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As the fifth anniversary approaches, the official plaque commemorating the police officers who defended the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, is nowhere to be seen. It was not displayed as required by law, its whereabouts are unknown and is believed to have been stored in a warehouse. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has not yet made the announcement. The Trump administration’s Justice Department is also seeking to dismiss a police lawsuit seeking to display its contents. The Architect of the Capitol responsible for the plaque declined to comment, citing the federal lawsuit.
About 100 members of Congress, most of them Democrats, determined to preserve history, have taken matters into their own hands. For months, they installed poster-board replicas of the January 6 plaque outside their office doors, creating a Capitol complex filled with makeshift memorials.
“On behalf of my gratitude congress“This plaque commemorates the extraordinary men and women who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021,” reads a faux bronze replacement for the original. “Their heroism will never be forgotten.”
exist washingtonIn a capital filled with national historic monuments, the plaque is intended to be a simple but permanent marker located near the Capitol’s West Front, where some of the most violent battles took place as rioters breached the building.
But without it, the missing patches are replaced by something entirely different—a culture of forgetfulness.
visitor could walk through the Capitol without any formal reminder of what happened that day when a group of presidents Donald Trumpof supporters stormed the building in an attempt to overturn the Republican Party’s 2020 re-election defeat to the Democrats. Joe Biden. If memory is not controlled, it allows new narratives to emerge and revised histories to dominate.
Five years ago, then-Republican leaders declared the scene of discord, which was seen around the world, an “insurrection.” Senateand the then-House Republican leader called it his “saddest day” in Congress. But those condemnations have faded.
Trump called it a “day of love.” Johnson was one of the lawmakers challenging the 2020 election results and is now Speaker of the House.
“The question remains of January 6th – the guillotine of democracy – how important this event is in the history of the United States as a whole in the 21st century,” said Douglas Brinkleya professor of history Rice University and famous scholars.
“Will January 6 be seen as a significant moment when democracy was in danger?” he asked. Or will it be considered “a weird one-off event”?
“There’s not as much consensus at this point as one might think on the fifth anniversary,” he said.
at least five people Those killed in the riot and its aftermath included Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by police as he tried to climb through a window into the House chamber. More than 140 law enforcement officers were injured, some seriously, and several later died, some by suicide.
In total, about 1,500 people have been charged in the Capitol attack, one of the largest federal prosecutions in U.S. history. When Trump returned to power in January 2025, he pardoned everyone within hours of taking office.
Unlike the twin beams or freestanding chairs commemorating the attacks of September 11, 2001 olorama city Memorial at the site of the bombing, the failure to acknowledge January 6 leaves a gap not only in memory, but in helping the country come together again.
“That’s why you put up a plaque,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa. “You honor the memory and service of those involved.”
The speaker’s office has said for years it was working to install the plaque but declined to respond to requests for further comment.
Lawmakers approved the plaque in March 2022 as part of a broader government funding package. The resolution said the United States “expresses its deepest gratitude to these officers” and provided instructions for the erection of an honorary plaque listing the names of officers “who responded to the violence that occurred.” It sets a one-year deadline for installation at the Capitol.
This summer, two officers who fought rioters that day sued over the delay.
“Congress is encouraging this rewriting of history by refusing to follow the law and respect officials as required,” officials claimed. Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges. “This demonstrates that these officials do not deserve recognition because Congress refuses to recognize them.”
The Justice Department is seeking to dismiss the case. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and others argued that Congress “has publicly recognized the service of law enforcement officers” by approving the plaque and displaying it, but that it does not alleviate the problems they say they face on the job.
“It is unbelievable,” Justice Department lawyers wrote, arguing that installing the plaque “will deter the death threats they claim to have received.”
The department also said the plaque must include the names of “all law enforcement personnel” involved in the response that day – about 3,600 people.
Lawmakers who have a replica of the plaque installed outside their offices said it’s important for the public to know what’s going on.
“The new generation that is just coming of age now doesn’t understand how close we were to losing our democracy on January 6, 2021,” the Rep. said. Jamie RaskinThe Maryland Democrat was a member of the Jan. 6 committee that faced opposition from Republican leadership but released a nearly 1,000-page report investigating preparations for the attack and attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Raskin envisions a day when the Capitol will host tours centered around what happened. “People need to study this as an important part of American history,” he said.
“Think about those days in American history that we only know by date: There was July 4, there was December 7, there was 9/11, there was January 6,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who also sits on the committee and has a plaque outside her office.
“They literally saved my life, they saved democracy, and they deserve to be thanked for that,” she said.
But as time went on, there was no longer a bipartisan memorial service on January 6. Tuesday, democrats House Democratic leaders will reconvene committee members for a hearing on January 6 to “examine ongoing threats to free and fair elections.” Hakeem Jeffries New York State announced. Republicans are unlikely to participate.
Republicans under Johnson appointed Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk to form their own special committee to uncover what the spokesman called “the full truth” about what happened. They plan to hold a hearing this month.
“We should stop this foolish attempt to whitewash history — it’s not going to happen,” said Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., who helped lead the effort to display a replica of the plaque.
“I was here that day, so I’ll never forget it,” he said. “I don’t think Americans will forget what happened.”
He said temporary plaques dotted the halls were a testament to the remembrance.
Instead of one plaque, they “now have 100 plaques,” he said.