To whom it may concern:
After witnessing so many discrepancies during these four years, we have been appalled by the inappropriate behavior of our Nation’s current president, Donald Trump. We, the members of the Roanoke NAACP Youth Council, want to share our viewpoints.
People have died as a result of his behavior. A police officer named Brian D. Sicknick passed away after suffering from brutal injuries while on duty; an Air Force veteran, a woman by the name of Ashli Babbitt, died after experiencing a fatal shot by the police; Benjamin Phillips, Kevin Greenson, and Rosanne Boyland all died at the scene of the attack. This does not include over 50 police officers reported to have been injured during the riot.
These were precious human lives taken and destroyed because of their trust in Donald Trump, who promised he would march with them, and quite literally abandoned them before the riot.
We would like to request that Donald Trump is tried for the death of the individuals who died at the Capitol after instigating the act by telling them to go to the Capitol and that he would join them. Though this may not be enough evidence to call for impeachment, the President’s sole duty is to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” as outlined in the Constitution, which he did not do.
Regarding public health, the role is primarily allotted to state and local governments. Donald Trump has tried to stunt this ability by rejecting plans for early vaccines, attempting to repeal transgender protections, and causing a surge in hate crimes. It is our belief that, due to his failure to try to deescalate the actions of his supporters, he should not only be impeached, but also convicted for the deaths of both his supporters and the police officer and individuals who were impacted by the hate crimes he promoted. He has demonstrated damaging hypocrisy.
During the “Black Lives Matter” protests that took place during the summer of 2020, Donald Trump stated that when he finds the people that were looting businesses and destroying them, he promised to throw them in jail. His exact words regarding the Black Lives Matter protests were, “Anarchists, Agitators or Protestors who vandalize or damage our Federal Courthouse in Portland, or any Federal Buildings in any of our cities or states, will be prosecuted under our recently re-enacted Statues & Monuments Act with a MINIMUM TEN YEARS IN PRISON. Don’t do it! @DHSgov” (July 27th, 2020).
Jyette Klausen, a Professor of International Cooperation at Brandeis University, labels the attack on the Capitol as a “seditious insurrection.” The Cornell Law School states that individuals found guilty of insurrection can be imprisoned for 10 years or less and fined. Those who rioted at the Capitol during January of 2021 should receive the same punishment their President threatened to enforce upon others.
Donald Trump should also be tried for the immense number of hate crimes that have occurred due to his own use of hate speech, his refusal to denounce white supremacy and his inability to condemn Proud Boys. It was determined by Griffin Sims Edwards of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Stephen Rushin of Loyola University School of Law that there has been an increase in the number of hate crimes since the election of Trump as the United States President as he “fueled the hate crime surge” (“The Effect of President Trump’s Election on Hate Crimes” by Griffin Sims Edwards of University of Alabama at Birmingham and Stephen Rushin of Loyola University School of Law. The article was published January 18, 2018 and revised on January 19, 2019).
Donald Trump has slandered multiple ethnic groups that consist of primarily non-white individuals. In 2018, Trump rejected an immigration proposal and proceeded to ask why we (America) would want more people from Haiti and more Africans in the United States, insinuating that the United States should have more immigrants from European, predominantly “white”, nations.
As early as March, Donald Trump began using the phrase “Chinese Virus” in place of “Coronavirus” and his goal was to avoid blame by redirecting the negative attention toward his administration. There has been an increase in reports of anti-Asian hate crimes since Trump has referred to the Coronavirus as “Chinese Virus.”
On July 31st, 2020, in Bronx, New York, a man spat on a woman and yelled at her “Asians caused the virus” and “go back to China” (Source: New York Daily News). In CNN’s article entitled “Trump basically called Mexicans rapists again,” it was mentioned that Trump said “they’re not sending their best,” in reference to Mexico’s citizens in 2015 and again in 2018 in which he stated “they’re not putting their good ones.” During both times, Trump called Mexicans “rapists.” It is for these reasons that Trump should be charged for the hate crimes that have occurred under his Presidency.
Trump should also be tried for sexual assault. An article updated on October 21, 2020 stated, “19 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.” All of their encounters with Trump ended in sexual assault. A video from 2005 captures Trump saying, “They let you do it. You can do anything.” He has made multiple inappropriate remarks about women, including his own daughter. In 2006 on The View, Trump said “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.” Multiple allegations against Donald Trump are stated in the book, “All the President’s Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator.”
This man, Donald Trump, should be held accountable and convicted for his crimes like any other citizen! Are we the only ones who see these issues? We want fairness and justice and we want it now!
Written by: London Paige, Uyen Tran, and Treya Gunn
Edited by: Gloria Randolph-King
