Eugene Goodman Now a National Hero Overnight As Internet loved seeing Eugene Escort Kamala Harris

Internet loved seeing Eugene Goodman escort Kamala Harris

Story at a glance

Eugene Goodman is a Capitol police officer who redirected a crowd to the Capitol during the rebellion.

Goodman has since been promoted and escorted Vice President Harris to the inauguration.

Though Goodman himself remained silent, he got a lot of online praise.

He became a national hero overnight, since Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman risked his own safety to divert a mob from the Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. The Black officer who stood alone against predominantly white Trump supporters in the weeks since has become a symbol of both the courage of Capitol Police officers and their leadership failure.

But Goodman, who escorted Vice President Harris to the stage on Inauguration Day, was revealed on national television as acting deputy sergeant-at-arms of the House, a promotion that received almost as much attention as his online camel coat and Gucci scarf.

While Goodman himself on that day did not speak publicly about his actions, the nation is abuzz with calls for honors. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives suggests that Goodman be given the Congressional Gold Medal “for his bravery and quick thinking” and a petition from Change.org of more than 80,000 signatures calls for him to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Officer Goodman, promoted to Acting Deputy Senate Sergeant at Arms, escorting our new VP. #InaugurationDay 

How it started: How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/WF5twCmRTe

— CJ Johnson (@cjjohnsonjr) January 20, 2021

 

“Officer Eugene Goodman recognized a critical moment where the lives of others were at stake. He courageously risked himself to divert rioters and exemplifies the courage [and] bravery that is the hallmark of Capitol law enforcement. In a very difficult time, his character shone through,” the petition states. “He is an American hero.”

Can we also talk about how good Eugene Goodman looked yesterday? In that lovely camel coat with his Gucci scarf. He looked so proud I hope he was pic.twitter.com/JnRh2XKo6m

— It’s me, Jazmin Lee! (@plusequalsuk) January 21, 2021