The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) urges the immediate removal of President Donald Trump due to his inability to carry out his responsibilities, and the clear and present danger of his continuation as U.S. President. Even before his term ends in 13 days, we join a growing number of elected and appointed officials, and citizens across the country, who support the immediate use of the 25th amendment to remove the president.
FCNL urges the immediate removal of President Donald Trump due to his inability to carry out his responsibilities, and the clear and present danger of his continuation as U.S. President.
Yesterday, encouraged by Trump, an angry mob of his extremist supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol. It resulted in four deaths, violence, mayhem, and the consequences of their actions threaten our country’s governance. This was not a First Amendment protest; it was a riot. Violent and coercive actions by protesters have no place within the First Amendment right to peaceful protest that we so cherish.
The inability of the Capitol Police to prevent the incursion and the privilege that the mob had to roam the Capitol—even as members of Congress, their staff, and other employees took refuge—must be recognized as another sign of white supremacy in action.
During the Black Lives Matter protests several months ago, Capitol Hill and downtown Washington, D.C. were awash with federal troops, police, and special agents for what turned out to be largely peaceful rallies. During the violent protests by Trump supporters yesterday, only the Capitol Police were present. The National Guard joined only late in the afternoon after Mayor Muriel Bowser called them in, a request that had to be vetted by the Pentagon since D.C. is not a state.
Our office is located on Capitol Hill and we had to close it to ensure the safety of our remaining staff. While we affirm the right to peacefully protest, we cannot but conclude that systemic racism was in full public view yesterday as white demonstrators moved freely in contrast with the hundreds of police and military forces that harshly broke up the peaceful Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year.
Prompted by the baseless claims that the president has fueled, the disruption at the Capitol was meant to stop the pro-forma certification of Joe Biden as the next president. Although delayed, the certification was completed after hours of continued obstruction by some Republican members of Congress who are perpetuating the lies of the president. This is dangerous to our democracy and to elected officials who speak the truth.
The inability of the Capitol Police to prevent the incursion and the privilege that the mob had to roam the Capitol—even as members of Congress, their staff, and other employees took refuge—must be recognized as another sign of white supremacy in action.
We again affirm FCNL’s position that the electoral college should be abolished. It is an unfair method for selecting the U.S. president, which gives states with lower populations a disproportionate influence in electoral college votes. We hold that the majority popular vote must be the basis of electing the president, and that every citizen’s vote must count.
Our democracy is a work in progress. The founding of this country initially granted only white male property owners the right to vote. While this is no longer a part of our constitution, we have not fully shed the vestiges of this discrimination; it is evident in the voter suppression and denial of votes that is being used to question the results of the 2020 election. For more than two centuries, our nation has been working to create a democracy that values the participation of all people. As the events of Jan. 6, 2021—and even before the November 2020 elections—make clear, our work is not done.
FCNL practices our Quaker faith in acknowledging that of God in every person, which opens our advocacy for peace and justice to embrace conversations and relationship building among people who don’t agree on public policy. This is healthy civic engagement that our country desperately needs. We are grateful that constituents throughout the country are dedicated to pursuing changes so essential to peace, justice and an earth restored. Our advocacy on Capitol Hill will persist with hope.
Now that Joseph Biden has been certified as president-elect and Kamala Harris as vice president-elect, we must ensure that the rest of the transfer of power will continue peacefully until they assume office at noon on Jan. 20.
To ensure this peaceful transition, we urge the immediate removal of Donald Trump as 45th president.
