For many Americans, Jan. 6 will be a day to remember forever. On that day in 2021, a group of radicals speculated to be associated with right-wing conservatives, stormed Capitol Hill in resistance to the announcement of the results of the 2020 general election.
Journalist and “Channel 5 News” CEO Andrew Callaghan partnered with Jonah Hill and HBO to produce the documentary This Place Rules, which premiered on Dec. 30. The documentary focuses on the time period from June 2020 to January 2021, from the start of the Black Lives Matter protests to the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Near the end of the documentary, after interviewing radicals and conspiracy theorists across the political spectrum, Callaghan and his crew stopped in Atlanta to interview community members around University Avenue near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot by Atlanta an policeman in June 2020.
When speaking to residents and children around the area, the difference in their answers compared to a nearby suburban White family was glaring. The residents near University Avenue often mourned the death of family members who were trying to find ways to climb out of poverty and were killed. The suburban family was knee-deep in dark web and right-wing conspiracies. Callaghan, 25, reflected on the trip to the South during the documentary.
“It really made me think about how much free time and financial stability it takes to show [one’s] face at the angry pep rallies that I had been going to for the past couple of months prior to that,” Callaghan said. “So many Americans’ primary concern is just getting by. They don’t have time to fly to D.C., get their Trump gear and just yell about s—. That’s probably never going to happen.”
On Jan. 6, 2023, members of the White House made public remarks commemorating the events for nearly 18 minutes. The press conference was broadcast across mainstream media platforms.
