Indivisible Bucks County, along with co-sponsor Rise Up Doylestown, will host a candlelight vigil to memorialize the tragic events and loss of life resulting from the events of January 6, 2021, at the Doylestown Courthouse, 55 East Court Street, at 7 p.m. on Friday.
“For over 200 years the United States honored the results of our elections and counted on a peaceful transfer of power between administrations,” said Kierstyn Zolfo of Indivisible Bucks County. “We saw that broken in 2021 with the events of the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and we cannot let the day we nearly lost our nation’s democracy pass without centering the democratic values that our country and our community cherishes.”
Pennsylvania is recognized as the state with the third highest number of individuals charged for participating in the January 6 uprising, of which six are confirmed Bucks County residents.
Central Bucks School District School Board Director Karen Smith is participating in the vigil because she believes the right-wing Jan. 6 insurrection is continuing with what’s been dubbed the “School Board Wars“
“The January 6 uprising was an attack on our democracy. As a School Board Director, I feel our public schools are facing a similar attack,” said Smith. “Public schools are a cornerstone of our democracy, and we all need to work together in the coming year to protect this valuable resource for our children and communities.”
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died within 24 hours of the January 6 insurrection and two Metropolitan Police Officers, Gunther Hashida and Kyle DeFreytag, died by suicide soon after the attack. It is estimated that 140 law enforcement officers were injured.
“January 6th, 2021, is a day that changed my life forever,” said Ashley Ehasz, former Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District. “As a combat veteran, I went to sleep that night with one thought: ‘Never Again’. I served my country overseas in order to protect Democracy and the American way of life, and so it is important to me to stand alongside other leaders in our community as we honor the officers who lost their lives that day and as we continue saying ‘Never Again’.”
Event attendees will pledge to uphold the nation’s principles established in the Constitution more than 235 years ago on September 17, 1787.
“There have been very few times in our history when we have been so divided as a nation,” said Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie. “It’s critical that we open our eyes, our ears, and our minds to rediscover those qualities that unite us as Americans.”
Vigil-goers are asked to RSVP, if possible, and to bring their own candles to the peaceful gathering. Directions to the event may be found here.
Indivisible Bucks County, comprised of concerned citizens, holds locally-elected legislators and elected officials accountable for upholding the U.S Constitution and the principles of inclusion, respect, and fairness.
