Speaking at the U.S. Capitol last week, Brian Mock, who was sentenced to 33 months in prison for crimes related to Jan. 6, 2021, detailed his painful experiences while incarcerated, including what he described as an excessive use of solitary confinement. He decried the justice system for inhumane prison conditions and called on President Trump to help people incarcerated in federal prison who could be eligible for early release.
“This is the evolution of Jan. 6 activism post-pardon,” said Mock, 46, of Marshall, Minn.“Civil rights and humanitarian issues are what we’re here about. … So I’m here to stand up for prisoners.” Jan. 6 defendants are now embracing prison reform as their cause, the Washington Post reports. In Washington state, the wife of a Jan. 6 defendant started a nonprofit to help children with incarcerated parents. Another January 6 defendant is behind behind Stop Hate, an organization that supports Jan. 6 defendants and says that it wants Congress to address inmates' neglected medical needs, due process violations and changes to solitary confinement.
At last month's Conservative Political Action Conference, J6ers talked about plans for launching new organizations, road-tripping to advocate for prison reform and filing lawsuits aimed at changing the criminal justice system. Mock hopes to forge an unlikely alliance with advocates on the left who say the justice system disproportionately locks up Black people. Mock asked Trump to commute the sentences of all federal prisoners who have served at least 50 percent of their sentence and are eligible for early release under the First Step Act, which shortens sentences for some offenders and expands job training and other programs.
Mock, co-founder of a civil liberties division of the On Your Six Foundation, which supports veterans, announced his intent to file a class-action lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice, claiming they are violating the requirements of the First Step Act. In December, the American Civil Liberties Union also sued the BOP, alleging that its failure to implement the law violated the rights of thousands of people who should be released from custody but were being illegally held.