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The Man Who Captured the Insurrection
Photographer Mel D. Cole has turned his lens on the folks taking to the streets for Trump — both Black and White
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“Kill him with his own gun!”
On January 6, photographer Mel D. Cole watched in horror as a police officer attempting to reach the entrance of the Capitol building was dragged down the steps by a mob of rioters. Though he was shocked, Cole didn’t put his camera down; instead, he exhibited the resolve to photograph the cop being beaten, robbed of his badge, and nearly killed with his own weapon.
The result was an image that halts breathing. To witness it is to feel a sense of suffocation.
It was only one of the dozens of pictures and videos Cole captured within the chaos at the Capitol — images that would go viral on his Instagram account the following day. On his feed are stunning shots and short visuals of rioters in various emotional states, from enraged (waving an American flag and yelling to rally rioters) to pained (crying while desperately pouring water or milk into gas-stung eyes). His following spiked from 74,000 to over 124,000; CNN and the New York Times came calling. January…
