WASHINGTON — Three years ago Saturday Winston Pigeon was on duty as a Capitol police officer when the mob attacked.
"January 6th is a difficult day and I think it always will be for me," Pigeon said on the third anniversary of the attack on the Capitol.
"I was pepper sprayed, nearly stabbed with the flagpole. And that was just me," he recalled.
Pigeon left the Capitol Police ten months after the attack. Today, he sees an obligation to those still in uniform to speak up about what happened that day.
"No longer working for the department I'm able to speak more freely about what happened to me and many other officers," he said.
At a time when January 6th conspiracy theories are on the rise. A Washington Post - University of Maryland poll shows a quarter of Americans now believe the FBI instigated the attack.
"I've received more threats and hate mail today than I did at the one year anniversary," said Pigeon. "I think that's largely because the former president, current members of Congress, are continuing to whitewash, downplay and diminish the real violence and severity of the attack that we all experienced that day."
To cope, Pigeon has turned to painting.
Already an artist before the attack, he has focused much of his watercolor work since then on scenes and themes from that day and the aftermath.
"My art took on new meaning after January 6th because it had always been there for me, but I had never relied upon it in that way to heal from such a traumatic event. And it was and still is very helpful and very important to me," he said.
As his artwork has gained attention, online attacks have followed. But Pigeon says he will not stop telling the story of January 6th through the eyes of officers with his story and his art.
"I'll never convince anybody who doesn't want to be open to hear the truth of my experience. But I think more so, you don't convince people by arguing, but...in sharing my story and in sharing my artwork, that may be what reaches some people," he said.
Pigeon said his thoughts on the anniversary are always with the family of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who died the day following the Capitol riot after suffering two strokes.