Tess Owen
Appearances
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
Scripps News is the primary news channel available to inmates in that unit. And Scripps News happened to be carrying the event live that day. And there was particular interest in that rally because of rumors that Trump could announce his VP pick. And when he was shot and collapsed... there was total hysteria.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
It was described to me that January 6th, they wept, they clutched each other, they tried to punch walls. They were just completely hysterical. And then, you know, the famous picture image when Trump kind of was hoisted up and he raised his fist, it turned into kind of total jubilation.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
Fists in the air, trying to flip over tables, just incredibly intense emotions that were felt in that kind of short span of time. Some of the most notorious people who have gone through that wing, for example, the four Proud Boy leaders who are ultimately convicted of seditious conspiracy. That includes Enrique Tarrio, who is a chairman of the Proud Boys.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
There are also members of the Oath Keepers. There was David Dempsey. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. That is in part due to the fact that prosecutors labeled him as one of the most violent rioters on January 6th. They said that he basically bludgeoned police officers and engaged in violence for an hour or longer. We spoke pretty regularly over the phone from the, quote, Patriot Wing.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
And I bit by bit heard about his backstory. You know, he hadn't had a particularly good life. He was abused in group homes growing up, and he was homeless for much of his adult life, in and out of prison. And, you know, he glommed onto the MAGA movement and took up the cause and made that his whole life.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
He kind of made it sound like a sleepaway camp, almost. You know, they had all of these traditions and rituals that they developed over the course of the years that they were in there that were kind of passed down to new people who came in. They, for example, sang the national anthem every night at nine o'clock. And this national anthem was broadcast to their thousands of supporters online.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
On the anniversary of January 6th, there was a kind of a solemn observation called Sixthmas. Sixthmas. Sixthmas. So they say Happy Sixthmas. They would hold kind of skits, you know, or variety shows called the Hopium Den. They had all of these different kind of rituals that they would kind of participate in to, they said, you know, keep morale up.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
But there was also a kind of a deep in-group activity. dynamic where, you know, you had to prove that you were not a Fed, that you were still, you know, that you believed in the cause, that you're a true believer, a true Trump supporter to kind of really make it into the core community there.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
So as far as how this happened or who made the decision to house these people together question was concerned, it was a very frustrating reporting thread that I kept hitting dead ends on. I was bounced around between the U.S. Marshals, different departments of the DOJ, the D.C. Jail. And I was kind of unable to really get an answer from anyone about who or how this decision was made.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
But what I do know is typically when it comes to housing extremist defendants, officials generally have three options, each which comes with its own downside. The first option is to disperse those defendants through the general population, which is what's happened with many January 6th defendants since they've been convicted and moved to federal prisons. But that option carries two risks.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
The first is that they could be targeted... with violence from other inmates. And I think that was a concern. I believe that was held or voiced by some officials in the D.C. jail, that these were mostly white Trump supporters in a jail that has a disproportionately black population. And there were concerns that could lead to problems.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
The second was that that option carries the potential for extremist defendants to radicalize other inmates. The second option for housing those defendants is to place them in solitary confinement. But as we know, there have been countless reports and studies warning that solitary confinement, which has been likened to torture, could exacerbate and accelerate radicalization.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
And the third option is to concentrate these inmates together so that a prison could tailor their resources to their needs. But then you have the flip side, which is that you run the risk of creating an incubator for those people's views.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
This was a major narrative at the beginning that people in that unit were claiming that they were experiencing disproportionately bad conditions. That was never substantiated. The D.C. jail and American jails in general are known for having pretty abysmal conditions. And a judge ordered an inspection of the D.C. jail, you know, amid these complaints from from January Sixers.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
And they did find poor conditions in some parts of the jail, not the ones that the January Sixers were being held in. You know, one could perhaps argue that they had quite good conditions in some ways, especially later on. You know, they were able to record a podcast from inside jail without jail officials knowing.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
The podcast was called the DC Gulag, which is another name given to the unit.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
They have a vast support network outside of family members of January 6ers, of sympathizers who put thousands of dollars into their commissary accounts, help them with their legal funds. And so, you know, they're eating well. They are healthy. able to get their voices and their views out. But, you know, it's also at the same time it's jail.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
What did you hear? Yes, I heard from a lawyer representing some of the January Sixers, as well as kind of rumors percolating online from local activists, that the unit is in the process of being dissolved or has been dissolved and that...
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
people in that unit are being moved to general population i'm not sure if that has gone into effect already um or or if that's something that is is coming but i do think that it's very interesting in terms of kind of what happens next for these for these individuals and also the future of the prosecutions because you know that unit depends on a steady stream of
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
people being arrested and, you know, it needs people in it. And I think we're expecting the prosecutions to dry up, certainly when Trump takes office.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
I mean, I spoke to one January Sixer who is beholden to his release conditions, but I spoke to him the day after the election. He was telling me that he was shopping online for guns because he feels so confident that Trump will pardon him that he feels like he will be able to own a firearm again very soon.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
Others, I think there seemed to be very little indication that they would leave the movement or that their experiences behind bars had made them change their views or re-evaluate their activities leading up to January 6th. For January 6ers who had already gotten out of prison, most are beholden to their probationary release conditions.
Today, Explained
"Happy Sixthmas"
Others I spoke to said that they weren't allowed to be in contact with other January 6ers. But, you know, if they're pardoned, that will mean that these men can be in contact with each other completely openly again. And the other thing was that I got very little indication that the people who were facing pretty serious time, kind of regretted their actions.