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- A researcher found that the Capitol rioters came from cities with declining white populations.
- Robert Pape discovered that the rioters came from cities fearing a growing population of people of color.
- Readers had conflicting feelings about the study’s results, but generally agreed.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
A researcher has assessed 377 people arrested so far for their alleged involvement in the Jan.6 riot on Capitol Hill and found that the vast majority of them came from cities with declining white populations and increasing numbers of people. immigrants and people of color.
The findings, published in a Washington Post editorial and a New York Times follow-up report, elicited varying reactions from readers. While many seemed to agree with the findings, others said the study did not highlight how flawed the thinking of these insurgents was, and some said it unfairly portrayed a small minority in part of a larger trend.
On January 6, supporters of former President Donald Trump raped the U.S. Capitol and clashed with law enforcement. The riot resulted in the death of five people, including a police officer. Police said between 800 and 1,000 people entered the Capitol during the riot, but three months later fewer than 400 had been arrested and charged.
Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, said those involved were mostly white men and women and came from counties that see an increased percentage of people. not white, which causes them. to feel like you are about to lose power.
In many cases, the rioters lived in cities that voted broadly democratic. Pope said the issue should be viewed as a trend.
“Ignoring this move and its potential would be akin to Trump’s response to covid-19: we can’t assume it’s going to explode. The ingredients exist for future waves of political violence, from lone wolf attacks to all-out assaults on democracy, surrounding the 2022 midterm elections, ”Pape wrote.
Pope told The Times he also did an analysis on suicide bombers following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in an effort that helped uncover the trends. He said what happened on Capitol Hill on Jan.6 should receive the same attention, but this is still only the beginning of the research.
“We are really still in the early stages,” Pope said.
Some readers said the find was unsurprising and confirmed what campaigners have been saying for some time. They also questioned whether it was fair for white Americans to fear a racial tide or reduced privileges, pointing to ongoing cases of hate crimes and racial violence against minorities.
“Are whites really concerned about the role reversal? That they will be told to go back to where they came from, that they will be attacked in the streets, that their loved ones will be suffocated or shot by the police. “They fear being stereotyped by employers because their first names are Karen or Brad? Do they think doctors are going to ignore their symptoms and contract their pain, because you know what these people are like?” one reader wrote in response to the Times article, highlighting the experiences of people of color.
Others, however, said the study could be biased given that it only considers data from 377 people arrested in connection with the riots – a sample size too small to draw conclusions about a trend.
“The relatively small data pool (377 arrests), combined with the biased nature of those who might attend (the money, time, and airport access required for many participants to make such a trip) not allow granular analysis, ”one reader wrote.
Some said those in attendance did not represent Republicans or a growing trend among former Trump supporters. Pope wrote that there were similarities between the riots and two other Trump rallies that resulted in a small number of arrests, but added that the violent turn of events on January 6 could be linked to incitement to Trump.
Trump was impeached in the House for inciting an insurgency by telling a crowd to “fight like hell.” He was subsequently acquitted of these charges by the Senate.
In his editorial, Pope wrote that the rioters were concerned about the “great replacement” – a theory championed by white supremacists that claims that immigrants and people of color will replace whites because immigration increases as rates of migration rise. birth rates of whites are low.
“They witness the changes happening around them every day, and they are so insecure, fearful and paranoid that they can imagine no way to compete in their changing environment except to deny the inevitable changes. and fight irrationally to keep things as they are Previously, that was – – – the very definition of ‘ultra-conservative right-wing magativity’, ”one Post reader commented.
Insider has reached out to Pape for comment.
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