Many Highline students and other local residents say President Donald Trump should be impeached, even though he’s leaving office.

On Wednesday, January 6, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington D.C., hoping to interfere with the counting of electoral votes and resulting certification of Biden’s win. They vandalized the building, left threatening messages in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, and even brought homemade bombs within two blocks of the Capitol.

“It was an act of domestic terrorism and an attempted coup to overthrow our government and democracy,” said Highline student Cassandra Hansen.

In a speech earlier in the day, Trump urged his supporters to march on the capital and take action, after two months of falsely claiming the election had been stolen.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to impeach the president for the second time. They will send the impeachment resolution to the Senate, where he could stand trial.

If convicted in the Senate, Trump could lose his pension, his Secret Service detail, his travel allowance, and his ability to run for office again.

Students said they didn’t approve of the assault on the Capitol last Wednesday.

“I think it was the scariest day of my life. This was the 9/11 of our generation. We are divided and scared, tensions are high,” said Highline student Sarah Larsen.

“It’s unacceptable,” said one local college student who asked not to be named. “Violence is never the way, when it comes to our own people.”

“I thought, whoever thought of it was crazy,” a local high school student said.

“I thought it was horrifying,” said Ellie Cassatt, a Highline employee. “I thought it was the worst betrayal on our democracy that I have seen in my lifetime.”

The students agreed that Congress should impeach Trump.

“They legally have the right to do it,” said the college student.  However, he said they should “go through it the correct way, the legal way.”

Another student said she favored impeachment, but added that “I think calling it his fault is over-dramatic.” The student said that people who participated still had a choice on whether to listen to the president.

“I do believe President Trump should be impeached. I don’t think he embodies how a president should act especially with the recent event at the Capitol,” said another Highline student.

“After what he has done to the country it wouldn’t be right for him to still have power in the world. Even if he isn’t president, he would still have money, too much money and who knows where that could get him,” she said.

“Trump should be impeached to set a precedent that this type of behavior is criminal and will not be tolerated,” student Cassandra Hansen said. “It threatens the structure of democracy and decency our country rests upon.”
Students noted the difference in response to the largely white Trump rioters, who were opposed by a small number of police, compared to the response to groups such as Black Lives Matter protestors, who have been met by large numbers of heavily armed officers.

Former Highline student Kunle Akinlosotu said the assault was ironic, saying that it “just further shows white privilege in America.”

“It proved just how mussed up our country is and that law enforcement really does need change,” said Erin Kijak from Washington State University. “It made me very angry.”

“It was hilarious, not the attack on Capitol itself. But only funny because I know if it was switched the other way around, it would have been a whole different outcome,” said Suraya Johnson, a student at Seattle Pacific University and a member of their Black Student Union.

“I think it was very revealing,” said Highline student Melissa Schacher. “It showed the white privilege many seem to be blind to as well as the racism and inequality that is present in our country.”

She went on to say, “This is not just a learning moment, this is an issue that defines America.”

President-elect Biden, meanwhile, needs to focus on more than just the impeachment, several students said.

“I think he should just keep looking forward,” he said. “There are bigger things he needs to focus on.”

“I think President-elect Biden’s priority should be the response to the COVID epidemic first,” said Ellie Cassatt. “Then he should focus on unifying people, both domestic and globally.

“As someone who works in education, I think one of his priorities should be addressing equity issues in education,” she added.

“We also need to rethink what education is and how to encourage learning among the diverse populations of children and adults in the United States,” Dr. Erica He, manager of the Achieve Program at Highline.

Because of events like this, student Sarah Larsen said President-Elect Joe Biden should focus on the racial equality issues in our country.

“The government needs to be more involved in ensuring people are treated equally,” she said.

Others agreed with Larsen’s view and said they hope that after Joe Biden is inaugurated that he will also focus more on the things that matter, unlike President Trump.

“I think he should prioritize world problems such as climate change and global warming,” said Highline student Jovan Cisse. “As for within our own country, I think the main focus should go towards supporting Americans during the pandemic and abolishing the electoral college.”

Students said they are hopeful for what a Biden presidency might bring and agree that peace and unity are important going forward.

“I feel like there’s a ton of restlessness and uncertainty about the future right now,” said Emily Chen, a student at Mt. Rainier High School. “I think in order to bring peace, he [Biden] needs to actually address and make progress on issues that are prevalent right now, such as COVID.”

“Biden should focus on reuniting the people who live here,” said South Seattle College student Selah Meyering. “Everyone should be able to take a sigh of relief and put their trust in the president.”

“Find a way to unite everybody,” Aleja Rubalcaba said. “I feel like under the Trump Administration everyone became really divided.”

Reporters Samuel Watson, Patrick Pugh, Jensen Chen, Cece Onyema, and Cindy Tran contributed to this story.