By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Four years after the January 6th insurrection, the author, a Capitol Police Sergeant, reflects on the violence he endured, emphasizing it surpassed even his experiences in Iraq. He expresses profound betrayal by the lack of accountability for those who incited the riot, the delayed or denied benefits for injured officers, and the political maneuvering that enabled the perpetrators’ continued influence. Despite a peaceful transfer of power this time, the author feels let down by officials who prioritize politics over justice, even inviting rioters to the inauguration. Ultimately, the author laments the failure of elected officials to condemn the events and hold those responsible accountable, turning January 6th into a badge of honor rather than a condemnation.
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I was nearly killed on January 6th. Four years later, the betrayal feels even deeper. That day, the sheer terror was unrelenting; a constant, suffocating dread far exceeding anything I experienced in combat. The relentless assault—over forty people attacking me, wave after wave, for hours on end—was a horrific ordeal. It was a brutal, physical manifestation of the political climate, a terrifying culmination of escalating rhetoric and violence. The fact that the person who incited this chaos, the person with the power to send in reinforcements, instead chose to watch it unfold on television, is incomprehensible. To this day, the inaction, the indifference to the violence unfolding before his eyes, remains a source of immense anger and frustration.
The subsequent years have brought a profound sense of betrayal. The attack wasn’t just a physical assault; it was an assault on democracy itself, and the lack of meaningful accountability for those responsible is a constant, gnawing wound. To witness the normalization of the events of that day, to hear it dismissed as a “peaceful protest,” is not only infuriating but also deeply disheartening. The casual disregard for the violence perpetrated that day—the near-death experiences of so many—is a betrayal of the fundamental values of justice and accountability.
The anger isn’t solely directed at those who participated in the insurrection. The complicity of those who enabled the attack, those who downplayed its severity, and those who continue to deny its significance, fuels a sense of being abandoned by the very systems meant to protect us. This inaction, this willful blindness, feels like another form of violence, a slow, insidious erosion of faith in institutions and the rule of law. It’s a betrayal on a scale far greater than the physical attack itself.
There’s a simmering frustration with the seemingly endless cycle of political maneuvering that allowed those responsible to escape significant consequences. The lack of decisive action to hold perpetrators accountable—the pardons, the insufficient investigations, the continued normalization of the events—leaves a chilling sense of impunity. This systemic failure to address the root causes of the violence, to hold those in power accountable for their complicity, fuels a sense of being abandoned, of being left to grapple with the trauma alone.
This feeling of being betrayed extends beyond the political sphere. It touches upon the fundamental human need for justice and fairness. The casual dismissal of the events of January 6th by segments of the population, the willingness to ignore the blatant disregard for human life, creates a sense of profound isolation. It’s a betrayal of the basic human decency that should bind us together, the shared responsibility to protect one another from violence and oppression.
The anger, the frustration, and the profound sense of betrayal are not easily dismissed. They are a daily reminder of the fragility of democracy and the pervasive threat of extremism. They are a testament to the courage of those who stood against the mob, and a powerful indictment of the inaction that allowed the perpetrators to escape accountability. The fight for justice and accountability continues, a battle against the insidious erosion of democratic principles and a struggle to reclaim a sense of security and faith in a system that has demonstrably failed to protect its own citizens.
The wounds of January 6th run deep, both physical and emotional. The ongoing betrayal only exacerbates that trauma, creating a sense of powerlessness and despair. Four years later, the fight for justice and accountability remains far from over. The memories of that day, the lingering trauma, and the profound sense of betrayal fuel a relentless determination to ensure that such an attack never happens again. It’s a fight for the future of democracy, a fight against indifference and complicity, and a fight for the restoration of faith in the systems that have failed so many.