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Paul Allard Hodgkins, the First Guy Sentenced for the Jan. 6 Riot — What Did He Do?
I’ve been fighting right wing gangs in the street since I was a kid, from the skins to the Proud Boys. Nonetheless, I’m here to speak in Hodgkins’ defense.
Paul Allard Hodgkins, a long-haired 38-year-old crane operator from Florida who would fit right in at a Pearl Jam concert, has been sentenced to eight months in prison for his part in the January 6th Riot.
Hodgkins did not carry a gun. He didn’t assault anybody. He didn’t damage any property. He’s not a member of the Proud Boys or any militia. He was not involved in planning the assault on the capitol, nor the protest which preceded it. There are photos of him in the Senate Chamber, holding a Trump flag and wearing a Trump shirt, the MAGA Shaman’s bare torso and spear visible in the background. Another photo shows him right around that same time, posing for another photo with five other unarmed people in that same room. It’s not clear how much time Hodgkins spent inside the building, but the last of the rioters are said to have left the building about an hour after they entered. So that’s what he did. He marched with the crowd into the Senate Building, hung around for a while taking selfies, then left peacefully.
Hodgkins’ own version of events, one which is not substantially refuted by the…
