KANSAS CITY, MO. — Two Missouri lawmakers expressed outrage over Wednesday's assault on the U.S. Capitol. But despite the political divide in the U.S., they believe there is a path to healing the nation.
Missouri Sen. Barbara Washington said the actions of rioters who breached police barricades and illegally walked into the U.S. capitol building an assault on democracy. She also said she believes race was a factor in the lack of police preparedness and slow response.
"If these people [rioters at the U.S. Capitol building] were Black, they would be called thugs, criminals and terrorists; but what they are is terrorists and they are a threat to our democracy," Washington said.
Rep. Richard Brown also was critical of the response from Capitol Police.
"When they (police) came to the Black Lives Matter protest, there were plenty of police in place to stop that group of protesters," Brown said. "My question is, where was Capitol Police today to protect our nation's leaders?"
Both lawmakers said they are concerned that the violence in Washington D.C. could trickle down to state legislatures.
"You cannot expect us to serve you if we can't feel safe in service," Washington said.
Brown agreed.
"As a lawmaker, I come here everyday to do the job the people sent me to the capitol to do, and I intend to do that job," Brown said, "but I'm not going to do it under the duress of someone holding a firearm on me or making threats against me because I'm here to do the work of the people."
41 Action News also spoke to residents about the events in Washington, D.C. Among those was Kendall Briggs, who said he couldn’t believe the results of the election led to Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol.
“I feel like there’s a lot of sore losers out there,” Briggs said. “It’s obvious that the man lost. There’s no voter fraud. Everything has been proven.”
Lee Page said his initial response was shock, which “quickly went to anger” and then hope that the nation can move forward.
“It’s surreal and unreal that this has come to this when we should have a president that is leading and uniting rather than being divisive and inciting,” Page said.
Despite a divide in the country, Washington and Brown said they believe there is a path to restoring unity.
"Whether you're a Democrat or you're a Republican, we all have the same basic needs in this country," Brown said, "and as long as we can come together and find that common ground, we can find solutions to any situation we're facing."
Similarly, Washington said unity is possible, but will not come easily.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Washington said. "I don't know if it'll get done in our lifetime, but we've got to continue to fight and continue to push and go forward."
