ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — More than a hundred people gathered Friday evening in St. Petersburg's South Straub Park as part of a 'vigil' that marked two years since the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
Vigil organizers and attendees called for justice, and for those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection to be held accountable.
"I am very supportive of the direction people are moving in to hold people accountable for those actions," Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers said. "The United States of America prides itself on democracy and freedom. We were so close to losing all of that [on Jan. 6]."
Organizers and attendees also made calls to strengthen voting rights and protections.
Organizer Mike Fox said their goal was to "continue to battle for our rights to vote by reinforcing that democracy must thrive, not insurrections."
Tangibly, he said that means calling on politicians to enact the strongest voting laws possible to enhance, expand and secure access to voting.
Attendee Don X shared a similar mission, saying, "States are trying to restrict access to the ballot box and we need to make sure they're not going to be able to do that."
By remembering the violent attack, those who attended said they hope to prevent history from repeating itself.
However, many said they feel the attack wasn't the turning point it could have been in American politics.
"It's not settled yet. There still could be happenings like Jan. 6. again," Nancy Y. said.
It's a sentiment shared by Florida State University American History Professor Paul Renfro, who said this chapter in our country's history remains to be written.
"This is a moment of tremendous political instability and uncertainty, so for that reason, Jan. 6 could just be a blip," Renfro said. "Whether it leads to or foreshadows something more sinister and much darker remains to be seen."