COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO – A small group of North Idaho residents met with signs and flags to march down Sherman Avenue on Saturday, January 6, 2024, to mark the third anniversary of January 6 (J6), and to bring awareness to the plight of Americans who have been targeted by federal law enforcement for attending the Stop the Steal Rally in Washington, DC when Congress met to certify the 2020 presidential election. The Justice for J6ers march was a short loop along Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene from Second Street to Ninth Street and back again.
A sign that read, “Justice for Ashli Babbitt, murdered by Michael Byrd,” was a poignant reminder that a woman lost her life during the events on January 6, 2021, at the capitol building. Ashli Babbitt, an female veteran of the United States Air Force, was shot and killed by a Capitol police officer who has never been charged for his use of force against an unarmed citizen. Her estate and husband, Aaron Babbitt, recently filed a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government via Judicial Watch. “The only homicide on January 6 was the unlawful shooting death of Ashli Babbitt. Her homicide by Lt. [Michael] Byrd is a scandal beyond belief. This historic lawsuit seeks a measure of justice and government accountability for Ashli’s wrongful death,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Another sign asks, “Where’s Ray Epps?” in reference to a man who was described as inciting and directing people toward the capitol. Epps is suspected by many to be associated with federal law enforcement agencies as he is conspicuously unaccounted for and is not one of the American citizens sitting in the DC jail in association with the fateful day.
Several other signs stated, “J6 was a set up,” and “Truth over Lies,” and “Free Our J6 American Political Prisoners in DC Gulag.” Participants held the position that the Democrat-controlled political machine in Washington DC has unjustly targeted and denied due process of law to those who support President Trump simply because of their political differences. They also believe the entire fiasco was orchestrated by the government, and those charged have been denied due process of law.
Organizer of the march, Brooke Miller, is a local business owner and an active participant in freedom politics who advocates for the release of fellow American citizens who are currently incarcerated in Washington, DC due to charges relating to events on January 6, 2021. “About 90 percent of all those with criminal charges in DC get bail, but there’s been no bail for J6 political prisoners, who are only charged with misdemeanors,” stated Miller in a brief address before the march began. “They tear gassed peaceful participants who never stepped foot on the capitol steps and had no idea what was happening, and they brought in Antifa who posed as Trump supporters and started causing chaos.”
When asked if she has received any support or help from Idaho’s congressional delegation concerning J6 incarcerations, Miller said she has reached out to Senator Mike Crapo, Senator Jim Risch, and Representative Russ Fulcher multiple times, but has not received any response.
Dave Munger, an elderly gentleman who was in Washington DC in January 2021, and listened to Trump’s address near the White House, saw video coming through to his phone about circumstances at the capitol. “When I saw capitol police allowing people to climb walls, I knew it was a set up,” Munger shared. “I told the others with me that the situation stinks and we aren’t going to go to the capitol.”
Due to the six o’clock curfew by the DC mayor, Munger was required to stay inside the Embassy Suites in Georgetown, where he met other Americans who had traveled to Washington DC in support of President Trump. “There was a quartet of opera singers who drove all night from Chicago. They sang the most beautiful rendition of God Bless America while we were closed up in the hotel.”
Don Eichler said he attended the Justice for J6ers march to support the political prisoners, “The whole thing was a set up.”
A local business woman, Aimee Fahnstrom said, “It is important to set an example in our community and speak up for those without a voice.” Fahnstrom believes there is a strong, patriotic majority in North Idaho who are oblivious to the fact that the government has imprisoned citizens for their political views. “We need to stand up for our freedoms before it’s too late.”
People honked their horns and waved as the group marched along Sherman Avenue. One older man in a cowboy hat struck up a conversation with participants and agreed with their message, and a young mother with two boys thanked the group for speaking up.
The federal government continues to target Americans three years after the events of January 6 unfolded, conducting no-knock, pre-dawn raids. The FBI arrested three young Americans whom they call “January 6 fugitives” on January 6, 2024 – Jonathan Daniel Pollock, Olivia Michele Pollock, and Joseph Daniel Hutchinson III. Releasing the information on X, “The FBI executed three federal arrest warrants early this morning at a ranch in Groveland, Florida in Lake County,” FBI Tampa Field Office.
Correction: While Ashli Babbitt is the most well-known American woman who was killed on January 6, 2021 at the Capitol, another American woman from Georgia, Rosanne Boyland, sustained injuries outside the capitol and later succumbed to her injuries. Less is known about Boyland, and news reports are conflicting in regards to the role Capitol Police played in her death.
