On January 6th, 2021, the world looked on as the U.S. capitol building in Washington DC was invaded. The day when the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election was to be formally certified, with an upcoming Biden-Harris administration.
Supporters of President Trump vandalized the capitol building, chanted for the hanging of Vice President Pence, and attacked democracy itself. All this after Trump gave a speech that focused on falsely claiming that the presidential election was stolen from him.
The Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Melanie Benjamin, had this response in a recent Band update:
“Insurgents prompted by the outgoing president storm the National Capitol in a failed attempt to overturn the election. Wow, well, we all expected the end result to be a peaceful transfer of power on January 20th,” said Benjamin.
“This event shows the importance of being involved in the political process and as a sovereign American tribe, we know that violence is never the answer,” said Benjamin.
Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin gives her regards to the upcoming Biden-Harris administration
“…so that there is a smooth transition. And we as tribal governments across this nation, that we have a good working relationship with the new administration. And that’s what I look forward to.” said Benjamin.
The National Congress of American Indians released their own response, a part of which read:
“As leaders of our own tribal nations, we understand the sacred duty undertaken by those chosen to serve their people to uphold the rule of law and the will of the people. Above all else, we value the sanctity of life. No nation should tolerate a leader who obstructs or brings harm to the peaceful democratic process and the citizens we are sworn to protect.”
The statement goes on to commend Congress for resuming their work and accepting the certification of the free and fair election of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
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