A Parallel Universe 3: Ghost Stories
Veteran, member of the Oath Keepers, and trans woman, Jessica Watkins speaks from prison. Part 3 of 5.
I have a theory about how we tell each other unbelievable stories, like a shiny version of boring truth, or a conspiracy theory for which there is little evidence: I call it the Ghost Story Theory. I tell you a story of something exciting, rare, like a glimpse of a glowing specter. The skin on your arm tenses with goosebumps, you hold your breath. There’s a little truth to it; a disembodied leg or a object moving on the very edge of my vision, seen long ago in a childhood fugue state. But I’ve exaggerated it ever so slightly to emphasize the crackling fear. That’s how a hazy light and a cold breeze becomes a floating silhouette. I know I’m lying but I see wonder in your widening eyes. You know I’m lying but your heart races. I know you know I’m lying, but we share the fiction together because it excites us, gives us chills, and it bonds us. Now we have the fabric of something we’ve woven together. The parent or teacher that tells us it was just the wind or a cracked window or a shadow is ruining the fun. They’re not to be listened to so we turn against them. We enjoy each other’s stories more.
Sitting together in the hot barn, the J6 Festival-goers listen to Jessica Watkins, who is calling in from the women’s prison. Jessica Watkins is a trans woman who has found support in this normally anti-trans crowd. I have enjoyed watching online forums over the last year bend around to accepting her as a human being to be supported and respected. Having the two boomer hosts of the conservative ‘Cowboy Logic’ web show on Rumble do a strained explanation of sexual identity with the awkwardness of gym teachers forced to teach sex ed is probably the best thing to come out of all of this, “and she is a… woman and for all intents and purposes that’s… how she’d like us to address her. So, alright.”
Jessica was put on trial with several Oath Keepers including Stewart Rhodes. The evidence against them was expansive. Text data reveals that Jessica had messaged her fellow Oath Keepers prior to traveling to DC, telling them to prepare for violence to keep Trump in office. During the confusion directly following November 3, she urged new members to get “fighting fit by inauguration,” and, “Be prepared to fight hand to hand. Now or never.” When testifying, she claimed that she was unaware of any plan to storm the US Capitol before that day, and that it felt overwhelmingly positive and patriotic. “I just got swept up there, we got up to the top of the stairs… we were singing the national anthem… it felt really American.”
Of the attack, she conveyed contrition on the stand.
“In my mind I thought it was this heroic American moment, we were going to be heard,” Jessica continues, “I lost all basic objectivity… I was just another idiot.” Apologizing to the police in the building, “I’m sorry to Officer Owens … He was the one on the other side of it, protecting the Capitol from my dumb ass.”
Today, serving out her sentence for 8 1/2 years, she has a very different story. “On January 6th we rescued police on different occasions, stopped vandalism, evicted protestors from the capitol at the behest of capitol police. We had a permit… held a prayer vigil at the rotunda, obeyed local orders of a curfew, and rescued a trump supporter who was being beaten by BLM activists.” No evidence has found any activity by Black Lives Matter in the capitol that day. Because, why would they? Officer Dunn, who Jessica says she and other Oath Keepers rescued, denied this claim in his testimony. “They didn’t.”
She repeats the claim that the Oath Keepers were brought in in an official capacity to give protection that day. Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, told Alex Jones on Infowars, “We were there on January 6th protecting people from Antifa, just like we had at the Stop the Steal events in the past… that’s what we were doing that day.” It’s worth mentioning here, I followed closely behind one of the stacks pushing into the tunnel and ultimately crushing an officer in the door. That’s a pretty unique kind of protection. Rhodes also claimed the Oath Keepers forced their way in to render medical care to Ashli Babbitt who was shot at 2:44pm, however Rhodes and Watkins entered between 2 and 2:30.
“They claimed we were armed to the teeth!” Jessica continues on the weak phone connection. Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, was found to have spent a small fortune in weapons on the way to DC including $6000 on an AR Platform rifle, $5000 on firearms including a shotgun, and $4500 in additional weapons and equipment. Text communication confirmed that there were stashes of weapons called ‘Quick Reaction Forces’ just outside of DC limits in case things “went kinetic.” The Oath Keepers stated desire, found in chat logs featured in the indictment, was to have Trump deploy the insurrection act and call up the militia as a new acting army.
“Our trial was a sham. They fabricated evidence. They claimed we were terrorists, falsified documents.” On “Cowboy Logic”, Jess claims that the Oath Keepers have “caught them [DOJ] in so many lies,” implying that both prosecutors and police have made false claims and Jessica has evidence to prove it. Like Tommy’s hint that he can “show you guys better,” that proof never seems to come.
As to the permit Jessica refers to, they did actually have a permit to be on the capitol that day. It’s worth noting that the permit, acquired by organizer Ali Alexander, was for 50 people, not inside the capitol building. Also worth noting: to date, Ali Alexander is a free man. Jessica’s phone time comes to an end, the crowd gives supportive applause, urging her to say strong.
For both Tommy and Jessica, the version in their mind is necessary. For those who beat cops and defaced government buildings only to be immortalized in history books as violent traitors and useful idiots, you can understand how you may search desperately for any explanation that sweeps away that ugly truth. Worse, you might search for it from jail, where countless indignities pile up, breaking any hope of a return to reason.
As the afternoon fades into golden hour, I give Clements’ film crew a hand, moving outside to film an interview with Zac Martin, the property owner and capitol rioter. “I’m not remorseful for standing up for what I believe in and I believe the election was stolen.” He smiles, happy to have hosted the event. He shakes his head with a pleased smile, “the whole world is on our side.” Read Part 4
