UPDATED: Bellmore and Merrick's local leaders decry violence at U.S. Captiol

This is not about politics. This is about safety, freedom and decency.”

Laura Curran, Nassau County executive

The usually routine day in the United States Congress on Jan. 6, when senators and representatives met to certify the Electoral College results of the 2020 presidential election, turned historic when a virulent mob stormed the Capitol.

Thousands of supporters of President Trump overwhelmed Capitol Police and occupied the building, forcing members of Congress to barricade themselves in their respective chambers. The rioters’ goal was to overturn the certification of Joseph Biden as president-elect. A number of Republican senators and representatives stood with the president and defied the results based on largely false claims of election fraud.

After bouts of violence, the mob was cleared from the building, and hours later, early on the morning of Jan. 7, the election was certified. Five people were left dead in the aftermath of the attempted insurrection, including one Capitol Police officer.

In the following days, U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice joined a growing call from Democrats and Republicans to remove Trump from office, either via resignation, the 25th Amendment or a second impeachment. They placed the blame of the attempted insurrection squarely on Trump, who has consistently questioned the results of the election based on false claims of fraud and refused a peaceful transition of power.

The effects of the day were felt here on Long Island, where reactions streamed in.

“The violence happening in Washington today is flatly unacceptable, regardless of who you supported in the election,” Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads, a Republican from Bellmore, wrote to followers on social media the day of the riot. “This is America. It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you fall on, when protest turns to violence, it is wrong, and what we are seeing today is against everything we stand for. Our prayers go out for all who work at the Capitol and for the members of law enforcement working hard to keep everyone safe.”

“Violence like what we are seeing in Washington today should never be accepted in a free society,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. “This is not about politics. This is about safety, freedom and decency.”

Town of Hempstead Councilman Chris Carini, a former police officer, posted a remembrance of the Capitol Police officer who was killed during the attack. “RIP to U.S. [Capitol] Police officer Brian Sicknick, a 12-year veteran of the department,” he wrote.

On Sunday afternoon, a group of Trump supporters gathered at the Bellmore train station and were met by a group of counter-protesters, according to a Nassau County Police Department press information officer. The group of roughly 30 people eventually dispersed after police were contacted.

Lawrence Garfinkel, president of the Merrick Historical Society and the Merrick Brotherhood, said the answer to preventing catastrophes like the one that unfolded in Washington, is one word: education. From a young age, children must be taught to recognize right and wrong, he said, which is passed down from parents, educators and social clubs, like the Society and Brotherhood.

“We must continue our education here in the United States to do all we can do to produce youngsters who will eventually understand the best choices that they can make,” Garfinkel said.