ST. LOUIS — Last summer, thousands of people in St. Louis and across the country took to the streets for months.
Moms, dads, students and clergy members, of all races, spoke out against police brutality, discrimination and systemic race.
They hoped making their voices heard marked the beginning of much-needed change.
But now:
"What happened on Capitol Hill, what we saw was systemic racism at its finest and that it's still alive and well," said Dr. Candice Idlebird, the Director of the Social Justice Institute and an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Harris-Stowe State University.
Dr. Idlebird said there was a notable difference in how police responded to the rioters, who climbed walls and smashed windows at the Capitol compared to how Black Lives Matter Protesters were received a few months ago.
"The mobs were walking down Pennsylvania Avenue. The whole preparation was different. Until we reevaluate all systems in power that are in place including federal, state and local governments, schools, housing and other areas, and, totally revamp them, we won't see healing," Idlebird said.
On Thursday, President-Elect Joe Biden spoke out on the issue.
"No one can tell me if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesters protesting yesterday, they would have been treated very, very differently," Biden said.
A St. Louis pastor is also weighing in on the complex and complicated conversation. Last year, Bishop Elijah Hankerson III participated in many area protests and Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
Bishop Hankerson is the Prelate of the Church of God In Christ of Missouri-Midwest and he oversees 60 churches.
"Well, because I am a man of God and faith, I must believe that things will change for the better, but I must say the human side of me is pessimistic right now because of everything that's happened in this country regarding race. We have seen the flames of disunity and racism fanned these last few months. I am hopeful that President-Elect Joe Biden and his administration will tackle the racial issues and help America heal. What's it's gonna take to get better? It takes leadership. It takes someone at the helm of the ship pushing for unity," said Bishop Hankerson.
