Americans will mark Jan. 6, 2021, as another day that will live in infamy. On that day, throngs of Trump supporters left a rally where he had spoken and made their way to the U.S. Capitol, pushing past barricades and Capitol Police to force their way inside to disrupt Congress and the certification of Electoral College votes declaring Democrat Joe Biden the winner of the November presidential election.

The Free Press hit Richmond’s streets to talk with people about this unprecedented time and what actions people and Congress should take next.

Joseph Lewis, 49, a fraud investigator living in The Fan, said, “Due to the history of racism, white Americans have been walking around with their eyes wide shut. They don’t see the errors and the issues that have been going on. We have allowed our Congress and the justice system to work for themselves and not for the people.”

The former Virginia Commonwealth University criminal justice major believes voters need to make some changes and wants to fix the issue.

“We need to keep people accountable,” the 14-year Army veteran said. “Service members have always been advised not to obey an unlawful order. What the president did was an act of terrorism and treason—domestic terrorism. He and everyone who attempted the coup d’état need to be held accountable.”

Lavinia Turner, 63, a semi-retired baker finisher and Church Hill resident, believes the occupant of the White House is corrupt and encouraged the events of Jan. 6.

“I believe Congress should impeach the president because he says he will run again in 2024,” Ms. Turner said. “They need to impeach him so he will not be able to do that.

“We—Americans, especially African-Americans — should go to the polls and vote because every vote counts,” she continued. “Republicans found that out in Georgia when every vote did count,” Ms. Turner said, referring to the victory of Democrats Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff on June 5 in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff election and the defeat of Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

“Our Congresspeople work for us, regardless of party. They should do what the people say, and not follow their personal beliefs and interests,” she said.

Mat Lano, a 38-year-old professional musician living in Brookland Park, believes the November presidential election was fair and clean despite claims of fraud by the president. As the father of a toddler, he is worried about the future.

“If elections are not respected, then where do we go from here?” Mr. Lano asked. “I didn’t vote for what happened last week. Americans vote for their beliefs and candidates they feel would put a stop to the kind of violence we witnessed last week.”

He wants lawbreakers at the U.S Capitol, as well as those instigating the mob, to be held accountable.

“That was no different than any other act of violence. The justice system needs to be activated and do what needs to be done,” Mr. Lano said, his frustration visible.

“We need to get back to facts. The lying and fraud, telling people what is not true, need to stop,” he said.

Monica Jones, 38, a hairstylist from the North Side, said what happened on Jan. 6 was horrible, but if the mob had been Black Lives Matter demonstrators, the situation would have been resolved in a totally different manner.

In her view, all of the people involved in the takeover of the U.S. Capitol should be arrested, including the president. “In the wake of theses events, Americans should stick together,” Ms. Jones emphasized. “Keep the peace. We are better in unity than being separated.”

DiJon Turner, 27, a personal trainer from Henrico County, said he was outraged and mind-boggled as he watched rioters storming the U.S. Capitol.

“Right here in Richmond when there was peaceful protest not too long ago, people were teargassed,” he said.

He said there should be repercussions for the mob’s actions in Washington.

“I just want African-Americans to be treated fairly,” Mr. Turner said of peaceful protesters. “We, African-Americans, need to exercise our option to vote because, as we saw last year, we can make a change.”

Sy Gaines, 30-year-old server from The Fan, was tear gassed during the peaceful protests in Richmond last summer against police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police.

“I want consistence in how law enforcement and lawmakers treat us. They need discipline,” Mr. Gaines said.

“We need to get the president out of here and as far away from Americans as we can,” he continued. “The president targeted and influenced people who could not think for themselves.”

Joseph Pond, 29, a software developer living in Highland Park, said it was extremely disturbing and unbelievable to watch a minority of citizens try to change the outcome of the presidential election by attacking the Electoral College count being conducted in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

“They all should face repercussions for storming the Capitol. They should also be held accountable so people will know attacking Congress is not allowed.

“It is good that the House of Representatives is drawing up articles of impeach- ment,” Mr. Pond said. “We also have to make sure the current president doesn’t do anything crazy before (the inauguration on) Jan. 20, like start a war.”