Expect to don a badge. I guess you thought of Something Different like football. More of that later. E he didnt expect to be under frontlines battling his fellow americans,. On as a congressional bipartisan january 6th committee will be testified before found inspired by donald trump to stage of violent insurrection of the u. S. Capitol and a failed attempt to overturn a a free and fair u. S. President ial election. But what harry done did didn becoming a Police Officer protecting congress, which is where we first cross paths during my time covering congress. Officer dunn defended the capital on january 6th, 2021 along with his colleagues in some of whom died, but a president ial citizens and congressional gold medal later ended up paying a heavy price. That he is still coping with today. But he decided to turn this dramatic investment into a platform to speak out about Mental Health and democracy, and write a book called standing my ground. A capitol Police Officers fight for accountability and good trouble after january 6th. So lets welcome harry dunn. [applause] thank you. So, harry, i just wanted to let folks know will have a bit of the conversation, then im going to turn it over to the folks here. First of all want to talk about since this is aca press club wet to talk about how the book came together. What inspired you to write it, writing process like, the editing process. Talk to us about the book was actually inspired and constructed. Well, thanks forav having me, make sure you get answers right because literary agent is here and my publishers of got to make sure i get the right answers. No. Like you said i been didnt expect to be in the space right now where we are. I was rach tweeting a lot and i was putting a lot of thought and realize i was garnering small following really come small . Started that way. And i realize that also it was making me feel better putting these tweets and these thoughts that i had on my phone folder photo audio recordings of me venting. I would just be recording in my phone literally at work sometimes i would listen to its those recordingse like 17 minutes, profane laced. Started talking to somee influential people, people and my, people i have respect and ellen drawing a blank nbc correspondent Richard Engel did an interview with him and we talked offcamera about 15 minutes or so. And he said you need to write aa book. Those first time i heard it. I started actually getting some traction and every such a couple of people and the connected me with my team and here we are without elkin together. It was very cathartic for me to write the book i had a coauthor that are but with and we bumped heads a lot because i did like some of t things that were in their and i wouldnt say this i have the personality and then make sure that always comes to the forefront i didnt want to say what people expect me to say, but this is my story, my words, memoir of my life and experiences. So the toughest part about writing the book wasas how to ed it. Because the world is still on fire and i was trying to use my book and like a fire extinguisher, but jesus christ, like how by the way, if anybody saw me on the view, i got like censored on the view several times. I say jesus christ. That seduces . Thats what i i thought thats why we were here. I said jesus christ. But no, i tried to use this book as a fire extinguisher, like a sobering reality of his life. I i do want to paint the picture of all roses. Were in a dire state right now in this country. So that was one of the toughest part of how to end it. But the actual process was eyeopening and judges rent yourself with good people that actually know what theyre doing because ive no idea what im doing. Are you sure about that . Yes. S. Res. Like the actual, you know, getting the technicalities and stuff. You just touched on something that struck mee at the end of te book, and we will get to the other parts of the book later, is that the story keeps going. I do want to sort of kind of sort of rapidfire getea some of your reactions that where the book left off, now were starting to see the whole Legal Proceedings kicked in with much larger players. Your talk about the smaller players in the book. Now the president from a chief of staff, several of his former attorneys. I mean, its starting to move, and the president himself has been on the stand just yesterday in related what do you make of what you think the fire extend wisher, as you call it, of how the system is working or not working or, you know, the things that you expressed in very passionate terms throughout the book . What you make of whats happening now with thehe former president and his chief of staff, former lawyers, alternate . Well, the system is working. At a delayed pace i guess. Jenny was six disher it will be three years. But just to touch on another, look how long donald trump has been doing these things that hes been charged with and is finally paying off. So i do believe that it is working. You know, with the criticism of, at a snails pace. Thats why its important, and the narrative now that they are trying to discredit it as, you know, when facts are on their side that attack the system because they cant have facts on their side. So they attack the institution, now the fbiswe undertaken the department of justice is weaponizing, all the stuff. The institutions work, if we have these safeguards, the safeguards are American People. You know, it frustrates me though that these institutions that have entrusted, tried, true for centuries, decades, now the attack them as being not credible and their followers are buying into it. Bennie thompson told me one day that the best disinfectant is truth. So we need more people to do, speaking truth to power. And like i said thats why one of the reasons i hope my book ia that a lot of people ask about the congresspeople and politicians or mayors, governors who repeat these allies. You know, if they read my book, great but this book isnt for them. The book for the American People and hopefully open some eyes and inspire people to continue to speak the