MIRACLE ON CONSTITUTION AVENUE
The real story of, Jan 6
INTRODUCTION
This is my account of my experience in Washington DC, January 6, 2021. In my testimony, I will use both facts and feelings to paint as real a picture as possible. I will do my best with words so that others may know what really happened that day. To support my testimony, I have eight videos I took during the event, and #4, in particular, should be greatly helpful to anyone wishing to understand what actually happened. All eight of my videos are available to all people, uncut and unedited (see below). I also have witnesses, friends that were there with me, and who like me and so many others, came in peace and know the truth of what really happened. I give my permission to use this account, given in full below, to anyone including a court of law, as my affidavit, my sworn statement, under penalty of perjury.
MY ACCOUNT OF THE EVENT
(written 3 days after the event, Jan 9, 2021)
I remember standing at the base of the Washington Monument. The great obelisk stood gray against a gray winter sky. Around its base, a circle of flags whipped like freedom in the wind. Around those flags, a great throng of people, some say as many as a million, but from where I stood, I saw what looked like enough people to fill 3 to 5 NFL stadiums. We all felt the wind’s bite on that cold winter morning, but that didn’t stop us from greeting one another with great warmth. We waved our banners in the air. Jubilation was all around. Patriots all around, without instruction, burst into song, “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light….” We came from mountains and plains all across America. I think that for many of us, this was not only a protest of an election that could not be trusted due to dirty political tricks, bureaucratic incompetence, and meddling by oligarchs...we also came to protest a decades-long lack of honesty from a self-deceived government that had become detached from we the people.
Together, we turned to march to the Capital. We marched to make our voices heard. As a group, we were not delusional. We had no intention of overthrowing our government. Walking up Constitution Avenue, there were no shouts of anger among us. Rather, the feeling was like that of going to a football game. We knew why we were there. We may not have voiced it, but in our hearts we knew that wherever power flowed like a river in flood, so would flow a flood of corruption, and it takes a flood of lies to cover a flood of corruption.
As we marched up Constitution Avenue, I witnessed things I had never seen. I saw rows of great marble pillars. I saw things not to be believed, like a Patriot too old and frail to walk, slowly making her way with a walker. Meanwhile, a teenage boy and girl nearly skipped and danced along. And then again, as if one were not enough, I saw another elderly Patriot with a walker. I saw happy mothers and fathers with sons and daughters. Elderly folks with walking canes. A young mother with her baby in a stroller. A Yorkie on a leash sensing the spirit of the crowd, and therefore happy as could be. I heard no talk of violence, but I did hear a lot of folks praying aloud, lifting the name of Jesus Christ. That was the kind of crowd we were. I remember it well. It was only the day before yesterday. I was there with my two companions. My friend Brian, a retired businessman. And my friend Jeffery, retired from a career in the military. And I am James, a small business owner.
Proceeding up the Avenue, Jeffery carried a Kansas State flag and was usually out in front. He compensated well but if one looked close, he limped from severe injuries sustained in the service of his country. Brian, a livelong Missourian, was the eldest at near seventy. And when he fell behind a third time, I asked in confidence as his friend and he confessed to having chest pains. We immediately found a bench where Brian could rest. Jeffrey and I wanted to get professional medical help but Brian insisted that we not. So we continued and, while Brian did his best to hide it, it was painfully obvious, each step took everything he had, literally everything. We stopped again so Brian could rest before proceeding. I prayed and then prayed some more. I lifted my eyes to heaven and asked what I should do. And if I understood God correctly in my heart, it was Brian’s call to make, not mine. In hindsight, I know that because of Brian’s faith, God saw him through.
Around the Reflecting Pool, we went beneath the Monument of Peace, across the lawn to the Capital’s west patio where we stopped. We decided on the small white tent as a meeting place, and Brian remained on the lawn while Jeffery and I went across the patio to the police line. We made our way to the front near the left end of the police line and Jeffery spoke cordially with a few of the Capital police that were standing in formation. Almost immediately, Jeffery saw a Kansas flag flying near the right end of the police line, and he told me he was going to investigate. I remained near the left end and this is what I saw: A few angry young men (two or three at the most) came forward and began harassing the police, but mature Patriots told them to cool their heels. Then things got heated between the older Patriots and the angry young men. Some finger-pointing and shouting, perhaps a little shoving. It didn’t last long, and I am not sure but I think the angry young men exited to the left. After that it was peaceful. The clamor of the crowd was loud. We were not shouting at the police or behaving badly. We were simply talking among ourselves (and my video proves it). We had no idea that, prior to our arrival, there had been a scuffle between police and a group of angry young men. We did not know protestors had entered the building from the east side. We were the overwhelming mass of people on the west side of the building. And we had no intention of entering the building (this is evident by my video #4).
