A few other screenshots of interest. One is a breakdown, by the insurrectionists themselves, of some of the factions that would be present at the Trump rally. The other is an attempt to outline a coherent plan to force Trump to be certified the election winner.pic.twitter.com/8GfbLvlw3u
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Notice a couple things: 1) Where’s the police? 2) Where’s the barricades/fencing around the Capitol?! During impeachment last year, Capitol police were able to hastily erect a fence on the other side of the Capitol that made protesting in large numbers difficult
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Here’s four minutes into the storming of the Capitol. It’s hard to see, but you have a handful of police moving around the inauguration set-up above the crowd. The crowd isn’t THAT big. The police are well-positioned to repel them with less lethals, but they don’t.pic.twitter.com/SWIOc7nyuz
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Any plans for a siege have gone out the window. The crowds have jumped the gun and just run at the Capitol. Here we are at the 1:08 mark. Again, where are the police?pic.twitter.com/NELstiZT1d
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Shortly thereafter, at 1:11pm, you start to hear a guy shout, “Move forward! The guys in front need help.” No tactics, no strategy and as you can see, still not a massive crowd.pic.twitter.com/YWAmNbaFUW
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A minute later, Capitol Police use a spritz of what I believe is pepper spray on some of the protesters. It has an immediate effect and some of them retreat.pic.twitter.com/Wv0Ir26te9
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Most people panic the first time they’re exposed to pepper spray. These weren’t seasoned protesters. The guy shouting, “Move forward!” starting calling for goggles. While some of the coup plotters were outfitted like Red Dawn extras, many people there were unprepared.
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At 1:14pm, police reinforcements can be seen arriving. But again, where is their gear? Anyone who has any familiarity with DC understands how surreal this situation is. You have a relatively manageable crowd that could be dispersed with less lethals and the police just..aren’t.pic.twitter.com/Sg9dM7EpIR
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At 1:21pm, 26 minutes after protesters first stormed the Capitol grounds!!, the crowd starts chucking objects at the Capitol Police. I prepared to run, as throwing so much as a plastic water bottle at the police can trigger a barrage of tear gas and rubber bullets.pic.twitter.com/gcbGvrBugP
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There was no need to run. If you’re wearing a red cap, apparently you can throw whatever you want at the police. You can hear the “Move Forward” guy getting frustrated. I walked away to upload some videos and to avoid the barrage of tear gas I was sure was coming.pic.twitter.com/eas8MqKTvt
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While I was uploading video, a few puffs of tear gas were deployed. From news reports, it was around 2pm, over an hour after protesters first stormed the Capitol grounds, that they were able to breach the Capitol itself.https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/politics/timeline-rioters-breach-us-capitol-minute-by-minute/65-b3ee849a-d322-4050-bcf7-467dc4622b2e …
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Interestingly, this clip of a guy shouting, “It’s time to come back with our guns and leave the women at the house!” happened exactly at 2pm.pic.twitter.com/iaic8HeygA
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I move closer to the Capitol building. I keep away from the main crowd as I’m convinced, having attended many BLM protests, that at any moment the police will unleash hell and I’ll have to make a run for it. Spoiler: I never had to make a run for it. There’s cheering now.pic.twitter.com/lP5A3WBBOt
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At 2:15pm, I overhear a protester excitedly say that they’ve almost breached the door on the other side of the building. I follow a handful of guys up the hill to the east side of the Capitol. Note that once again, someone’s trying to rally the crowd to action and few respond.pic.twitter.com/KJAPRVqv4n
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This is the south side of the Capitol, as we walk up the hill to get to where the door is supposedly about to be breached. It’s only a short clip, but do you see any police? This was taken at 2:17pm.pic.twitter.com/i7hhQINXiq
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There’s the police! Finally. The doors on the west side of the building have been breached. Crowds are attempting to breach doors on the east side while the Speaker of the House, Vice-President, and countless members of Congress are inside and... The police are standing there.pic.twitter.com/uQ0GOE8fQm
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Here we are! More police! More police...not doing much. Note that these are MPD vehicles. It’s 2:20pm.pic.twitter.com/zaqojgPps2
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This is the part that broke me, both as a protester and a local. You’re not allowed up the second half of those steps. No one unauthorized is allowed near those doors. You would be tackled, pepper sprayed, and arrested.pic.twitter.com/7GhE7FjzV3
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It’s hard to see, but one police officer in a neon green jacket moseys over and checks to see what the protesters at the door are doing, then wanders away. At this point, inside the Capitol, members of Congress are in hiding.pic.twitter.com/wUEWJoIIlF
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This is when I started texting my friends with: “HAHAHAHA NOTHING MATTERS ANYMORE.” MPD reinforcements wander by while Trump supporters shout at the cops who are letting them storm the Capitol.pic.twitter.com/1WJazG5Evv
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Trump supporter shouts, “Do your job!” as police have a chill one and the Capitol is stormed. I can’t. I just can’t.pic.twitter.com/pl686UhuW2
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It’s 2:26pm. The crowd is attempting to breach one of the doors on the east side of the Capitol. There is no visible police response. (sorry for the flipped video)pic.twitter.com/hcGxJKfJVt
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Took these photos over a ten minute span. You can see a small police presence off to the left.pic.twitter.com/55pbQEkMXy
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If I’m hearing correctly, the guy is saying: “Donald Trump coordinated it. We’re his servants. He fought for us and we have to fight for him.”
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At 3pm, we start to hear that shots have been fired inside. Except for what we’re being told, you would have no idea from the outside that any sort of security situation was unfolding, much less one of such a historic magnitude.pic.twitter.com/nj7Z4xcSRa
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A lot going on here. Police on the balcony, milling about. Trump supporter shouting insults at them. Notice insurrectionists at the doors below, definitely up to something. And the grandpa facetiming, sharing the coup with his family.pic.twitter.com/5lfb2ggTuf
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At 3:33pm, riot cops march through the crowd. (those are the Black Israelites you can hear in the background)pic.twitter.com/NsZPtpQU5X
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Trump supporters follow the riot cops, calling them oathbreakers and traitors.pic.twitter.com/jp7QmNfk5T
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This is my last video before I left the Capitol. The riot cops are headed towards the west side of the building while Trump supporters continue to hurl insults. As you can see, there’s been no attempt to push the crowds back or set up a perimeter. I’m speechless.pic.twitter.com/WAujSN79yJ
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How can you look at these videos and not conclude that the police, not just the Capitol police but any police on the scene, received a stand down or minimal force order of some sort? We’re looking at the greatest Capitol security breach since 1814 and police barely responded.
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