By Heart of Illinois ABC
BLOOMINGTON – In Bloomington, residents reacted to the chaos in Washington with a pro-democracy vigil to condemn yesterday’s violence.
“An attempt at a subversion. The seditious acts, a riot, by domestic terrorists,” Director Of Grounded Blono, Derek Lough described it.
A rush into the capitol as electoral votes were being counted to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
Thursday, the Bloomington community came together, questioning what was done by DC authorities to prevent the protesters from entering. This local event was held to create a safe space to express emotions about Wednesday’s violence.
“Peace, a sense of community. I hope that we’re able to work through some of our most painful and angry feelings,” Lough said.
Lough said he was appalled to watch people walk in and ransack the capitol with ease.
“When I saw people of this nation overcoming very little police resistance, I felt pain with our black and our indigenous and our people of color communities to know that if they were standing there, their lives would’ve been in danger,” Lough said.
NAACP President, Linda Foster told the crowd at the Bloomington Law and Justice Center, she’s angry that there were notices and warnings, yet authorities seemed unprepared.
“They were prepared for what happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor. They were ready for those, but not for this. What is this saying to us?” Foster asked.
Foster says she wasn’t surprised by Wednesday’s actions, but that doesn’t mean she won’t keep fighting for a different tomorrow.
“Because of yesterday, we need to keep going folks. Don’t give up. Don’t you give in, and don’t you get tired because this is a fight that is going to take every last one of us.”
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