After watching a D.C. police officer get injured during the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week, a young girl in Montana wanted to do something.
Johnna Jablonksi had TV coverage of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on mute in the background at her home in Billings, Montana, when her 10-year-old daughter, Emma, suddenly stopped to watch.
“She immediately started to cry,” Johnna Jablonksi said.
The video that caught her attention was footage of a D.C. police officer being injured. “She just kept asking ‘What’s happening? Why are they doing this to him?'” the mother said.
Emma Jablonksi said she wanted to write him a letter.
“She said, ‘I want to let him know that I care,'” her mother said.
Johnna Jablonksi reached out on Twitter to see if she could get the officer’s name to send him the letter and got in touch with D.C. police. Her post went viral.
Hi Emma – thanks for sharing your card! Just wanted to let you know Officer Hodges is recovering and doing well. Thank you for the kind words! We’ll DM you an address of where to send it! @JohnnaJablonski https://t.co/rzByMALqPF
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 12, 2021
The officer was identified as Daniel Hodges. Emma Jablonksi was able to talk with him on a video call on Tuesday.
Johnna Jablonksi said D.C. Police told her they want to send her daughter a police patch for her room.
“We just appreciate that officer already going through what he did and being able to reach out to Emma,” Johnna Jablonksi said. “She said, ‘That made me so happy seeing him.'”
Johnna Jablonksi said she thinks it’s important to talk with your kids about current events and to use their gifts to express their feelings.
“She finds writing as part of her therapy,” Johnna Jablonksi said. “It’s important to know your kids are watching and that talking with them about what’s going on in the world is really crucial.”
