting of Electoral College votes that confirmed Biden as his successor.
National media outlets reported that five people were killed during the protest-turned-riot, including a Capitol Police officer, and dozens were arrested, while Vice President Mike Pence and members of both houses of Congress were evacuated to safety.
In her statement, Washer said if parents had concerns about how their children might react to the day’s events, they could contact their schools.
During Wednesday night’s regular Lodi City Council meeting, leaders publicly spoke out against the violence that ensued.
“This is a pretty sad day in our history,” Councilman Mikey Hothi said. “I’m thankful the protests in Sacramento (were peaceful), and I was reading the police shift summary and it looks like the event over at the Lowe’s parking lot went incident free. So I’m just thankful that Lodians are acting peacefully, and hopefully just having respectful dialogues.”
Earlier in the day, several dozen Lodians gathered at the Lowe’s on Lower Sacramento Road for a “Stop the Steal” rally supporting Trump’s efforts to contest the Nov. 3 election results.
The event ultimately migrated to the corner of Lower Sacramento Road and Kettleman Lane, where passing vehicles honked in support. No reports of misconduct or violence were reported.
Councilman Shak Khan said he supported every American’s First Amendment right to assemble and express some form of protest, but noted that violence is never the answer.
“This has been a really difficult day in our country’s history,” he said. “I understand that many in our country and in our community feel lost, but at the end of the day ... they don’t have a voice in government or their representative form of democracy, and (it) only works when the people believe the system fair and that their vote is counted. I hope that everything is back to normal, and my prayers are for the country and the people.”
Councilman Doug Kuehne said the behavior displayed by members of both major political parties could be blamed for the chaos that ensued in Washington, D.C.
“A lack of character has been shown on both sides and I hope that our nation would realize that peaceful disagreement can happen, even within this council and in our state,” he said. “But when we have something to say we should go about it in a peaceful way, let our voice be heard, and not be violent about it.”
The council’s stance has been that while freedom of speech should always be allowed, violence will not be tolerated, Kuehne said. The riots in the capital but a blemish on the nation, he added.
“There certainly is a discrepancy in our nation currently when one side says that protesters can protest and burn down federal buildings, and it’s just their way of communicating, and they decry when similar things happen on the opposite side of the aisle,” he said. “There’s a huge disparity where each party is at ... but I hope that reasonable heads would prevail in the future, and we would stay reasonable here in Lodi as well.”