Baker, QCC and UMass Memorial presidents condemn Trump riot at U.S. Capitol

As the nation reels in the wake of a violent and deadly mob breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, leadership in and around the Central Mass. business community condemned the violence and called for healing.

Among those to speak up in the immediate aftermath were Quinsigamond Community College President Luis Pedraja, UMass Memorial Health Care CEO Eric Dickson, UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins, and Gov. Charlie Baker. 

Baker responded to the violence Wednesday night by way of a two-part tweet asking President Trump and his supporters to condemn the attacks, as well as to cease disputing the legitimacy of the election.

“The chaos now unfolding is the sad but predictable outcome of weeks of attacks perpetrated by President Trump and his supporters against the democratic process that makes America the greatest nation on earth,” Baker wrote.

Other Mass. politicians, including the entire delegation to Congress, called for Trump’s removal from office through various methods, including resignation, impeachment, or through invoking the 25th Amendment. Before the riot, Trump spoke to the crowd gathered near the White House and incited them to march on the Capitol and show their strength to weak politicians. Four people died during the riot, including a woman who was shot inside the Capitol building. 

Pedraja, off QCC, on Thursday recalled growing up in Cuba and viewing the United States as the “place beyond the seas that beckoned and held the promise of freedom and fueled our dreams.”

“I believe that we are better than what we saw today, and, in spite of this affront, the democratic process will prevail,” Pedraja said in a statement. “It is my hope that we will listen to our better angels and once again come together to realize the ideals and dreams at our core.”

He underscored his belief that higher education provides opportunities for communities to engage in civil discourse and foster democracy. 

Dickson released a joint statement with Collins, calling for healing. 

“We hope that our country’s leaders will come together and call for peace and unity in every community across the nation,” the pair said. “Collective healing needs to start now. As academic health care leaders, we are committed to fostering that healing alongside our colleagues and neighbors.”