A black United States Capitol Police officer reports on January 6: “They showed that they hated us and hated the color of our skin”

Flags, signs and symbols of racist, white supremacy and extremist groups were displayed along with Trump 2020 banners and American flags in the January 6 riot on the United States Capitol. Black officials played a key role in defending lawmakers during the attack.

The attack, which killed five people and injured more than 100 policemen, left the black policemen who defended the Capitol that day relying on their experience, Dunn said. Although white police officers were also verbally and physically attacked by the rebels, Dunn noted that he and his fellow black police officers had to endure racist barbs – which left some in tears.

“As soon as I had time to sit down and put everything together, it was simply overwhelming: that here we are giving so much and putting our lives at risk to protect democracy and maintain it and to be called racial slanders, traitors, and any just weapon that these people could use because they were upset about something, “he said.

“And you know why I think this is a little more difficult for me now, because at the time I did my first interview, I did not know the pain that many of my other colleagues suffered. They shared this with me.”

Dunn on Wednesday countered claims that he was playing “the racial card” or had a political agenda when discussing the racist elements of the attack.

“I didn’t wake up that morning and I wanted to be called a tramp, quite simply,” he told Lemon. “I didn’t ask to be called that, so I didn’t bring race to it. I just wanted to do my job.”

He continued: “I wanted to speak with my co-workers and some of my closest friends and say: this is a moment and we need to grow from that as a country, as a people, as a race, as a profession. So many, so many teachable moments here and I don’t want them to go away. “