Disturbing echoes from the past resonate in our current political climate. An article penned by Anneliese M. Bruner sheds light on the chilling similarities between her great-grandmother's experiences during the Tulsa massacre of 1921 and the Capitol insurrection in January 2021.
Mary E. Jones Parrish, a seasoned journalist and teacher, witnessed the Tulsa chaos from the safety of her home. While describing the brutal events to her family, she saw danger lurking – a powerful force fueling state-sponsored violence. Despite the warnings issued by those who had survived similar ordeals, such as the Holocaust, time and again those in power would turn a blind eye.
Recently, the oldest known living survivor of the Tulsa massacre, Viola Fletcher, testified before Congress, recounting the horrors of that day. The 107-year-old witness spoke of the racist, deadly mob rampaging through her neighborhood, an act that had been sanitized and denied by Tulsa authorities for generations.
Rewinding the clock to January 2021, Congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia downplayed the Capitol insurrection, stating that it resembled a casual tourist group cosplaying as rioters. Clyde and his colleagues resisted the establishment of a commission to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol, minimizing the gravity of the events and lending credence to claims of a "fake coup."
However, others, like former U.S. Capitol Police chief Steven Sund and Sergeant Michael Fanon from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, painted a starkly different picture. Both recounted witnessing the organized, vicious violence inflicted on law enforcement officers. In their words, these rioters came armed for war with weapons, chemical munitions, and home-made explosives.
Clearly, the call for justice and truth has been ongoing, and those who wield power to suppress the truth are reportedly acting in their self-interest. The image-conscious officials of Tulsa prioritize their own reputation over holding perpetrators responsible, while Congressional partisanship thwarts the effort for transparency and accountability.
"The spirit of destruction knows no bounds or limits," warned Mary Parrish in her description of the violent mob in Tulsa. Her words echo ominously against the backdrop of Charlottesville, with its chilling rallying cry, "Jews will not replace us." History bears witness to the deadly consequences of ignoring and denying state-sanctioned violence.
As we reflect on the lessons of our past, we must grapple with the question: Will we seek truth and accountability or simply accept weakened investigations that let those responsible off the hook? Only time will tell, but as our great-grandmother Mary Parrish warned, skipping this essential step can lead to further destruction and potentially a threat to our democracy.
Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
