By Joel P. Engardio

Today’s banner headline in the New York Times is on a scale only seen after the most shocking and historic moments like the attack of Pearl Harbor, the moon landing or 9/11. This is a dark day in our democracy. I help lead Stop Crime SF, which advocates for victims of crimes and aims to hold officials accountable for public safety. While we're primarily focused on San Francisco, we can’t ignore the crime committed by President Trump of inciting a mob to violently storm the U.S. Capitol.

The purpose was to circumvent the Constitution and block a transfer of presidential power against the will of a majority of American voters. Five people died as a result of the melee — including a U.S. Capitol Police officer. Trump must be held accountable for his sedition and willful disregard of his oath of office.

Watching the siege happen on live television was horrifying for anyone who values the Constitution. It was especially disturbing to see how throngs of rioters were able to push past barricades and occupy one of the most important buildings in the world with such little resistance from security forces. The handling of this mob of mostly white people was a stark contrast to the aggressive tear-gassing of peaceful Black Lives Matters marches last summer.

A full investigation of the failure of the many law enforcement agencies in Washington DC is warranted, given they should have been better prepared for a riotous protest that was openly planned in advance — sanctioned and urged by the president himself.

Public safety was ignored on every level in our nation’s capital at the cost of jeopardizing our very democracy. The perpetrators and enablers must all be held accountable.