Washington — Congressman Jason Crow is launching a new democracy initiative to mark the one year anniversary of the January 6 attack. The Colorado Democrat has created a “Democracy in Action” toolkit to engage citizens, civic organizations and members of Congress over the next year.
“Reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the violent insurrection at the Capitol is not just an exercise in history,” Crow said in a statement to CBS News.
The toolkit will include a concrete list of actions to encourage Americans to get more involved in the elections process and to advocate for issues they care about as a way to reaffirm their commitment to democracy. Crow says he hopes the effort will combat some of the “disturbing forces” that he believes have been at play since the attack.
“We are facing a surging domestic violent extremist movement in this country, disinformation and misinformation campaigns promoted by foreign adversaries and domestic groups, and we are experiencing an unprecedented assault on our voting system elevating party loyalists over the rule of law,” Crow noted.
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The former Army Ranger is leading a group of Democratic lawmakers who are sharing their reflections from January 6 as part of the observances at the Capitol on Thursday. Crow was trapped in the House Gallery during the riot along with other members. Bonded by their experience, they formed an informal support network called “the Gallery Group”. CBS News profiled the group last summer. It includes about two dozen House members who text and meet regularly.
“One of the things that a lot of us have been doing in the months since January 6, is stepping up to destigmatize,” Crow told CBS News in June. “It doesn’t matter who you are. When you experience something outside of the normal realm of human experience that’s not natural, it impacts you whether you realize it or not.”
Crow is kicking off his new democracy initiative in his Denver-area district but hopes to expand it to other communities this year.
