January 6, 2021, was a pretty intense day in the United States. Nearly 2,000 Americans descended upon our nation's Capitol and launched a full-blown domestic terrorist attack, with the goal of disrupting and possibly ending the certification of the 2020 election results. Their efforts were in vain; many of the people who participated have been arrested, and Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president of the United States on January 20, 2021.
One teenager had a bit of a joyful experience when she realized her mother participated in the event, but not because the teen supported her mom's actions. Eighteen-year-old Helena Duke tweeted a video of a woman being punched in the face by a police officer with the caption, "hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests bc they could get violent…this you?"
In the video, a white woman is seen attempting to grab a phone out of the hand of a Black female police officer. The officer quickly hits the woman in the face, right between her eyes.
Many people weren't sure if Helena was telling the truth, so she shared photos of her mom to prove her story.
Helena also told the New York Post that she didn't know her mom was participating in the riot until she saw the footage herself.
"She didn't give me any more information about it, she was very vague … When I found out about the Capitol being stormed, I looked at her location sharing and it had been off for two days, so I assumed in that moment, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, she might actually be there.'"
"And then the next day, my cousin shared a video of her getting punched in the face … by police after harassing them."
She also says her mom was a Democrat until she changed her political stance three years ago:
"I'm not surprised that these actions occurred or that my mom was involved with it because I think at this point, all she had in her head was that whatever the president tells her is right and is what she will go along with. So I think she had in her mind this was the right thing to do."
She also says that she wasn't sure if she should share her mother's information or not, especially since it means her mom could get arrested. But she decided to go for it:
"At first I was kind of uneasy about it, but I think it was definitely so hypocritical of her to end up kicking me out of the house for going to peaceful protests because she assumed they’d be violent, and then end up going to this, which was obviously a very violent attack on the Capitol — and end up harassing a cop."
Helena also spoke to BuzzFeed News about her mom's participation:
"My initial reaction was more like, 'Oh my gosh, I was right. I was actually right about them being there.'"
She expressed her shock at the video itself, and then feeling it all over again after realizing the woman was her mom:
"It was very surreal because it was an insane video, first of all, and then it was the revelation that, 'Oh, that's my mother. That's her.'"
So far, her mom hasn't been arrested, but many people are well aware of the fact that she participated, thanks to her daughter. Therese Duke's workplace has been revealed as UMass Memorial Health Care, and local news stations are following the story closely.
The officer in the video has started a GoFundMe page for her own legal fees. She states, "A video has surfaced where I was surrounded by a group of Trump extremists, and I honestly feared for my life. The video makes me look like I am the aggressor, but it does not show what happened prior to my defending myself."
The woman, identified only as Ashanti, wrote, "People shoved me, tried to take my phone and keys, yelled racial epithets at me, and tried to remove my mask. I asked them to social distance and stay out of my personal space due to COVID. They refused, and I was afraid of being hurt and harmed. After being assaulted, I defended myself."
Meanwhile, Therese Duke's employer announced they were launching their own investigation: "We have been made aware that one or more of our employees may have been involved in the violence that took place at our Nation’s Capitol. We strongly condemn such behavior, if true, and have initiated an investigation."
It sounds like Therese lost her dignity and her job:
"Over the past 24 hours we have received numerous expressions of concern through social media regarding a UMass Memorial caregiver who may have been involved in this week’s violent events at the nation’s capitol. The employee in question is no longer a part of our organization."
