On the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Chapel Hill residents gathered on Franklin Street for a candlelight vigil for democracy. They called for elected officials to pass legislation to protect and strengthen voting rights for 2022 and years to come.

 

Residents gathered on the corner of Franklin Street and South Columbia Street for a vigil on the one year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol (Ava Pukatch/Chapelboro.com)

 

Thursday evening a crowd formed on the corner of Franklin Street and South Columbia Street. They held candles and signs saying things like “Never Again,” “Protect Our Democracy Now,” and “Truth Matters.”

 

The vigil concluded with a short program of speakers at University United Method Church. (Ava Pukatch/Chapelboro.com)

 

The vigil was organized by Jennifer Bremer – a Chapel Hill resident and voting rights activist.

“We’re just doing it because we did not think that this date should go by without citizens making known how important our democracy is to us,” said Bremer, “how unhappy we are about the events of January 6, and how much we expect action to be taken.”

Bremer said it’s on citizens to take action. One of those citizens is longtime Chapel Hill resident Barry Popkins. Popkins said he believes the United States democracy is under fire.

“We have one group of Americans who are truly trying to destroy democracy and move us into the wrong kind of government away from each individual gets to vote,” Popkins said. “We’re really at risk now.”

Congressman David Price, who represents Orange County, was one of the night’s speakers. Price said there is still a lot to learn about the events leading to the insurrection last year and how to prevent anything like it from happening again.

“The signs are pretty worrying,” Price said. “It’s not like the country has come together since then. In fact, a lot more people they tell us believe the big lie about the rigged election than did a year ago.”

The “big lie” refers to former President Donald Trump’s claims of the 2020 election being stolen from him. Trump encouraged his followers to fight to stop President Joe Biden’s election from being certified. This later led to the deadliest domestic attack on Congress in U.S. history.

Chapel Hill was just one of several cities holding a vigil on the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. Durham held its own vigil with members of the Durham delegation to the North Carolina General Assembly in attendance.

Price said the story of January 6, 2021, is ongoing. He said he hopes those at vigils held around the country say and think the same thing about what to do moving forward.

“This is a day of remembrance, that yes we honor those who sacrificed, and we honor our democracy and what it stands for,” Price said. “We understand that it is under siege. It’s under challenge and the future is indeterminate. It really does depend on us.”

Price is not seeking reelection in 2022. In his final year in Congress, he said he hopes to accomplish what the vigil attendees are advocating for: new voting rights legislation.

“This is a strong, progressive district,” Price said. “There’s lots of political interest and passion here and it needs to be heard and felt in the halls of Congress.”

As the vigil wrapped up on the lawn of University United Methodist Church, Bremer led a chant for democracy.

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