A historian (Terry Bouton) and his photographer wife (Noelle Bouton) have been traveling to protests, both left and right, documenting what they see and hear. They were at the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol by Trumpists and what they experienced left them deeply shaken and concerned for what comes next. They took to Twitter to share their experience and to offer their 5 top takeaways.
We eavesdropped on conversations for hours and no one expressed the slightest concern about the large number of white supremacists and para-military spewing violent rhetoric. Even the man in the "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt wasn't beyond the pale. They were all "patriots."
I'm sure there were Republicans there who were horrified by what was happening. But the most common emotions we witnessed by nearly everyone were jubilation at the take over and anger at Democrats, Mike Pence, non-Trump supporting Republicans, and the Capitol Police.
There is no doubt the Capitol was left purposefully understaffed as far as law enforcement and there was no federal effort to provide support even as things turned very dark. This contrasts sharply with all of other major protests we have attended.
Read the Twitter thread unrolled here.
Image: Noelle Bouton
