Some folks stormed the US Capitol and killed a police officer. They flaunted Nazi paraphernalia and Confederate flags and Q shirts and Proud Boys tattoos. They wore MAGA hats and live-streamed their screams about stolen elections.

Some other folks, politicians and elected officials who’d wink winked dog whistled bull horned in the direction of the folks with the flags and hats and shirts and the tattoos, said we do not condone violence and these are not our supporters and violence is not the answer and it’s not our fault the people don’t trust the election when the votes were rigged and we said seriously but not literally.

Some other folks, editors and reporters and columnists and designers and product managers and engineers and VCs and VCs and VCs, wondered aloud how could this happen and is this really who we are and where do we go from here.

How could this happen, is a question you ask when you haven’t really been listening to those black and brown friends you claim to have. Is this really who we are is a question you ask when you didn’t finish any of those books you bought from the black-owned bookstore you never shopped from again. Where do we go from here is the question you ask when you’ve always been able to escape the consequences.