On Wednesday, January 6, a violent mob of pro-Trump white supremacists stormed the Capitol and threatened our government to disrupt certification of the 2020 election. Many Republican leaders were complicit in this attack. 

We were shocked to see videos of an emboldened white mob break into the Capitol — not because this attempted coup was a surprise, but because U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) did NOTHING to stop it. Let’s be clear: The police force charged with securing the U.S. Capitol Complex allowed white supremacists to run wild through the halls of Congress, leading to at least five deaths and putting our democracy at risk. 

USCP is the same police force that has violently removed members of the disability community peacefully protesting for health care access, ripping people from wheelchairs and dragging them out in handcuffs. 

This is the same police force that has arrested and brutalized Black and Brown activists calling for justice and legislative action. And USCP is the same police force that brutally murdered a Black mother named Miriam Carey for performing a U-turn near a security checkpoint a quarter-mile from Capitol grounds. 

The violent siege of the Capitol wasn’t a one-off “security failure.” Video footage posted online by rioters and bystanders shows multiple Capitol Police seeming to allow the white mob to commit this deadly attack. 

USPC answers to Congress and Congress answers to us. That’s why we’re demanding an immediate, far-reaching investigation into white supremacist infiltration of Capitol Police forces. This investigation must examine ties between members of U.S. Capitol Police and white supremacist movements, directly address disparate treatment and bias in its use of force, address the need for increased transparency, and provide tangible actions and outcomes we can expect the Biden administration to implement.

Here’s what we know: 

• This coup attempt has been fomenting for weeks — discussed in plain sight — with vocal, full-throated support from President Trump and prominent Republican leaders, including Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Josh Hawley, and dozens of GOP House members.
• Three days before Trump supporters committed acts of terror across D.C., the Pentagon asked USCP if it needed support from the National Guard to secure the Capitol. Capitol Police refused. 
• Defying routine procedures, the Capitol Police did not coordinate with the federal Secret Service, Park Police, or Washington, D.C. police in response to the armed rioters.

Capitol Police not only refused to prevent the siege — but they also actively participated in it. 

• Videos show Capitol Police officers abandoning their posts, allowing white supremacist rioters to complete “the greatest breach of the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812.”
• Videos show Capitol Police ushering rioters onto the Capitol grounds, and holding a rioter’s hand on the Capitol steps.
• According to a D.C. police officer, off-duty cops participating in the siege flashed their badges and I.D. cards as they attempted to overrun the building.
• After rioters were let in, USPC officers posed for selfies with rioters inside the Capitol. Some even helped insurrectionists locate Senator Chuck Schumer’s office. 

We are NOT calling for an increased police presence on the Capitol grounds. Overpolicing, increased surveillance, and excessive use of force is NOT the answer.

Instead, we are demanding to know the extent to which white supremacists are calling the shots within the Capitol Police force. We are demanding investigations and an aggressive policy agenda to root out the white supremacy and anti-Black racism that puts all of us in danger. 

Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D, NY-16) has introduced The Congressional Oversight of Unjust Policing Act (The COUP Act). The bill would establish a national commission to investigate the Jan. 6 terrorist attack on the Capitol, address the systemic failures in the United States Capitol security apparatus, and investigate ties between members of U.S. Capitol Police and white supremacist movements.

Any investigation should also go beyond the role of Capitol Police leadership and individual officers and examine the role of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which represents Capitol police.

The FOP has been a staunch ally of President Trump and the racist rhetoric from their leadership has helped to create the alliance between law enforcement and white supremacists movement. The investigation should look into what communication and/guidance if any the FOP gave its members in relation to the protest and the context over the election in general. FOP leadership should have to answer for its failure to root out white supremacy in its own ranks.

The fact is, the FBI and the Fraternal Order of Police has known about white supremacist infiltration of police departments since at least as early as 2006. Our government has not taken any serious measures to address it. This is completely unacceptable. And after what we saw on January 6, it is even more evident we need to immediately understand the extent of the influence white supremacists have over the U.S Capitol Police. We demand answers from Congress NOW.

Add your name: Demand an immediate investigation into white supremacist infiltration of Capitol Police forces.

Please fill out this form to immediately demand action from your elected representative / member of Congress. 

Here is the Petition:

Dear Member of Congress,

I was shocked to see videos of an emboldened white mob storm the Capitol — not because this attempted coup was a surprise, but because the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) did NOTHING to stop it.

USPC answers to Congress and Congress answers to us. That’s why we’re demanding an immediate, far-reaching investigation into white supremacist infiltration of Capitol Police forces. This investigation must examine ties between members of U.S. Capitol Police and white supremacist movements, directly address disparate treatment and bias in its use of force, and look at the history of Capitol Police responses to peaceful demonstrators.

As your constituent, I am demanding you vote yes on Jamaal Bowman's proposed legislation, The Congressional Oversight of Unjust Policing Act (The COUP Act). The bill would establish a national commission to investigate the Jan. 6 terrorist attack on the Capitol, address the systemic failures in the United States Capitol security apparatus, and investigate ties between members of U.S. Capitol Police and white supremacist movements.

White supremacy is a constant threat to Black people and our multiracial democracy. To ensure a peaceful future for the United States, you must act immediately to identify the scope of the danger and eliminate the crisis.