As God would have it, I was taking video with my phone, panning the full length of the police line and crowd when, to my left came the first explosion (upper left-hand corner of video #4, at the 23-second mark, the flash of the explosion is visible). The explosion shocked and riled the crowd, not wildly, but it did stir us up. At the end of the video, just after the first explosion, you can hear a Patriot shouting, “What was that all about?” The explosion jolted me and put me on guard, so I put my phone in my pocket. My video shows that others also put their phones away at that time. Shortly afterward, I got my phone back out and shot video #5, which shows people chanting, "USA, USA, USA," and pointing and gesturing at the DHS agents, who I believe fired the flash grenade. I wish I had kept filming continuously instead of in segments because shortly after that, percussion grenades, rubber bullets, and some kind of gas bombs came raining into the crowd. On the right side of the line, Jeffery was struck in the chest with a percussion grenade and gassed. On the left side, I was momentarily knocked to the ground by a rubber bullet that left a deep bruise on my thigh. I came up cursing and swearing in pain, only to have a percussion grenade explode beside my head. It dazed me and temporarily knocked the hearing out in my right ear. After that, I was repeatedly gassed, which made it difficult and, at one point, nearly impossible to breathe and see.
Now, here’s the thing, we were entirely peaceful, and we were fired on without provocation. We were not inside the building but outside. We did not deserve to be driven off like vermin. We were American citizens, and we had a right to be there. We had no weapons, but we did have our voices, and in the chaos of the attack that came against us, we began to shout, "This is our House! This is our House!" and "USA, USA, USA." We tried to hold our ground under heavy fire even as we were pushed back. Ranks of police reinforcements came marching in double time. They were in full riot gear. Seeing them coming struck fear into my heart. Seriously, I was just an old man with no prior experience in rioting. As they came against us, we shouted in unison, "Hold the line! Hold the line!" and "USA, USA." They just kept coming at us. We felt they were attacking our Constitutional right to be there. We kept trying to hold our ground, but we were being pushed back. Then, with no other choice but flight or fight, we pushed back. However, the only video that is ever shown to the public does not show us being attacked repeatedly but instead only shows us fighting back as if we started the fight. This was a lie! We were fighting to hold our ground, and our rights, as American citizens. We were doing what Americans have always done when unjustly attacked; we fought back! And as we pushed them back, we shouted, “USA! USA! USA!”
As the situation heated up, we took our injured to the rear. There were a great many injured, mostly from gas in the lungs and eyes (not counting scrapes and bruises). Groups of Patriots came to the aid of those who had been injured. Many young Patriots came rushing from the back to reinforce our frontline. Jeffery got gassed bad and had to go to the rear. I remained near the front, an old man waving a MAGA flag on a broomstick. And today, looking back, it seems like some kind of episode from the Twilight Zone. Good people caught in crazy chaos; families dressed like going to a ballgame, men and women, boys and girls, the forgotten people of America. This is out of sequence but I saw a group of three or four teenage girls come rushing from the back. They looked like a group of kids you would see at the mall. As they came before the front, they saw how crazy it was, and they paused. Before them, a group of young patriot men were beginning to break through, opening a path for others to follow. I watched as one of the girls turned to her friends and, with eyes wide, said something close to this, “We have to! Our country is at stake!” None of them turned back, but together, they rushed forward to disappear in the fray. And no, I couldn’t make this stuff up, but I watched it happen.
For what seemed more than an hour, the push went back and forth on the patio. Taking ground, we shouted, “This is our house! This is our house!” and “USA, USA, USA.” Losing ground, we shouted, “Hold the line. Hold the line.” Finally, a few young Patriots broke through and began to climb the outer scaffolds of the grandstands. They were getting pulled down but one young man finally reached the top, stripped of his shirt, which was red, white, and blue, and began waving it in the air. The crowd cheered with wild jubilation. Thus encouraged, the Patriots gained momentum and, breaking through the police lines in more places, began to pour up the stairs beneath the grandstands. Meanwhile, out in front of the grandstands, a central scaffold stood like a lone siege tower, and at its top, a Patriot with a megaphone was shouting, “Move forward! Move forward! Occupy the bleachers! Occupy the bleachers!”