truth to power. Speaking of the book, theres some talk in terms of the structure, it seemed to be part catharsis. There was a definite Mental Health track to this. Part democracy primer, part history primer. Was that intentional . So, im this big hodgepodge of all that stuff that you just named. Yes, the was intentional, especially the Mental Health aspect of it. You know, usually somebody who says they got it together all the time and ill show you the biggest liar on the face of this earth, because we all are striving for something. We all are. Water wanted people to know where i got this forceful pride from, and that goes back to i guess the waywa i was raised, al the way back to my parents to thead community, my upbringing. Id some experiences that may be some people cant relate to, maybe they can. Like what . Well, i talk specific incidents where i will would play sports and w then i was on medicine as a child for adhd, and it made me feel weird being medicated as a kid. Wr i felt like something was wrong with me, and maybe that helped shape me to be the person that it am that it did need to be controlled by medicine. Not saying theres anything wrong withwi it because people,e all need some kind of assistance, we need help. But that, these expenses that of the didnt like being cut from a football team, you know, going up in the community that i grew up in with a childhood friends, having four sisters and being the only boy, may be that molded some the compassion and empathy that i have that men are afraid to display or dont display for whatever reasons. I include all of that because all of these experiences that i live help create the person that you see standing, sitting here in front of you know. Which is weird because its standing on by grant at of literally sitting down. But its a great picture. Thats right. Talk about yourut upbringing and Mental Health. Do you want to start a National Conversation about Mental Health . And specifically, theres been a lot of discussions about how Mental Health is not openly in passionately and widely discussed in the africanamerican community, especially among africanamerican men. I mean who wants to admit they are aft up . I guess thats one of the reasons why the conversation doesnt happen. Yes, i want to have a National Discussion about it, but theres nothing new that can be said to accomplish. Theres nothing new, there is no new phrases or no new hashtags. We need morepl people saying it. More people need to i guess the phrase gets the right all the time, normalize this, normalized that. More people just slowly a part of our everyday life, part of our everyday life. So more people just need to be opening and accepting. But iis understand what people e not. This world is really cool. People love to kick you while youre down or take a picture of somebody struggling instead of helping the person. Thats the worldld we live in. So its easy to go with the norms that of an happening, and its hard to do the opposite come to go against it. i just took it with anybody thinks, thats what i am a bit to do this, show the full adobe. Speaking of vulnerability, you were pretty wrought inrm ths book in terms of opening yourself up to all the rage, all the things that were coming in that you are experiencing, not just as aou result of january 6th, your childhood. All of it. What kind of feedback has been getting from not just your friends but total strangers . If anybody said hey, you have helped me, youve help you seek or anything of that nature . I share a funny story, feedback from my father. Why do you guys so much . [inaudible] my parents didnt really like that, correct, but they also didnt raisese the to do with an insurrection and Everything Else that followed behind. That wasnt in parents yeah, but you know, i had to share how i really feel and i pulled the curtain back all the way and thats the way i feel. Im not going to say isis jiminy cricket. Thats not, thats not count us aqim. Im able to articulate come some people say to curse a lot, you have limited vocabulary either party could okay the dirty for sometimes those words bring it home. But no, but yes, i have gotten a good feedback and i actually got a message from a coworker to stay night that they saw my message on my interview on the view, and this person is the longer with the force because of january 6, not physically, just mostly cant do the job anymore and said that they struggle getting out of bed every morning. And seeing me still fight even if sometimes by myself just to tell the truth or inspire people or it makes it easier for them to get out a bit. My response to that is thats what its all about. I was telling meredith on the way in here that, my publisher, i got a text from a coworker at work right now and people just want to say that the shooting that happened h last night in maine, and he just wanted to talk to me about it. Like, how did i become this person that you just want to talk to about it works bes is just sports, you know, new music. But now, just getting that message from people that want to open up aboutyt any and everything, and thats, its rewarding because it lets me come one, l its been on that the only one that are having these feelings. Against thats what made it okay because they are having feelings and if you like theyre not the only one either. Theres another part of this, you just raised about reaction and talked about a coworker. What kind of reaction have received in the Law Enforcement community . Talk about that. Because in a previous conversation as we were prepping you were speaking before National Organization for black Law Enforcement officers and so forth. Hasnt been mixed, good, bad, talk about that . It is as defined as this country is. It is as divided as this country is. On january sixth there was actually a Police Officer, active Police Officer from chicago who got charged and the fop lawyers represented in court after januaryry 6th. Obviously, the Capitol Police had an individual charge with i dont know exact charge of it he was telling individual he agreed with what happened