LETTER: A tale of two riots

The hallowed halls of Congress are above being breached by protesters, rioters and looters, so say some. The grounds, buildings and meeting places where the people’s business is conducted are sacred, they say.

What happened on Jan. 6 in the Capitol was ugly, destructive and chaotic, and I wish it hadn’t happened. It was immediately condemned by both parties as an insurrection. It lasted about two hours and was quashed.

But business establishments and police station precincts that were similarly attacked in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis and a number of lesser-populated cities had to deal with the violence for months. I guess the business owners and the despised police lives were just not as valuable as our dear leaders in Washington.

Those riots could have easily been stopped, but the fires were left to burn night after night through last year’s summer months. Outrage reared its ugly head only when the politicians at the Capitol actually got a taste of what the citizens of those cities endured last year. Double standard? I think so.