A gigantic American flag came up Constitution Avenue like a wave of victory lifted on the hands of Patriots. Truly, it moved across the lawn as if gliding on air. A glorious sight to see, it floated to the frontline where Patriots passed it up the scaffolds to the top of the grandstands. Then, as it unfurled from the top, the crowd again went wild with jubilation and rushed forward. Law enforcement turned and abandoned the field. Shouts of victory went up as our youth climbed and filled the grandstands that were there for the inauguration. And there they sat, waving banners as if at a football game. And I have to wonder, were they waiting for their President?
Now, this is also very important. After we were attacked, and fought back and won, we did not advance except to occupy the bleachers. And that proves what kind of crowd we were, to be attacked without provocation and to not seek revenge. We only wanted the right to be there as stated in The Constitution of the United States of America.
I found Jeffery and Brian by the white tent, and we headed home. Now, three days later, I have no doubt that God placed us strategically to serve as witnesses on the right, left, and middle. We all agree the crowd had been peaceful until it was attacked. And as I have said, I have video that proves it, very clearly proves it.
Finally, and most importantly, I believe God put me there to bear witness to a miracle. A miracle that changed my life: It occurred at the height of the fight. We were being pummeled with gas bombs, rubber bullets, and percussion grenades. We could have turned and run away. We did not. We did what Americans do. We moved toward the danger, crouched way low, huddled together, Americans of every color, we lifted our voices greater than any church house will ever know, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” A thousand voices lifted to Heaven in a hail of rubber bullets, explosions, and gas. I looked to the ground around our feet. It was littered with rubber bullets like so many marbles strewn about. And yes, they were only rubber bullets but they still hurt like heck. It was at that moment, there in that great crowd of Christians, armed only with their voices, advancing into smoke and fire while reciting the Lord’s prayer - it was the turning of the tide - the moment that the little people appealed to Heaven, and knocked a crack in what seemed an impenetrable wall of lies.
Up to that day in my life, I had already witnessed a ton of good in America, traveling 5,000 miles the old way by foot, horse, and canoe, from farm to farm, town to town, and city to city. Truly, so much good as to not be believed. But in all my life, I had never witnessed anything as inspiring as that crowd of faithful Christians saying that beautiful prayer while advancing under fire. They showed me what being an American is truly about! I feel so blessed to have been there to see it with my own eyes. So please my forgotten brothers and sisters, trust in the One that will never forget you. The One that gave you your right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And remember the Miracle on Constitution Avenue.
James Sheldon
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Notes (from 2/25/2022, with editing to the present):
On April 8, 2025, I edited my above account of the event. In the edit, I made minor corrections to be both grammatically correct and as concise as possible.
The event of Jan 6 saw an unforeseen series of human errors on both sides. Unfortunately, both sides are so afraid of losing power to the other that neither is willing to accept any responsibility. This fear of losing power is where the truth dies, and the lies begin. The people at the top in Washington DC are engaged in a struggle for power, and therefore, they did not seek the truth, but instead, they worked to further their narrative because, otherwise, they might lose power, they might lose their jobs, they might lose their livelihoods, they might end up at the mercy of their enemies, they might even end up in jail.
The political left focused on a tiny percentage of Jan 6 Patriots to portray all Jan 6 Patriots as terrorists. What the left did was the equivalent of walking into an apple orchard, finding a few rotten apples, and then using them to portray the entire orchard as bad. In doing so, they proved that they were not after the truth. They are after power. The political right is also in this power struggle. And when it's power at stake instead of truth, both sides lie, and Justice gets swept under the rug.
Correction note: When I first wrote my account of Jan 6, I said that the crowd was attacked after video #4. The first shot was fired at the end of video #4. Video #5 shows the crowd pointing at the agents who fired the shot. The full-on attack came directly after video #5.
I think it is important to know that public video of a peaceful crowd being attacked on Jan 6 must exist due to all the security cameras at the Capital. The Capital Police have over 14,000 hours of video footage of the Jan 6th event (source, Google). That video footage is public property. By law, the government has a legal obligation to release it to the public (source, Judicial Watch). Now it’s been over a year and still they refuse to hand it over. Mr. Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch is trying mightily to get the videos though the Freedom of Information Act. The government refuses to release the footage. With so many cameras, I think it is a real possibility that they have footage of the miracle I tell of. If so, surely the forces of darkness never want it seen.
