Ashli Babbit’s mother had no cellphone, purse, or laces on her shoes when she was released after being arrested for allegedly jaywalking on the 2-year anniversary of her daughter’s death last week.
“I had to do the walk of shame with no shoestrings,” said Michelle Witthoeft. “That was kind of interesting. I didn't have any way to let anybody know I was out. Before I got arrested, I gave my phone, my purse, and my rose to friends.”
The grieving mother had hoped to place a rose on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in honor of her daughter who was shot and killed by Capitol Police after she tried to climb through the shattered window of a door leading into the House of Representatives.
Instead, Witthoeft was charged with failure to obey and obstructing traffic and although she could have admitted guilt, paid a $150 fine, and moved on quickly, Witthoeft prefers to have her day in court on Jan. 26.
“We were walking from the U.S. Supreme Court on three feet of one lane and the police came around and blocked off all four lanes,” she said. “One cop was a little overzealous with his enforcement of the law...just screaming and yelling at people. They were so condescending.”
The San Diego resident sat in a jail cell for two hours at the Capitol Police Headquarters and once released, she didn't want to hang around and ask the police for directions.
“After you've been arrested and they say you can leave, you just get out of there as fast as you can,” Witthoeft told the Southern California Record.
She walked two miles from Capitol Police Headquarters to rejoin the other Jan. 6 supporters who were placing flowers on the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol grounds in honor of Babbit’s death.
“When I was first able to sleep, I did have a dream where Ashley came to me and told me about political prisoners that I was unaware of because I hadn't turned on the TV in weeks so when I'm here and I have these men in my heart, it’s because of my daughter,” Witthoeft said. “I definitely feel her presence here.”
More than 880 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states in connection to the Jan. 6 rally, according to Department of Justice data.
Witthoeft has been maintaining a nightly vigil at the Central Detention Facility in Washington, D.C. since August 1, 2022, to memorialize Babbit’s death and support the Jan. 6 defendants who are incarcerated there.
As previously reported in the Southern California Record, she collects donations on a website called www.4Ashli.com to help support them and attends nightly vigils that are streamed on the website.
“This Friday will be their first day of visitation after two years of no video visitation, and no in-person visitation, and they also now have religious services,” she added.
Witthoeft doesn’t have any immediate plans for the future. For now, she plans to continue the vigils.
“I'm going to be here until I feel like it's time for me to go and I'm not going to go because they arrested me for a silly little crime," she said. "They're going to have to shoot me to shut me up because this is just unacceptable.”