As President Donald Trump's supporters attempted a coup at the Capitol building in Washington, DC, people noticed a stark difference to how the city looked during the Black Lives Matter protests last year.
Last summer, demonstrations broke out across the US in response to police killings of unarmed Black people, including Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. These protests were often met with a large response from police, including the use of tear gas and physical violence.
On Wednesday, law enforcement had a large presence at the storming of the Capitol building — including members of the National Guard and police officers in riot gear and with weapons drawn.
To demonstrate the difference between the police responses to the Capitol coup attempt and the Black Lives Matter protests, people have been sharing photos of the two scenes.
This photo below (which some had incorrectly said was taken in front of the Capitol) shows members of the National Guard in formation in front of the Lincoln Memorial on June 2, 2020, as protests continued outside the White House.
For contrast, this is how the National Guard defended the Lincoln Memorial during BLM protests.
This person recalled heavy-handed tactics from police during protests in Washington, DC.
"Let me say this: I fucking remember 'cause I was there. I experienced DC police coming into the fucking McDonald's after macing Karon Hylton-Brown's mom," they said.
Fuck @DCPoliceDept and all this light stepping they doing w/ these racists! #dcprotests #DefendDC #BlackLivesMatter
This person recalled a similar scene at a Black Lives Matter protest in Brooklyn.
We couldn’t even be in front of the Barclays without being beaten up and ran over by police vehicles. YALL LET THESE BREACHED THE CAPITOL? 😭 Two different worlds https://t.co/bYJEK8PFge
And yet another person remembered what it was like during a demonstration in Portland, Oregon.
In Portland if we fucking touched the fence we got shot with pepper balls.
People also recalled June 1, 2020, when police fired tear gas against protesters in Washington, DC, so Trump could deliver an impromptu speech at a church near the White House.
I'd like to point out that the police at the Capitol have still not used tear gas bullets on the Trump supporters who are attempting to take over the building, even though the White House did it to peaceful protestors so that Trump could pose in front of a church with a bible.
Trump deployed the National Guard and D.C. police to disperse peaceful BLM supporters for this bible photo op, but the White House is now refusing to deploy the National Guard to control the thugs in the US Capitol threatening US Senators and his own VP Pence.
Others juxtaposed images of Trump supporters at the Capitol on Wednesday with pictures of police arresting BLM protesters last year.
The difference in protest. White Trump Supporter vs Protest for Black Lives.
The scenes were also compared to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem, a peaceful protest that Trump routinely criticized.
One of these was called unpatriotic and the other is being called a peaceful protest by Fox News today. (NBC/Getty)
A video from Wednesday shows the moment when people passed through a doorway in the Capitol and faced a single security guard who ultimately backed away.
When we peacefully protested BLM, we got tear gassed, pepper sprayed, a CHILD GOT MACED, people were shot in the eyes, there were people bleeding from the rubber bullets. At a peaceful protest. And yet, when terrorists storm the US Capital, they get this? https://t.co/LJhv3g67P8
Others shared photos of arrests police made in 2017 of protesters with disabilities.
How capitol police handled disabled protestors fighting against abolishing the ACA a few years ago:
Those arrested included members of American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT), a disability rights group, who were protesting Republican cuts to Medicaid.
This is how Capitol police treated ADAPT activists for peacefully protesting their right to healthcare
Other images just captured the frustration and absurdity of it all.
No police presence, just vibes. https://t.co/JhFeSM6IRh
George Floyd was murdered for less https://t.co/eDCPFvc1nL
There are two Americas.