By Cecil Hannibal | WAPT | January 7, 2021

JACKSON, Miss. — The American Civil Liberties Union is reacting to the siege of the U.S. Capitol.

"We know protests. These were not protests. These were violent acts that were meant to overthrow the legitimacy of our democratic election and for us, that is unacceptable," said Candace Coleman with the ACLU.

Some believe race and privilege is the reason rioters were allowed to force their way in and roam the Capitol building, which caused mass damage and even led to the deaths of at least four people.

"If you did not see a difference in the way that security and law enforcement responded to that, then your eyes were closed and it's unacceptable. It's obvious," Cole said.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued a statement about the incident: "Wednesday's events at the Capitol Building in DC demonstrate the danger of explosive rhetoric and underscore our responsibility as public officials to have honest dealing in our communication with those we serve. It must be acknowledged that there are two Americas in which we live. These events show the glaring contradiction between how one group of people can be villainized for peaceful protests concerning racial injustice, while another can have license to destroy based on fabrication."