Michiana residents holding candlelight vigil to mark year anniversary of Capitol riots

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. – So many events have happened in 2021. One event that jumps when a mob stormed the U.S Capitol building.  

Michiana resident Paul Sniadecki is just one of the hundreds of Americans who was at home with his family, glued to the TV screen for hours watching it all unfold.

“It was something that I had never thought I would see in this country. Very unfortunate, very disturbing,” Sniadecki said.

You’ll remember last year on January 6, when hundreds of rioters broke into the nation's capitol building, overwhelming capitol police officers, and forcing the evacuation of then Vice President Mike Pence and members of congress.

Sniadecki, like many of us, back home watched in disbelief and now he is organizing a candlelight vigil here in Michiana for democracy outside the South Bend Federal courthouse.

“How can this be happening, I mean this is America, we are supposed to be able to peacefully and rationally resolve our differences. Democracy should flow, it should not be forced, in terms of people taking violent actions and violating laws, and exerting inappropriate aggression towards people in people's power. And so, I was very shocked by that, and it was certainly not something that I had grown up thinking would happen in this country, but it did,” Sniadecki said.

The candlelight vigil will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 6, 2022, outside the Federal Courthouse.