By LaDonna Raeh

photo courtesy of abcnews.go

 

January 6 Looked Different Because It Was Different — And the Pardons Prove It

By LaDonna Raeh | WVON

I remember exactly where I was on January 6, 2021.
Not just physically — emotionally.

Watching people scale the walls of the United States Capitol, casually. Confidently. Like consequences were optional.

And as a Black woman, a mother, and a journalist, one thought cut through everything else:

If those people had been Black, this would not have ended the same way.

Time hasn’t softened that truth.
If anything, the numbers have confirmed it.

The Numbers Don’t Lie — They Testify

Let’s ground this conversation in facts, not vibes.

According to federal court data and DOJ reporting tied to January 6 United States Capitol attack:

• Over 1,200 people were charged in connection with the attack
• More than 900 were convicted or pled guilty
• At least 140 law enforcement officers were injured
• 5 deaths were directly connected to the events or immediate aftermath
• Charges included seditious conspiracy, assault on federal officers, weapons violations, and obstruction of an official proceeding

This was not a protest that “got out of hand.”
This was a violent attack on democracy, live-streamed in HD.

And Then Came the Pardons

Here’s where the imbalance becomes impossible to ignore.

In the aftermath, dozens of January 6 offenders received pardons or commutations, while many others had sentences reduced — despite the severity of their actions.

Let that sink in.

People who:

• Beat police officers with poles
• Crushed officers in doors
• Threatened lawmakers
• Attempted to halt the certification of a presidential election

…were granted mercy, leniency, or political grace.

That is not justice being blind.
That is power being selective.

Imagine the Alternate Reality

Now let’s do the thought experiment nobody in power wants to do.

If Black protesters had:

• Stormed the Capitol
• Assaulted federal officers
• Called for the hanging of elected officials

We wouldn’t be discussing pardons.
We’d be discussing mass graves, life sentences, and domestic terrorism charges with no daylight.

We know this because history has already shown us — from COINTELPRO to Ferguson to 2020.

The difference isn’t behavior.
It’s who gets the benefit of the doubt.

Why This Still Hits a Nerve

On the show this week, we asked listeners:
Where were you when January 6 happened?

People remembered exactly where they were. Exactly how it felt. And exactly why it still bothers them.

Because January 6 didn’t just expose a security failure — it exposed a racial double standard wrapped in patriotism.

Law and order, apparently, has exceptions.
And those exceptions come with the ultimate unfair advantage: forgiveness at scale.

This Is Bigger Than Politics

This isn’t about parties.
It’s about precedent.

When the justice system shows it can bend — but only for certain people — it sends a message louder than any speech:

Some Americans are allowed to rage at the state.
Others are punished for surviving it.

That imbalance doesn’t heal with time.
It hardens.

Why WVON Won’t Let This Be Memory-Holed

At WVON, we don’t treat January 6 as “old news.” We treat it as a case study — one that still shapes how trust, power, and punishment work in this country.

Because fairness isn’t measured by how many laws exist —
It’s measured by who they’re enforced against.

And until that gap closes, January 6 will never just be history.
It will be a warning.

Because in order to change our narrative, we must learn, speak, and teach our greatness.