An officer on Jan. 6 needs your help preventing political violence
Michael Fanone is counting on your courage. More than three years ago, the former Washington police officer was brutalized on the steps of the Capitol by a violent mob determined to thwart the peaceful transfer of power from then-president Donald Trump to President-elect Joe Biden.
Over several hours, hundreds of law enforcement officers engaged in handto-hand combat with Trump supporters trying to stop certification of the election results. Fanone was among those deployed to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, where some of the worst violence occurred. He was pulled from the police line, stripped of his badge and radio, and hit several times with a taser.
Fanone suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury during his defense of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His message is one every American needs to hear.
Visiting Norfolk, Va., last month on behalf of Courage for America, an advocacy group raising awareness about extremism and political violence, Fanone said that Americans’ participation in their democracy cannot be limited to casting a ballot on Election Day.
Instead, he argues that citizens must hold accountable those responsible for Jan. 6, including those who set the stage for the insurrection, encouraged it or gave cover to it through their actions and statements. Americans who were horrified by what unfolded that day must be resolute in preventing further political violence.
“We all have a role to play in our democracy,” he told The Virginian-pilot & Daily Press Editorial Board. “Now we need significantly more engagement.”
Fanone would agree that American democracy isn’t a nebulous concept scrawled on parchment but something that he and his fellow officers risked their lives to defend.
At least some 140 members of law enforcement were injured on Jan. 6. One officer died the next day and at least four others committed suicide. Those who survived were irrevocably and understandably changed by the horror of facing down their fellow citizens to protect the seat of American government.
Fanone is among those who have spoken out in the years since about what transpired that day, including testifying before the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. For this, he has been threatened by Trump supporters and even criticized by some of his fellow officers.
He views his decision to appear before the House committee as an extension of what happened during the riot — that after a crime is committed and arrests made, law enforcement officers are expected to testify as to what happened. That took on added importance as lies proliferated in the wake of the attack.
“That was me becoming a front-and-center spokesman for the truth,” Fanone said.
It’s a truth that we must amplify, recognizing what’s at stake. Fanone can’t single-handedly push back on the fictional narratives that surround Jan. 6, nor can he hold those responsible accountable. As with the bravery of officers who held the line against the mob, nobody can go it alone.
The roots of extremist violence are plentiful and there are no easy answers to deter those who believe their desired political ends are worth whatever means to achieve them. And no community is immune from that fever, as the number of people arrested for Jan. 6 actions readily attests.
Participants in the violence in our nation’s capital on Jan. 6 came from across the country, states both red and blue, communities big and small.
That’s why we need to expand and strengthen civics education. It’s why we need to watch children and adults for signs of extremism and radicalization. And it’s why, most importantly, those who engage in acts of political violence, threats or intimidation must be held accountable for their actions.
That’s particularly true in regards to Jan. 6. Not only must the courts come through, but community leaders and regular citizens shouldn’t shy away from challenging those who, when push literally came to shove, did not stand up for the Constitution and our democratic principles.
“We have to put people in power who are willing to enshrine democracy and make sure future generations get the same rights we have,” Fanone said, “We’re the ones who are ultimately responsible.”