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A Reporter's "Inside View" of the Jan. 6 Insurrection at Our Nation's Capitol

Among the insurrectionists, in their own words.

I have to admit that I've had it about "up to here" in thinking about and hearing about the Jan. 6 riots in Washington, D.C., and the takeover of the United States Capitol. However, I've got one more story to share with you about that day.

It comes from a New Yorker Magazine reporter. Luke Mogelson shared what it was like to be blending in with the rioters and documenting their words and actions when storming the Capitol. See the article: "Among the Insurrectionists."

Like most New Yorker articles, it is a long one. But it is worth reading since it provides an "inside view" as the rioters gathered and then stormed the building. Additionally, he had his cellphone out and documented via video the actions of many people inside the Capitol. There are no "bleeps" for rough language that was used by the rioters. His reporting and the video should debunk any conspiracy theories about Antifa and who was supporting who by storming the building. 

I always wondered what it was like on Dec. 7, 1941, and June 6, 1944, with the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Normandy Landings. What were citizens back home thinking at the time? For better or worse, it is our turn to be "living history" in the moment we are in. 

You can also hear an interview with Luke Mogelson that was conducted on the Fresh Air podcast: "Behind-The-Scenes Of The Capitol Insurrection Vide‪o‬."

"George Polk Award-winning journalist Luke Mogelson followed a mob of MAGA supporters into the Capitol on Jan. 6 and filmed what he saw. His video footage from inside the Senate Chamber was used as evidence in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. "I think that the majority of people who were there were generally geared up and prepared for some kind of violence," he says. "So once all these folks were gathered on the Mall and listening to Trump, I think that they could have been sent in any number of directions. What did happen was Trump specifically directed them towards a target, a specific target, and that was the Capitol."

 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.