Jake Chanley, also known as Canon Sherman, is often linked to some of the most notable images from the January 6th Capitol protest—though he sports neither a horned headdress nor patriotic face paint.
Chanley reflects on his efforts to assist Capitol police, yet he’s often portrayed by the media as embodying a violent right-wing stereotype.
“I stepped in to help when the police were clearly overwhelmed,” he shared in a discussion with Matthew Peterson and Jill Savage. “I told them, ‘Hey, there are people inside the Senate. If you need my assistance, I can help clear out the building and put a stop to vandalism and violence.'”
To his surprise, the officers responded positively, and they proceeded from one locked door to another, making attempts to enter the Senate. “But that seems so contrary to their narrative. They needed my image to support the story that the chaos outside extended inside,” he argues.
“And it didn’t,” he clarifies.
Peterson analyzes the footage and believes it aligns with Chanley’s memories of the day. “The footage is pretty telling,” he notes. “At one point, you’re surrounded by nine officers, and you’re moving alongside them.”
Chanley emphasizes, “The police were saying, ‘This guy is with us.’”
However, the actual truth didn’t seem to matter much in the judicial system’s view.
“I spent 27 months in prison, with 10 and a half of those in solitary confinement,” he told Savage and Peterson. “Days felt like weeks, weeks felt like months, and months turned into years. Honestly, a part of me was lost in that cell, but that’s a part of the journey.”
“Now, witnessing the distortions of the narrative, I find myself on this side,” he continues, speaking with clarity.
“I was in darkness, but now I see,” he asserts.
