Twenty FBI agents just lost their jobs for taking a knee during a protest. Let that sink in.
In the next minute I’ll tell you why this matters to every American who cares about free expression and public trust.
Washington DC, June 2020. A crowd of protesters pressed against a line of FBI agents outside the Washington Field Office. Tempers were high, voices loud, and the agents were outnumbered. In that tense moment, a few agents chose to kneel.
Multiple agents said it wasn’t a political move. It was a de-escalation tactic to calm the crowd and avoid violence.
Photos of the kneeling spread quickly. Internal reviews at the time found no policy violation and no political message.
Fast forward to this year: sources say as many as twenty of those agents have now been fired. Some were reassigned first, then quietly let go. The FBI refuses to comment.
The FBI agents’ association is condemning the terminations as dangerous and damaging to morale, warning it will hurt recruitment and put the country at risk.
When public servants face punishment for a split-second decision to keep the peace, it signals a deeper problem. Trust in leadership erodes when actions meant to protect people are treated as wrongdoing, firing offenses and even crimes.
Follow what my community and I are talking about and doing over on Uncensored Objection. Get more updates on how power really works inside our political and justice system and share if this resonates with you.
Mitch Jackson, Esq.
On Bluesky
