The imposing 6′ 7″ tall Capitol Police Officer sat through all of the January 6 Select Committee hearings, in spite of the emotional pain it caused him. In an exclusive interview with The Hill, Harry Dunn came away with a singular request, “I deserve to know the Truth.”
The 31-year-old officer is currently working on his master’s degree in Criminal Justice and Public Safety, The New York Times reported. The tall Black man testified before Congress about his experience fighting in the January 6 failed coup. At the time, he was not certain he would live to see the day’s end:
‘What people have to realize is that I’m not only a police officer, but I’m a victim. I’m an American citizen who cares about this country and wants to see it do right. I’m a patriot. I’m a voter. I’m a taxpaying citizen. This is my country and I deserve to know the truth and make sure this doesn’t happen again.’
Dunn, a former football player, has 15 years of experience, which was an interesting career move given that he was apolitical for most of that time. And never before had the police officer feared for his life:
‘While it was going on, [officers] were thinking about survival, and keeping everybody else safe and doing our job effectively. I wasn’t focused on politics.’
Fortunately, the Capitol Police officer had put on a steel chest plate. And he wielded an M-4 rifle. However, he pointed out how shooting it would have escalated matters, he said in another interview with The New York Times:
‘I got my gun pointed at these guys, and I can’t concentrate on one person. But 100 people could concentrate on me. And they could take me out right here on this stage. How long is it before I get shot?’
Then, Dunn made the mistake of telling the enraged invaders he had voted for President Joe Biden. He encountered being called a racial epithet for the first time in our nation’s citadel, the Capitol Building:
‘One woman in a pink ‘MAGA’ shirt yelled, “Did you hear that, guys, this n—– voted for Joe Biden.” Then the crowd, perhaps around twenty people, joined in, screaming “Boo! Fucking n—–!’
It came as no surprise that Fox News talking head Tucker Carlson labeled Dunn an “angry left-wing political activist.” But those slurs do not seem to bother the officer:
‘I am angry. I am left-wing because I’m a registered Democrat, and if an activist is somebody who brings about attention to change then … I’ll be that. remaining on the job is the ultimate win against the insurrectionists.’
He continued saying ‘I’m not letting them win:”
‘I believe what I’m doing is right and what I did is right. I’m not being persuaded into quitting or stepping down because they felt a certain kind of way. I’m not letting them win.’
For Dunn, a Capitol hero, the constant attacks do wear.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
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