BOSTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – Vincent Gillespie fought for years in court to reclaim hundreds of artworks by his father, famed postwar American painter Gregory Gillespie.
Prosecutors allege Gillespie took part in a totally different sort of struggle on January 6, 2021, when he joined rioters in an attempt to gain control of the Capitol Building from the federal government during one of the riot’s most violent clashes.
According to NBC NEWS, Gillespie was part of a crowd trying to push their way through a passage at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol – an attack which almost succeeded, according to authorities.
The AP video of a flushed Gillespie milling around outside the Capitol on the day, defiantly speaking regarding his involvement in the attack — and his grieve that more like-minded individual people didn’t join the battle — reveal both the detail of tenacity of several of the rioters, as well as the ambiguity others felt about what they would do when inside.
Gillespie engaged in a violent battle with law enforcement personnel attempting to keep protesters from entering the building when a joint assembly of Congress was certifying Electoral College votes, according to FBI investigators.
Outside the Capitol, the Athol, Massachusetts, resident was seen putting water in his eyes, allegedly to mitigate the effect of chemical spray used to attempt to control the throng.
At the time, Gillespie told the Associated Press that he was with those trying to attack the building. According to Gillespie, he and many others attempted to break through an opening.
What was less evident to Gillespie that day, though, was what he and the others accompanying him might do if they had been successful in seizing possession of the Capitol.
When the AP journalist asked for his name, Gillespie was eager to respond, but he was hesitant to tell where he was from.
Gillespie was eventually charged with 7 criminal charges in the Capitol, namely disorderly conduct, assaulting officers, and civil disorder. He has submitted a not guilty plea.
He’s one of more than 775 individuals detained in virtually all 50 states and the District of Columbia in association with the pro-Trump mob’s attempt to prevent Joe Biden’s 2020 election win from being announced on Jan. 6. Rioters broke windows, shattered doors, and thrashed and bruised police officers who were poorly unprepared for the mob.
Gregory Gillespie, whose geometric abstractions, fantasy landscapes, and self-portraits are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other institutions, is Vincent’s father.
Gillespie’s artworks are also at the core of a long-running and ultimately failed court struggle with his stepmother and her attorneys for custody of the works. Vincent Gillespie identified his father as a notable artist who left over 400 expensive paintings when he passed away in a court petition dated 2020.
Investigators noted Gillespie’s involvement in the incidents of Jan. 6, 2021, appears fully documented, particularly in videos and images that assisted tipsters identify him.
According to the Department of justice, many photographs of Gillespie partaking in the violence were obtained on open-source video and surveillance cameras.
Image via NBC News