IMPORTANT EDIT NOTE: In late Aug 2022, I discovered that my video #4 of the Jan 6th event shows not only the flash of the first explosion but also the bits and pieces of the flash grenade flying into the crowd (see my video #4). Beyond doubt, the trajectory and path of the debris indicate that the first shot was fired by law enforcement. Most likely, the grenade was fired by law enforcement on the balconies above. They had grenade launchers in hand. Perhaps the grenade was fired at someone doing something they shouldn’t do? I didn’t see any wrongdoing, and I was right there, but I want to remain fair and cover all possibilities. That said, I know for certain that when law enforcement opened fire in earnest on the crowd, it was a peaceful crowd they fired on.
I was very skeptical of the Jan 6 conspiracy theory that claims the FBI set up and entrapped patriots by infiltrating the crowd with undercover agents whose job was to incite violence. However, after watching the Tucker Carlson interview with U.S. Congressman Clay Higgens on Jan 6, 2024, It appears the FBI may have been running some ongoing sting operations that culminated on J6. And those operations may have entailed entrapment. That would be very bad. It does not mean, however, that we J6ers are to now deny any responsibility for wrongdoing at the Capital that day because, if we go down a path of total denial of responsibility, of no accountability, then we would become the very thing we came to protest. If we are to have what we came to ask for that day, being the truth, then we must also acknowledge that it is not possible for a crowd of hundreds of thousands to not have some bad actors.
I am not currently, nor have I ever been employed by or affiliated with the FBI or any government agency in any way, shape, or form. I'm just a tax-paying citizen, an independent voter who wants the truth.
The FBI questioned me a few days after Jan 6. Four agents came to my home. No one cared what my neighbors might think. Fortunately, I have patriotic neighbors. One FBI agent and a sheriff also came to my place of employment. No one cared if I might lose my job. Fortunately, my old boss is a patriot. Fortunately, I haven’t had so much as a parking ticket for over 35 years. In fact, well before Jan 6th, Jeffery, myself, and two other friends started a Support-the-Blue group here in Kansas. We held meetings in which law enforcement officers came and spoke so that we might know how best to support them. I like to believe these things had something to do with my being left alone. Also, I have my videos to prove my innocence, and I live in a red state with a patriot AG.
Months after the J6 event, I learned that, after the grandstands were secured by our side, someone from inside the Capital opened a west-facing door, and three hundred Patriots from our side entered the building. To the best of my knowledge, video footage shows that they did not engage in destructive behavior, and in fact, it appears they never even crossed the roped-off lines in the Rotunda.
On Jan 6, as we three friends left Washington DC in our car, I posted my most conclusive video on Facebook (video #4). It quickly had over 3,000 views. Facebook deleted it and put me in Facebook jail. I had never been in Facebook jail before.
SUMMARY (Feb 26, 2023)
We did not deserve to be attacked. We did not deserve to be run off like vermin. We were and still are American Citizens. We do not deserve to be called “Insurrectionists.” We do not deserve to be called “Terrorist.” We were not the attackers. We were attacked!
The news media painted a J6 picture that greatly increased their ratings, gained them a lot of advertising dollars, spread lies, encouraged hatred, and divided families across our Nation.
Our so-called representatives in Congress, in a rare show of unity, hurried to condemn us.
Also, sadly, we were betrayed by bad actors in our own ranks. Not imposters, but some of our own. They were very few in number, only a handful, but by breaking windows and assaulting police officers, they derailed our cause. Their anger was justified, but their actions were not. They disobeyed our Commander in Chief and took matters into their own hands. In doing so, they gave ammunition to those who would destroy us. And today, their claims to be victims and heroes tells me they would stupidly screw things up again if given the chance. But as I have said, they were only a tiny fraction, only a small handful.
A great many good people have been unjustly punished. And God sees, and God knows, justice is yet to be given to them.
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As I mentioned above, I traveled 5,000 miles through America by horse, foot, and canoe, and I saw so much good it could not be measured. I had no doors to lock or walls to sleep behind. In all those miles, I crossed paths with only a tiny handful of bad people. Outside of that, and everywhere I went, people from all walks of life just kept coming forward like angles out of the blue. Today, our Nation needs a way back from this edge we are on. My travels inspired me to write a small booklet. It's not much, but it may help folks. It's 100% free to read online. I also have some blogs with daily journals of my travels, including pictures and videos. It's all free. No strings attached:
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