INDIANAPOLIS — Faith leaders called for unity Thursday on the first anniversary of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.
But as the country reflects back on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, there's also a chance to move forward and work to bridge the political divide in the United States.
What you see when you look at images from the riot on the day Congress was to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, said one expert, depends on what side of the political aisle you stand on.
"The reality is, how people respond to that event really depends on whether they are a Democrat or a Republican," said Steven Webster, an assistant professor of political science at Indiana University.
Webster cited national polls that showed a majority of Republicans view what happened on Jan. 6, 2021 as a protest, while Democrats are more likely to call it a riot or an insurrection.
"In many ways, Jan. 6 is emblematic of where we are as a country, which is to say we're quite divided politically," Webster said.
When he thinks about that day a year ago, Webster said he sees a dark day for democracy.
"I don't think this was peaceful. I think this was an attempt to overturn, or at least delay, the certification of a legitimate democratic election," he said.
"This was not just a protest that got out of hand. It was a deadly terror attack orchestrated, in part, by a sitting president and members of Congress," said Rep. André Carson, D-Indiana.
Carson recalled where he was during the riot.
"I remember the day of the insurrection, being on the Hill, being told to go to my office by a Capitol Police officer because the insurrectionists were roaming the hallways, so I was in my office for 8 to 10 hours," he said.
Carson would later learn that an Alabama man was arrested and charged for allegedly driving a pickup truck to the Capitol filled with weapons and explosives and having a hit list with the names of lawmakers, including Carson.
"He singled me out as a Muslim member of Congress. He recently pled guilty to this. This many was not a protester, he was a terrorist. We need to be honest about people's intentions," Carson said.
Just like on this day one year ago, 13News reached out to the entire Indiana delegation of lawmakers for comment, but this time about Jan. 6 — a year later.
Sen. Mike Braun, R-Indiana, called the breach of the Capitol a tragic day, saying it should be universally condemned. He also said he's focused on solutions to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Webster said he's not sure another riot like the one on Jan. 6 could happen again, but said he thinks "it's entirely possible that whichever political party loses an election will be more likely to cast doubt on the outcome of the election. I suppose that's better than violence, but that doesn't mean that that's good," he said.