Michael Fanone, a former Washington, D.C. police officer who was injured in the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, will soon give a talk in Lawrence before holding a rally in South Park.
Through his experiences with the Capitol riot, Fanone has gone from being a Trump supporter to an “advocate for democracy and law enforcement accountability,” according to a news release from Leading Kansas. The latter is a nonpartisan group focused on accountability for elected officials and will be hosting the event.
Fanone was off duty the morning of the Capitol riot, but voluntarily assisted the police force. He was then “assaulted by rioters, dragged down the Capitol steps, beaten with pipes, stunned with a Taser, sprayed with chemical irritants, and threatened with his own gun,” per the release.
Following the riots and his attack, he testified before congress, received a Presidential Citizens Medal from Joe Biden and wrote a book entitled “Hold the Line.”
He recently made headlines for telling Texas Republic Rep. Troy Nehls to “f*** yourself” during a hearing on the 2021 riot after Nehls said, “I can tell you gentlemen, that the fault does not lie with Donald Trump.”
His upcoming talk in Lawrence, will be “a moderated discussion about the defense of democracy, civic responsibility, and what it means to hold the line when democratic institutions are tested,” per the news release.
It will run from 10:30 a.m. to noon Sunday, March 1 at Maceli’s Banquet Hall & Catering, 1031 New Hampshire St. Registration is free but required. Sign up and learn more about venue accessibility options at this link.
Following the talk, Fanone will host a rally in South Park at noon that is open to the public.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at Hello@LawrenceKSTimes.com (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact.
Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you:
