For the last sixteen years, I was a police officer for the United States Capitol where I saw millions of people visit to exercise their rights and lobby their representatives.
And trust me, every political agenda you can think of walked through those doors.
It didn't matter to me if you were there as a Democrat, Republican, or Independent though, because my job was the same - protect our elected officials and ensure everyone could safely participate in our democracy.
But three years ago today, under the Capitol Rotunda that took my breath away each day, I was immersed in a profane mix of sweat, screams, shrieks, anger, death, fear, blood, broken limbs, spit, hatred, horror, racism, bigotry, and heroism for what felt like endless hours alongside fellow officers.
It was unlike anything we had seen before. Sure, there were heated political moments over the years. But this was different.
It was pepper spray, bear spray, and even WD-40 to our faces as we fought back rioters in tactical gear using anything they could as a weapon. It was disorienting chaos as we tried to block every entrance while our elected leaders and capitol staff ran to safety. It was a direct attack on our democracy.
Many people have tried to deny what happened that day – including some of the same people who stood behind us as we protected them. They've diluted the story and muddied the facts to preserve their own political agenda.
So I've made it a personal mission to share my story, speak truth to power, and work to ensure this never happens again. That's why a few weeks ago, I retired from the police force, and why yesterday – I announced my campaign to run for Congress in Maryland's Third Congressional District.
I'm running because Maryland deserves a Congressman who will put the country above their party, and put the constitution above themselves. This will be a competitive race, so I've set an ambitious goal to raise $500,000 within the first 48 hours of my campaign. Will you chip in to become a Founding Donor and help hit our goal before midnight?
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