AAPI should stay away from downtown DC today to avoid violence by far-right radicals

Proud Boys members march in the nation's Capitol.

OPINION

Proud Boys, the far right radicals looking for a fight, reportedly will not be wearing colors of black and yellow Wednesday, Jan. 6. Instead, is a show of courage, they will wear all black so that they can blend in with other protestors.

That's brave of them.

The Proud Boys and other far right groups are supposed to be gathering in Washington D.C. to protest Donald Trump' decisive loss to President-elect Joe Biden. 

The DC's Attorney General Karl Racine told CBS News: "My level of anxiety is high. My preparation is even more intense than that."

Racine said that he fears that the Proud Boys will "pick fights, create damage, damage property, and then act in a very threatening way."

With the strong possibility of violence instigated by the radical right, Blacks are being told to stay away from downtown DC. That same advice should be given to Asian Americans and Pacific Islander.

The AAPI community has been targeted by racists and ignorant followers of Trump since the coronavirus landed on the U.S. The racism was always there but with the advent of the pandemic and with the racist occupant of the White House, it has become OK to openly express that hatred with acts of hate, from verbal abuse to physical attacks.

Racist incidents against AAPI have sharply risen this past year according to various community groups collecting reports of hate. The FBI has confirmed the uptick in hate crimess against AAPI. 

In the Capitol building, members of both houses of Congress will be counting and debating the votes from the Nov. 6 Presidential election, which Biden won in a landslide with over 6 million votes over Trump.

Usually its a dull, procedural affair that formalizes the Electoral College vote totals for each candidate but members of the House and Senate said they would challenge the results.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called on people to stay away from downtown Washington.

In a statement released by the mayor's office on Sunday, the mayor said the Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police) will be fully activated and she’s instructed District agencies to create a public safety response that includes use of the National Guard.

"I am asking Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the downtown area on Tuesday and Wednesday and not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful," said Bowser in a Tweet on Sunday.

Several Proud Boy events in the District devolved into violence since the Nov. 3 election with arrests made for illegal possession of guns. Washington D.C. is not a free-carry city where people can publicly carry automatic rifles.

According to videos uploaded to social media, left-wing counter-protesters including Antifa members fought with Trump supporters in fistfights, along with throwing projectiles. According to AP, police arrested at least 20 people at the protests, with one stabbing reported and several firearms confiscated.

Proud Boys leader  Enrique Tarrio, was arrested Monday for destruction of a Black Lives Matter banner that hung on the grounds of a local church. When he was arrested, he was found with high-capacity weapons, a violation of the law since he is a convicted felon.

Torrio was released Tuesday on his own recognizance and ordered to leave the District. He will be allowed back into the city for his court hearings.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that he would attend one of several rallies organized by far right radical organizations including the Women for America First, which filed a permit for 5,000 attendees, and the Eighty Percent Coalition, which estimates 10,000. The Silent Majority said it expects 250-500 to demonstrate near the Washington Monument. 

The leader of Oath Keepers, a militant radical group, said he was seeking military and police veterans with combat experience to help protect Trump supporters from “leftist terrorists” he expects to stage counterprotests.

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes claims on its website that his group has a large number of current or retired police officers who are legally able to carry a concealed gun nationwide.

EDITOR'S NOTE; A word of caution. This is an opinion piece. Readers should consult several sources of news to form their own opinion.