When dusk turned to darkness on Friday, January 6, a group of protestors staged a candlelight vigil just outside Washington, DC, to register their objections on behalf of those still incarcerated for their alleged actions at the U.S. Capitol back in January 2021. These individuals have been paying a high price for their part in the events of that day, and the protesters wanted to make it known that they have not been forgotten.
In the Words of Moses
In a way the vigil echoed the voice of Moses in the book of Exodus when he stood before Pharaoh and uttered that famed phrase: "Let my people go …”Amid the noise of honking car horns from drivers signaling unity with the protestors, many of the demonstrators openly registered their concerns for those still detained. What follows is a truncated transcript of a few who were willing to go on the record.
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Erin Lobatl: I am here to protest the shameful treatment of fellow American citizens who are being held for ridiculous, egregiously long periods of time without due process.
I firmly am against the vandalism and the laws that were broken on January 6th. I think anyone that was involved in something [criminal] should absolutely be prosecuted. But I do feel like there has been a bit of overzealousness to the prosecution, particularly in holding these people in jail prior to conviction.
Again, each individual case has to be looked at on its merits. But I think, as a whole, I am shocked and appalled at the overall approach that the Department of Justice has taken and the shameful January 6th committee hearings that have been extremely one-sided and have not released the full information. I will continue to be concerned until all of the videotape has been released, and the testimony has been released.
As Elon Musk has been doing with the Twitter files, we need the same for January 6th. We need to know all the information. And as long as we are selectively releasing some of the information but not all of it, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It makes me feel very uncomfortable, and it makes it very easy to see how this could be perceived as being political and not proper.
Tom Schaaf: We're here tonight because these American citizens have been in jail for two years and denied their basic freedoms and basic due process. Clearly, they are political prisoners by the corrupt Biden regime, and Merrick Garland has made sure they don't have access to American liberties. They are standing up for American freedom while they're in jail. And the least we can do is stand here and advocate for them.
Angela Boyer: I think they're making an example out of them. I think they're being as cruel as they possibly can be to send a message.
But these guys are under incredible circumstances. They sing the Star-Spangled Banner every night. They're in lockdown for 23 hours a day. It's disgusting. They treat them worse than – I don't even know. And the guards are mean to them. So, we do what we can. We're fighting hard to tell them they're not forgotten. They don't realize that. We see it all. We're watching.
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As of this writing, most sources report approximately 40 J6 prisoners who have not had their day in court as prosecutions continue across the U.S. unabated. To date, more than 900 people have been charged in connection with the events of J6. According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, 450 have pled guilty to various crimes, and 180 rioters have been sentenced to serve jail time. As well, “Seven [people] have been sentenced to prison terms as long as 63 months," according to The Independent.
The Journal also claims the conviction rate "is higher than the Justice Department attains across all of its cases" and that "Prosecutors have suggested they might charge hundreds more in connection with the Jan. 6 attack." Meanwhile the J6 committee ended their investigation with a bang - recommending four criminal charges should be brought against former President Donald J. Trump. While these referrals carry no legal weight, there are still miles to go as a special prosecutor digs into accusations against Mr. Trump and many political observers suspect the last shoe in this debacle has yet to drop.
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