Rep. Brian Cina: Progressive Caucus responds to riots in Washington D.C. | Jan. 8, 2021
Friends,
This is Representative Brian Cina from Burlington with your first weekly legislative update of the new session.
We’re excited to use this weekly newsletter to keep you up to date on what our caucus members are working on-- but this week, we feel it’s only right to focus on the violent attack on our democracy that happened in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, and the response from your state leadership.
On Thursday, I helped lead the effort to pass J.R.H. 1, a joint resolution condemning the storming of the Capitol and calling for the resignation or removal of Donald J. Trump from office. The House Progressive Caucus also released the following statement the same day:
Yesterday, as we took our oath to support and uphold the Constitution of Vermont and the United States, the President rallied and encouraged violence against the United States Congress. The President’s supporters then took to the streets and violently attacked the Capitol Building resulting in members of Congress and staff being held hostage in the building as well as numerous injuries and four deaths.
Let us be clear: the atrocities that occurred in Washington D.C. were nothing short of domestic terrorism and should be treated as such. The acts that we witnessed are blatant examples of the authoritarianism and white supremacy that is alive and well in our country. Our country has a long history of protest with very different results. When people of color, women, disabled people, immigrants without citizen status, and LGBTQ folks protest - be it peaceful or a non violent expression of outrage - it is met very differently than the acts of terror at the Capitol yesterday. This must be named and acknowledged because there are two very different realities based on who you are in this country.
Led by Rep. Brian Cina, as one of the lead sponsors of House resolution J.H.R. 1, the Vermont House Progressive Caucus unanimously voted in support of the resolution calling for the removal of Donald J. Trump from office.
“Our democracy is far from perfect, but it provides us with a chance to engage in the decisions that affect our lives,” said Rep. Cina. “By inciting violent acts of rebellion to sabotage the final certification process of the presidential election, the President committed sedition and demonstrated that he is not fit to hold the most powerful position in our nation.”
The Caucus also condemns the President’s blatant lies that continue to plague our nation and sow hate in our communities. We condemn the violence and domestic terrorism that took place in Washington D.C. yesterday.
We understand that the tenets of white supremacy did not begin with the President nor will they end when he is removed from office. As a caucus, we are committed to healing the harm that has already been done and to work diligently towards a more just and equitable future for all Vermonters.
You can read the full resolution here.
I’m proud of our caucus for unanimously stepping up and condemning these hateful acts of violence, but we understand that simply speaking out is not enough. We are all committed to fighting for a more equitable future in Vermont— from healthcare reform to rural economic development and beyond.
We have big things planned for this biennium, and we look forward to sharing more with you. We will be in touch soon about an upcoming press conference to review our agenda and we welcome feedback from the community.
In solidarity,
Rep. Brian Cina, Chittenden 6-4
