For those who have not experienced violence, January 6, 2021 may feel like it is a thing of the past – but it is not for me. I remember five terrifying hours on that cold Wednesday afternoon as I tried to protect elected officials, regardless of their political ideology, and their staff inside the Capitol building — without ever firing my gun.
For my efforts to perform my duty as a Capitol Police sergeant, furious rioters beat me and struck my body with multiple weapons until I was covered in my own blood. My hand, leg and shoulder got injured. I thought I was going to die and never come home to see my wife and little son.
Over the past four years, it has been devastating for me to hear Donald Trump repeat his promise to pardon insurgents. First day back in the office. “It would be my great honor to pardon peaceful protesters, or as I often call them, hostages,” He said In a speech last year. But all of us who were there and anyone who watched on TV know that the people who attacked the Capitol were not peaceful protesters. Pardoning them would be a big mistake, which could mean nearly 800 convicted criminals would be back on the streets.
It could also put me in danger, as I continue to testify in court and have given victim statements in cases against dozens of rioters who attacked me and my fellow officers.
I was one of the lucky ones that day; nine people were injured As a result of the stampede. Two protesters suffered fatal medical effects, one rioter overdosed during the riot and the other was shot and killed by a policeman while forcing his way into the House chamber. One of my coworkers, Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, suffered two strokes after the trauma of fighting off several protesters who sprayed him with a chemical irritant. He did not survive. Four DC policemen injured in the riots later died by suicide.
My friend Harry Dunn, the first member of law enforcement to prominently condemn the brazen insurrection, testified about our primitive hand-to-hand combat against flagpoles, metal bike racks, and improvised weapons like projectiles, including killing officers with bear spray. He was bleeding, blind and coughing. Harry has since retired his blue uniform after being called a racial insult. My colleague Michael Fanone was beaten, burned, and electrocuted. He suffered a heart attack, stroke and traumatic brain injury which also forced him to leave his post in the Metropolitan Police. While recovering physically, he has been the victim of persistent harassment by Trump supporters and is struggling to find steady work. Steven Sund, who was the Capitol Police chief, was made a scapegoat and resigned under pressure.
I required multiple surgeries, years of rehabilitation and treatment for a recurrence of the post-traumatic stress disorder I was diagnosed with in the military. I was insulted and called a “traitor,” as Mr. Trump and some of his fellow Republicans called the riot a “day of love” and “warriors,” “patriots,” “political prisoners” and “peaceful protests.” The hostages were mistreated.”
Although I left the Capitol Police force, I still remember that day. Now Mr. Trump’s promised actions could undo the justice for which we have risked everything.
I never wanted to be an informer or a troublemaker. I grew up in poverty in the Dominican Republic, came to this country legally at the age of 12, and became the first person in my family to complete high school and college. I lived in Brooklyn, in Queens, just a few miles from where Mr. Trump grew up, yet the symbolic distance between us was immense. My father was a taxi driver who could only give me $100 to put me through college. Mr Trump’s father was a real estate developer who bequeathed him At least $413 million over the yearsWhile Mr. Trump survived the Vietnam Draft with a medical exemption for a bone bruise and never served in the military, I completed my degree with the help of the GI Bill after enlisting and serving in the Middle East. The experience I had defending the Capitol against rioters was worse than the fighting I saw in Iraq.
Witnessing helped me. In the four years since the riot, approximately 1,561 defendants have been federally charged with January 6 crimes, many of them serious crime From illegally entering restricted areas with weapons to seditious conspiracy. Approximately 590 defendants have been charged with assault on a federal officer and 169 have been charged with crimes causing serious bodily harm to a police officer, including assault using a deadly or dangerous weapon; Weapons included swords, axes, knives, Taser-like devices, baseball bats, hockey sticks, and gloves with reinforced knuckles. More than 300 pleaded guilty to felonies and more than 200 were found guilty at trial.
It would be an insult to justice to acquit those who attacked us. If Mr. Trump wants to heal our divided nation, he will hold on to his convictions.
Although I don’t blame all Trump supporters – some of my own relatives support them – I am disgusted by what the MAGA extremists did to me and my team on January 6. I am outraged by the ongoing cover-up of barbarity and collective amnesia by right-wing politicians who are unwilling to hold Mr. Trump accountable. I can’t stand hearing Republicans describe themselves as the “law and order” party.
Mr. Trump is returning to the presidency at the age of 78, while I had to leave the career I have worked my entire life for at the age of 42 due to injuries sustained while doing my job. I sometimes wonder why I risked my life to protect my elected officials from a Mr. Trump-inspired mob, only to see him return to power stronger than ever. It’s hard to see a rich white man being rewarded for betrayal while I am punished for doing my duty. Maybe that’s why so many people don’t do the right thing – because it’s hard and it hurts.
When Mr. Trump recently announced that members of the House Jan. 6 committee should be jailed, Representative Jamie Raskin responded, “In America, we put people in prison only for committing criminal offenses, which He is found guilty by a unanimous jury.” peers. “We don’t put people in jail for doing their jobs and following their constitutional oath of office.”
It gave me hope when Mr. Raskin next reminded everyone that Mr. Trump was impeached for his role in inciting a violent insurrection against the Constitution. I admire Republicans like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger who put fairness before party despite being vilified and threatened For his work on the committee.
At least I get to hear my son call me his hero, as we remember those who risked everything to protect our democracy and continue to tell the truth about January 6.