January 6 Capitol attack demands justice for law enforcement

Maine Writer opinion: Americans learn more information every day about what happened on January 6, 2021, when #TFG incited an insurrection against the U.S. Capitol and threatened a coup against democracy; but, at the end of the day, the law enforcement officers that were charged with defending the building were left to deal with the brutal physical and mental health consequences. Although the Secret Service and other security protected the vice-president and the members of the joint session of Congress on January 6th, the fact is, the Capitol Police and Washington DC law enforcement continue to live with the horror.  No one protected them.

Smith v. Trump:  On January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Police officers risked their lives to protect our democracy. They faced a violent, mass attack on the Capitol driven by racist, white supremacist rhetoric and intentional misinformation aimed at overturning the legitimate results of an election. And not coincidentally, it was an election in which record numbers of Black voters made their voices heard. The violent attack was designed to threaten and intimidate those involved in conducting and protecting the election certification process. It was not just an attack on people or property, but an attack on democracy itself.

January 6, 2021 U/S. Capitol insurrectionist mob!

Maliciously targeting those charged with conducting and protecting the certification of our elections mocks the very ideals of our constitution. This attack requires a response! We cannot rely on the political process to play out. We must act quickly to confront the lies that fueled the violence on January 6 in order to repair the damage done to our country and to deter future efforts in upcoming elections in 2022, and 2024.

That is why the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed suit on behalf of eight U.S. Capitol Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on that fateful day, naming as defendants former President Donald J. Trump, Stop the Steal, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other organizations and individual members of far-right extremist groups and political organizations responsible for the insurrection. These officers put their lives on the line to protect the votes and voices of everyone in this country, including Black voters and other voters of color.

The lawsuit, Smith v. Trump, argues that the attack on the Capitol violated the Ku Klux Klan Act* and was led by many who are self-described white supremacists. As the lawsuit alleges, former President Trump and others deliberately spread election fraud claims and incited violence against members of Congress and the law enforcement officers whose job was to protect them.

Even after being sued in court and targeted by prosecutors, many of the defendants and their supporters continue to glorify the attack and minimize the harm they caused, not only to the plaintiffs and other officers, but to the country as a whole. The organizations and individuals who participated in the violent insurrection on January 6 are responsible for an attack on our democracy. The Smith v. Trump lawsuit seeks to hold them accountable.

The Plaintiffs filed an Amended Complaint on December 3, 2021, adding detail as to various defendants’ actions in furtherance of the unlawful conduct alleged in the complaint. It also adds as a defendant the Make America Great Again PAC, which FEC records indicate is carrying on the work of Defendant Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., the former president’s campaign organization for the 2020 election.

*The Ku Klux Klan Act, of 1871, the third of a series of increasingly stringent Enforcement Acts, was designed to eliminate extralegal violence and protect the civil and political rights...