McHenry, MD – This year, the Garrett County Democratic Central Committee (GCDCC) is holding its annual Roosevelt Kennedy Democratic Dinner on Thursday, June 17th, 2025. The theme for this year’s dinner is “Heroes: Honor Them! Be Them!” It is a ticketed event, and the dinner is sold out, making it one of the largest, most attended annual dinners in years. Part of the draw for local Democrats is the evening’s guest speaker, Harry Dunn, a Capital Police Officer on shift when the U.S. Capitol was breeched on January 6th, 2021, in Washington, D.C..
Says Judy A. Carbone, Chair of the GCDCC, “We are honored to have with us a man who was reluctantly thrust onto the national stage as a true and humble hero and a relentless warrior for democracy. His work in that capacity didn’t end with the event that brought him there, as he continues to this day to speak out and tirelessly advocate for our country on behalf of all Americans.”
On January 6, 2021, Harry Dunn was one of the brave U.S. Capitol police officers who protected the country as a mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
In 2022, Officer Dunn sat in the same seat before the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack for seven weeks. His testimony before Congress detailed the horrors he faced on January 6, from facing down the mob’s deluge of racial hatred to wondering if he’d make it home alive that night. “What people have to realize is that I’m not only a police officer, but I’m a victim,” Dunn told The Hill. “I’m an American citizen who cares about this country and wants to see it do right. I’m a patriot. I’m a voter. I’m a taxpaying citizen. This is my country, and I deserve to know the truth and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Photo of Harry Dunn
Officer Dunn is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Standing My Ground (2023). It is described as “‘the story of a man who refused to stay quiet when he learned that some of the men and women he had risked his life protecting, who knew him by name, would deny the horrors they faced. That’s when he chose to speak up and to seek out what his hero John Lewis once termed ‘good trouble.’ Dunn’s ongoing story as a witness willing to meaningfully engage with the media, lawmakers, and the public provides a backdrop for examining the political and racial divide in this country—one that we must overcome in order to demand accountability and preserve our precious democracy.”
In recognition of Officer Dunn’s role, President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal. The medal is the second-highest award a civilian can get and is given by the president to “U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” He and his colleagues were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Dunn left the Capitol Police in December of 2023 to run for an open seat in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District, which he lost to eventual winner Sarah Elfreth.
Officer Dunn, a certified crisis negotiation and crisis intervention officer for the US Capitol Police, credits his parents with instilling in him the values of treating people right. He earned a degree in public health education and promotion from James Madison University and was a starting offensive lineman for the 2004 national championship team. Officer Dunn has equated his football experience to his law enforcement experience. “In sports, you learn to do things for the guys and work together to achieve common goals,” Dunn said.
His book is available for purchase at the dinner and also at the Book Mark’et on Second Street in Oakland, MD.
A wait list is currently open, should additional tickets become available for the Roosevelt Kennedy Democratic Dinner. Persons on the wait list will be contacted in the order their request is received and only if a ticket is available. If you would like to be added to the wait list, please send an email to the GCDCC at gcdemcc@gmail.com.
For more information on the Democratic Party in Garrett County, please visit www.gcdems.com.
Photo cutline: Garrett Countians pictured with Harry Dunn at a reception at the home of then Congressman David Trone on October 16, 2024. Pictured are Garrett County Democratic Club members Ken Newbaker and Lori Richards; GCDCC Chair Judy A. Carbone; Harry Dunn; Garrett County Democratic Club officer Charlene Pullias; Mary Ann Rose; and GCDCC Member and Mountain Maryland Young Democrats President Lillia Rose.