and we need to delete this office social media. But i get messages all the time from coworkers, keep it up. Bro, i dont know how you do it, keep going. It is definitely next. Has anybody ever called you a traitor or the trail anything like this. Us know. They say i am seeking clout. You are seekin clout and you doing this because of all the media appeared to . Every single time ive gotten awards or on tv, all of those acknowledge and michael anybody say thats 100 disingenuous, its wrong. Because all i do is upload my coworkers. I dont speak a negative about them and i try to share the spotlight and given the opportunities that i have been blessed with. But it definitely next, as divided as his country. But has it changed the relationship, lets is specifically within the African American community . Which is a complicated relationship with the police historically. Yeah. I did a podcast, Michael Harriet, michael, unapologetically black and black everything, you know. Yeah here but he said from the jump, one, it would never expect to have a Police Officer on his podcast, and, but thats the kind of thing we need to have those discussions. Because living in this divided world, im not trying to be the great unifier, right, but this kind of discussions need to happen. And they also need to be received with understanding, empathy and compassion because people thought which of all the want of the walkway, i hate him, i hate it. We talked. People need to seek actual understanding for for a dife to be made. Theres another part of the book to titlele the other bunchf history nuggets out of there. What were you trying to do in sort of planting those historical themes . In short to say, nothing new. This death has been happening for years. Iat mean, coming back from the view last thatlk i was talking o the driver and thank you for appearing at my employers. Of course, of course. We werelk talking about life, liberty pursuit of happiness, humor, life, liberty and property. That same have been around for a while. Black people come with this all men are created equal, they werent talking about black people and all men are equal. At that time black people were considered property. So all men are created equal didnt apply to black people at that time, whether you could splice it apart you want. Thats the actual facts of it. Or women. Correct. I talk about that in the book. But this aint nothing new. These people are, felt this entitlement. Donald trump still doesnt think he did anything wrong. The people who attacked the capital, they didnt think they did anything bunker its their sense of entitlement that is existed because of our history that they have been emboldened by the history, our history, its ours, its all of our history. And that still rears its ugly head today. It still exists today. But thats the point of bringing up those historical events that this aint nothing do. But that historically been come those historical events collectively also dip into deeply and you talk about a little bit about the Michael Harriet discussion, into the issue of race. On a number of interviews you have stated squarely that the january 6th insurrection was not act racist act. Im going to challenge you on that. Why . I dont think that they get together and said, well, let me back up. My white coworkers got their ass will also. Thats why dont think it would be racist fueled event. There were races there, a lot of them, but i dont think the premise off that. The premise of that there was entitlement and he wanted to disenfranchise and safe yellow, no, yall didnt winter we did. Yall is lying. Thats what that there was about. Now, a lot of racists believe that but i dont believe that it was, and also anytime you bring up what are using the race card . It just is what it is. Its a part of her history, part come its a part of our current history thats going on now. In the democracy leg of this, youve written this book now, you have done a bunch of speeches, had a lot of interviews. What do you make of our american democracy . Here at the press club. You can tell it. The press club . [laughing] weve been asking people to be honest with folks for more than 160 years. Its on life support i guess right now. Keep any ade next, nearby. Is a really that precarious . I think so, man, i think so. I do see anything that gives me real hope tha its not, that its not, you know, individuals are so so what . I dont know. Im trying to find the right word. N this sucks, you know . We are in a bad place right now and people have lost hope and people just dont really care anymore. A lot of disenfranchise people. I mean, just look at whats going on in the house of representatives right now. You know, just elected a speaker and how long we were without one. One. Instead of working together to find but you put your life on the line every day when you wear that uniform, and particularly on the sixth of january 2021. And the insurrection ultimately failed. So dont you have faith . It takes individuals. Its not these institutions thats going to hold up. Its individuals that occupy these institutions, like whod wouldve thought you have to give the president of the United States and ethics briefing . I mean, the individuals are the people, and do you know that the speaker of the house can be any jewel i get to all the street . Did you know that . You dont have to be a member of cox to be speaker of the house. If, if you, i wanted to run for speaker. If you cut you when to speakership. Its insane. What did you come what do you think of the thought that was outou there that house republics might entertain the idea of bringing in former President Trump as speaker . Thats what im saying, thats the point im trying to make. I think im trying to make. Am i making it . The institutions are run by these people. We are only as strong as these individuals, we are a nation of institutions that are run by the people, which makes the question how too turn it around . I dont know. I dont know. I kept the think him these ideologies that exist at how to defeat an ideology . Like is that if donald