A Photographer's Account of the Insurrection
The moment the police line breaks. West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
Many Trump supporters I spoke with before the election said there would be violence after the election, and now here we are. I missed last Wednesday’s insurrection, but my friend photo-journalist Alan Chin was there. So I called him.
You may remember Alan from a previous episode. I met him in 2001 in Afghanistan. We worked together there and he went on to cover the war in Iraq. He’s covered a lot of war zones. His photos are published in the New York Times and Newsweek. I’ve always been amazed by his spot-on verbal descriptions and accounts, his command of history, and his confidence in the role of photo-journalism.
This is a very good report of what it was like at the U.S. Capitol last week.
All photos by Alan Chin.
Trump in Dalton, Gerogia, January 4th, 2021, railing against fictitious election fraud and ostensibly supporting Kelly Loeffler’s Senate campaign.
At the Trump rally in Dalton Georgia, January 4th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
Virginia State Police using tear gas to clear the West Portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 6th, 2021.
How Much Time Has Gone By: Part Two
The Yellowstone River, Montana.
Following the river was a good idea, especially across the Great Plains, because it’s really easy to get lost out there. The view is the same in all directions—rolling hills of dry grass that resemble giant waves on the open ocean. It seemed I would never find my way across them. I was lost at sea. But the river knows where it’s going, downhill to the sea, and it has cottonwood trees and green meadows along its shore. Animals and birds live along the river. People come to hang out and fish. Following the river kept me sane and grounded.
The music is from Neil Young’s soundtrack to “Deadman,” a film by Jim Jarmusch. I highly recommend it.
On the Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota.
Gabe Romo, Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota.
South Dakota
How Much Time Has Gone By: Part One
Back in the beginning of September, two months before the election, I set out on a trip driving across the country talking to people about the candidates and the issues. I collected a lot of interviews and I think now is the time to play them, at length.
Most of the interviews are with Trump supporters and some of the things they say may trigger you. You don’t have to listen. You may feel the time for listening is over.
This is the first of three parts.
The music is from Neil Young’s soundtrack to “Deadman,” a film by Jim Jarmusch. I highly recommend it.
South Pass, Wyoming
Atlantic City, Wyoming
Arthur “Junior” Hernandez
Don Metzger
Culture War: War Zone
Kansas City, Missouri, September 20, 2020. I came upon this man who was unconscious but still breathing. I called 9/11 and an ambulance came. He was able to get up on the stretcher by himself. I think he’ll be ok.
I went to New Orleans but didn’t interview anyone because I thought things were getting too sketchy with the spreading virus. So I drove home. And I’m sort of beat. It was an exhausting trip. But I recorded a lot of good interviews, maybe the best ever. Thanks very much for supporting this series.
Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, September 26, 2020. I asked them, “What’s up?” One said, “We’re just standing by.”
Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, Missouri.
Culture War: Home of the Blues
I’ve been driving around talking to people in the Mississippi Delta, small towns like Clarksdale, Sumner, Greenwood, and Elaine. I heard a lot of stories that I should have known already. People were very friendly.
The Mississippi near Mayersville.
Near Onward, Mississippi.
The courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, where the men who killed Emmett Till in 1955 were found not guilty. That’s a monument to the Confederate Soldier.
Culture War: St. Louis
The Missouri River meets the Mississippi River a few miles north of St. Louis. The river is like a half mile wide at this point with tug boats pushing long barges to oil refineries and railroad shipping yards. I was in St. Louis the first couple days after the Breonna Taylor decision came down in Louisville. I went to Ferguson where Michael Brown was killed by police in 2014 and no charges were brought. But it was difficult to find people who would talk to me.
Culture War: Creeped Out
After following the Missouri across the low plains, I have come to a better understanding of Trump supporters.
Culture War: Standing Rock
Monument in Fort Yates, North Dakota.
I’m following the Missouri River now, heading south down through the Dakotas. I stopped at Standing Rock and talked to some people about the protest four years ago.
Along the river/reservoir at Standing Rock.
Culture War: Trump Country
I’ve been following some roads through deeply red voting districts in Wyoming and Montana. I thought I would not enjoy talking to Trump supporters, but I was wrong.
The Yellowstone River near the confluence with the Bighorn River in Montana.
Culture War: Introduction
I’m starting a new series of reports from a long trip across the country. I think we used to have a cultural divide, now we have a cultural war.
The Round River
I went fishing in some beautiful mountains I first visited in 1968 when I was a Boy Scout. When I was older, we took our kids there so they could see it as well. It’s still very beautiful, but things have changed due to global warming.
Time To Get My News From A River
Photo by Kristi Jone Jones
My thinking has been off, my approach has been wrong, I need to go fishing for a while.
Coming To Ground
I recorded these interviews with my family two weeks ago, before George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. Now they seem unimportant, like from another era. Except that in my family it’s the younger folk who have been mostly fucked by the virus pandemic, and it’s been young people, mostly, who’ve been out on the streets protesting. I hope their efforts lead to real change in our society.
Coming to Ground: Introduction
Following the news is like watching a competition for the worst case scenario and I’ve grown weary of all the blaming and shaming. Now we can’t trust anyone, not even ourselves. But at some point we’re going to have to come together in order to survive.
I’m working on a story where I interview people in my family about how they’re coping with the pandemic. Not everyone is doing well, and it’s pretty emotional for me, so I need to take some more time putting it together.
In the meantime, thanks very much for your support.
A link to an excellent documentary about Alex Caldiero.
