Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer's Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble After January 6th

The stirring memoir of Harry Dunn, a Capitol Police Officer on duty January 6th, who has become one of the most prominent and essential voices regarding the truth of that day.

Walking the halls of democracy as a Capitol Police officer, Harry Dunn was a man slowly experiencing an awakening. It sparked after the election of our first Black president. It grew as his belief in the bravery and honor of law enforcement was shaken by Ferguson and countless other cases of police brutality towards Black people. It continued to burn brighter as he watched members of Congress, many of whom he had befriended, lose their way to partisanship, as political extremism intensified. And it exploded into a blaze when he fought side by side with his fellow officers on January 6th, when democracy and their lives were threatened.

Standing My Ground provides a crucial, definitive first-hand account of what happened on that day our country was shocked to its core. But it will also share the story of a man who refused to stay quiet when he learned that some of the men and women he had risked his life protecting, who knew him by name, would deny the horrors they faced. That's when he chose to speak up and to seek out what his hero John Lewis once termed "good trouble." Dunn's ongoing story as a witness willing to meaningfully engage with the media, lawmakers, and the public provides a backdrop for examining the political and racial divide in this country--one that we must overcome in order to demand accountability and preserve our precious democracy.

ISBN-13: 9780306831133

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Hachette Books

Publication Date: 10-24-2023

Pages: 256

Harry Dunn joined the U.S. Capitol Police in 2008 and since 2011 has served at the officer rank as a Private First Class (PFC). PFC Dunn is assigned to a USCP First Responder Unit responsible for maintaining perimeter security around the exterior of the U.S. Capitol. PFC Dunn has been on duty for presidential inaugurations, joint sessions of Congress, and State of the Union addresses, as well as hundreds of peaceful protests and demonstrations. He has also served as a Crisis Intervention Officer responsible for assisting individuals who may be experiencing a mental crisis, and as a member of USCP Crisis Negotiation Teams trained to respond to hostage or barricade situations. PFC Dunn also participates in USCP programs and activities to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within the USCP. PFC Dunn has been honored with numerous awards and honors including the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Capitol Police Service Medal, the Capitol Police Achievement Medal, the Gus Heningburg Award from the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, and the Concerned Black Men Award. PFC Dunn graduated from James Madison University in 2005 with a B.S. degree in Health Science with a concentration in public health education. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.