GREENSBORO, N.C. — One year after the attack on the United States Capitol, the shock and shame are the same.
"That doesn't happen here," said Dr. Thom Little, political science professor with UNC-Greensboro.
The images from that day are hard to look at for most, but not for everyone.
"What's scary to me is how many people did not see it that way or over the last year have forgotten what they saw and what they felt from that day," Little said.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have condemned the actions of rioters that day. Little said some hopes that day would be a turning point, but experts said the nation is more divided now than ever.
"There's always been a coarseness that exists in American politics but I do think the era we're in right now is a bit different," said High Point University professor Dr. Martin Kifer.
Triad political science experts said people and lawmakers of opposite parties are more hostile toward each other.
Little said it has to stop if our country wants to move forward.
"Our democracy is in a dangerous place right now," he said, "We've seen difficult times before and we've overcome them and I believe we can do that again but we can only do it if we put the country first and parties second and we need more people willing to do that."
Little said while not all hope is lost for unity in Washington, there seems to be more hope on a state level where lawmakers have shown progress when putting their political differences aside.
"I look here in North Carolina for hope. The last few years have been very difficult with the clash between the Republican legislature and Governor Cooper," he said, "This year they agreed on a budget, this year they passed some significant legislation that Governor Cooper supported. We're seeing that in several states."