January 6 Was My Fourth Day on the Hill

"There were signs that January 6 was going to be an unusual day. The House would not be in session until the afternoon, but we were asked to arrive before 8 a.m. On my drive to work, I saw hundreds of people wearing MAGA hats and flying "Stop the Steal" flags-rare flashes of red in deep-blue D.C. They'd traveled far, I thought. But the rally felt less threatening than futile."

"At one that afternoon, Jones went to the House floor for the vote to certify the results. Shortly after, we received a cryptic update via the Capitol's emergency-alert system ordering us to shelter in place due to "police activity." We feared this was connected to reports that Capitol Police had discovered a "suspicious package" in the area, and we worried that we might be in the blast radius of an explosive. Still, we continued working while we followed a live feed of the House proceedings."

January 6, 2021, was the fourth day on Capitol Hill for a senior aide to Mondaire Jones, a newly elected Democratic representative. Most staff were queer, Jewish, Black, or a combination, and their presence felt like a rejection of the waning Trump era. Attention initially centered on Democratic Senate runoff victories in Georgia that gave the party control of the Senate. Staff were asked to arrive before 8 a.m., and many saw hundreds of MAGA supporters flying "Stop the Steal" flags. A Capitol emergency alert ordered shelter in place for "police activity," raising fears about a suspicious package as members abruptly rushed toward the doors.

Read at The Atlantic