FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 6, 2022
CONTACT: Sara Loflin, Executive Director at [email protected]
DENVER: On the first anniversary of the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th 2021 that left five people dead and American democracy in grave and continuing danger, ProgressNow Colorado, the state’s largest multi-issue progressive advocacy organization, released the following statement:
“One year ago, a democracy Americans often take for granted almost crumbled under the weight of lies promoted by a former president,” said ProgressNow Colorado executive director Sara Loflin. “This morning, President Joe Biden urged us to reflect on January 6th, 2021 and recall that the country and the world saw a mob carrying Confederate flags through the Capitol, ‘breaking windows’ and ‘literally erecting gallows to hang the former vice president of America.’ Since then, the FBI has launched the largest criminal investigation in American history, according to NPR. An estimated 2,000 people participated in the attack and over 700 of them have been charged.”
“Did these looters and rioters arrive at the doorstep of our country’s democracy to uphold the will of the people, reflected by the 81 million votes cast for Biden in the largest voter turnout election in the history of the United States?” asks Loflin. “They did not. They came representing far right factions, voter suppression, and a defunct leader who wanted to ensure the election results were never certified. In the words of Vice President Kamala Harris, they came to ‘dismantle our democracy.’”
“At ProgressNow Colorado, we know that when the actions of January 6th did not result in an outright coup, many Republican insurgents took the battle to their states,” said Loflin. “These lawmakers flagrantly passed voter suppression laws, capitalizing on decades of erosion by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts working to weaken the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Moreover, women’s rights are once again under assault as extremists pass anti-abortion laws that blatantly violate Roe v. Wade at the state-level.”
“We will never forget this day,” said Loflin. “We will not allow elected officials or candidates seeking to represent Colorado minimize their actions or shirk accountability for planning, executing, or supporting the insurrection. PNC will continue to let Coloradans know who is truly working in our proud state’s best interests, and who isn’t.”
“Democracy is precious, and is under continuing threat by Colorado Republicans who put their need for attention before the will of the people,” Loflin said.”
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