Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House faced a more militarized response than rioters who assaulted the Capitol.
At the earliest encounters between police and Black Lives Matter protesters in D.C., officers were ready with full riot gear, shields and chemical agents. Capitol Police in regular uniforms were the first line of defense when Trump supporters marched on the Capitol. Federal officials were quick to see fires and looting in other cities as signs of pending violence, but ignored evidence of planned attacks by Trump supporters.