PHILADELPHIA (January 8, 2021) – Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District) issued the following statement today concerning the events at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. this week:
“What happened this week in Washington, D.C. — the breaching of the U.S. Capitol and the destruction and vandalism of parts of the U.S. House and Senate— was an attempted coup and was the culmination of four years of the divisive policies and rhetoric of President Donald J. Trump.
“Among the lasting legacies of the Trump presidency will be how he single handily weakened the United States’ standing throughout the world and impacted how Americans treat each other, which has become more and more toxic every day. The Inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden’s and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on January 20, 2021 cannot come fast enough to start the difficult work of healing a divided nation and our democracy.
“What happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 can never be allowed to happen at any federal, state, county or city seat of government ever again.
“The late civil rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, once said: ‘One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change.’
“We are once again going through a profound period of social change in our nation. The events of this week shows that the citizens of our nation—even at 244 years old—must continue to fight against the ills of racism and strive for social justice for all citizens if we will ever truly achieve ‘a more perfect union’ as stated in the U.S. Constitution.”
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Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, a former Pennsylvania State Representative, represents the 2nd Council District, which includes parts of Center City, South Philadelphia, and Southwest Philadelphia. He is Chairman of City’s Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.
