The Richmond Riots, Up Close: A Conversation with RPD Sgt. Michael Lewandoski

Welcome back to the podcast, I'm Jamie Baynes. This episode's guest is Richmond police sergeant Michael Lewandowski, also affectionately known as Ski. Ski and I worked Patrol in 1st Precinct back in the late 90's. Recently I posted about how people compare the day-long riot on January 6th with the months long riots in the Spring and Summer of 2020. Ski posted his account of being at ground zero when the Richmond riots kicked off, then added more to his experiences on the recent anniversary of those riots. Since the aftermath of that Spring and Summer still linger with me, I reached out to Ski to see if he'd be willing to talk to me about his experiences. He agreed and here he is. I hope you enjoy the episode. And as you're listening, make note of Ski's voice when he mentions how members of the Chesterfield Police Department came in on that first night to help out. It's very telling, then let me know what you think about the episode.

 I know some don't agree with me and probably will never agree with me about my views on January 6th and the riots in 2020. But to be honest, I could care less. My experiences were my own and I wasn't exposed to anywhere near the danger that Ski and the rest of the brave men and women of the Richmond Police Department, the Henrico Police Department, the Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department, the Chesterfield Police Department and the Virginia State Police faced. I obviously can't speak for all the officers who were subjected to the physical and verbal abuse from multiple sources, but it still affects me to this day and probably always will. I want to thank Ski for coming on the podcast and reliving such a horrible time in Richmond's history. Thanks for listening.

The photos in this episode were provided by Ski.