Rachel Powell

A libertarian at heart, she thought that the oppressive governmental lockdowns were illegal and just a bridge too far.  It was a wake-up call for her, even though she’d never really that interested or involved politically. But watching how votes magically appeared in several voting locations in Georgia and elsewhere during the 2020 election, she could not stay silent.  At one point, Rachel posted a seven-minute video outside a local gym that had been closed indefinitely.  Her gym.  Rachel was not happy.  On the video she says of local law enforcement, “Police need to see there’s people who are devoted citizens and are not afraid of you guys showing up in your masks. We’re going to be here banded together, and we’re not afraid of you.”

And so began her ascent from the middle to the right. Before that, she was ambivalent or even against Trump. Now she supported him, feeling that he was behind the average American and was denied a second term. That really incensed her.  So, on January 6th, she was there, at the rallies, and later went to the Capital to, as the MSM said, “storm the Capital”, as they dubbed the protests “insurrection” and other false narratives intended to deny Trump the opportunity to run again. Several TV and newspaper outlets ran pictures of Rachel showing her wearing a pink hat and sunglasses. There were also pictures of Rachel using a metal stick to smash a window and a bullhorn to call to her fellow patriots. “People should probably coordinate together if you’re going to take this building,” she called out, leaning out the broken window.  They wanted inside. They wanted to let Congress know that at least they must conduct an investigation on all the shenanigans that occurred on election day.

When the dust settled, Rachel became known as, “The Bullhorn Lady” and “Pink Hat Lady,” from her pink beanie, trying to get inside the building. She appeared on an FBI wanted posters, was featured in cable-television news shows, and became an obsessive focus of crowdsourced layman such as “sedition hunters” a group of unemployed liberal women with nothing better to do than spend all day image searching to report their findings to the FBI. A man named Forrest Rogers, a German-American business began an online group called the Deep State Dogs, also dedicated, apparently, to deepening the Deep State.  They eventually identified Powell and reported her to the FBI.

In her first comments after Jan 6th, Rachel acknowledged her role in the events at the Capitol. During a two-hour telephone interview, she said her conduct had been spontaneous and not in coordination with an organized, radicalized group, as the MSM was reporting.  In the interview she also stated, “I have no military background. . . I’m a mom with eight kids. That’s it. I work. And I garden. And raise chickens. And sell cheese at a farmers’ market.”

Rachel was arrested by the FBI on February 4, 2021 at her home.  She also had some legally owned guns. They were confiscated, and she was placed under house arrest 24/7, wearing an ankle bracelet.  In April of 2023, a federal grand jury finally indicted Powell on nine counts, including three felonies and six misdemeanors. She chose a bench trial, most likely to avoid a costly trial with a lawyer.  So, on July 18, 2023, Rachel was found guilty on all charges including; civil disorder, obstruction, which is being challenged before the Supreme Court, destruction of U.S. property, entering a restricted building or property with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and 4 more misdemeanors.

On October 17, 2023, Rachel was sentenced to 57 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release but as the wheels of government slowly, she didn’t start serving time until on January 9, 2024. In a true miscarriage of justice, she received no credit for her home confinement. 

Pray for Rachel.  To keep up spirits and for notes of encouragement, please write to Rachel at: