| ‘THIS IS HOW I'M GOING TO DIE' The House Select Committee is holding the first hearing in the investigation into the events of January 6, 2021. In a matter of just a few hours, it is already a gripping, sometimes hard to listen to process that not only reminds us of exactly how serious and disturbing that day really was. It is worth noting the commentary from committee members, such as Republican Reps. Liz Cheney in her opening and Adam Kinzinger, in his emotional remarks. But what has captured the nation's attention is the first-hand testimony from officers who were on the scene, starting with Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell and DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone. Gonell began his testimony by calling for accountability in the “horrific and shameful” attack, decrying “the continued, shocking attempt to ignore or try and destroy the truth of what happened that day.” The officer, an army veteran who served in the Iraq War, said the rioters called him a “traitor” and “a disgrace” who “should be executed.” He described rioters using hammers, knives, batons stolen from officers, and even American flags in their clash with police. “What we were subjected that day was like something from a medieval battle. We fought hand-to-hand, inch by inch to prevent an invasion of the capitol by a violent mob intent on subverting our democratic process,” Gonell said. “I was being crushed by the rioters. I could feel myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself this is how I’m going to die, defending this entrance.” Officer Fanone also began by decrying "disgraceful" attempts to minimize what happened that day, and what the police who were there to protect congress went through, before recounting what he experienced. "I heard chanting from some in the crowd 'Get his gun and kill him with his own gun,'” said Fanone describing being beaten. "I was aware enough to recognize I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm. I was electrocuted again and again and again with a taser. I’m sure I was screaming, but I don’t think I could even hear my own voice." “I feel like I went to Hell and back to protect them, and the people in this room, but too many are now telling me that Hell doesn’t exist, or that Hell actually wasn’t that bad,” Fanone said. He then pounded the table as he shouted “the indifference shown to my colleagues is DISGRACEFUL!” Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn revealed that the Trump fans who participated in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection hurled and even chanted racist abuse at him. He repeated it as it was said, and cable news outlets aired it uncensored. It was startling and powerful. There is so much more, and all of it sobering, infuriating, compelling, and most of all, so very important to hear.
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