Man surrounded by Patriot Front in viral photo has message for nation

What began as a routine Independence Day commute quickly transformed into an unsettling encounter for Roswell Encina, capturing a stark visual contrast on the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Encina, president and CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, was traveling to a July 4 party in Maryland when the atmosphere inside his Washington Metro train abruptly shifted.

The ride had started with typical holiday scenes: tourists and locals dressed in patriotic colors, families with children, and passengers heading toward the Smithsonian and Capitol South stations for the festivities.

“It was fun to see that, you know, just average Americans, people with babies, people with children, people from all over the country,” Encina told Newsweek.

After many of the families and tourists exited, a large group of masked men began boarding the car.

“I noticed a big group of men in masks and hats and sunglasses about to board,” Encina said. “I froze. I was really not expecting that.”

The men were members of Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, who were riding the transit system during America’s semiquincentennial celebrations. The encounter was captured in a widely circulated Getty Images photograph by photographer Finn Gomez, which shows Encina seated on the train as masked members of the group stand and sit around him. A similar photograph from Reuters, showing a woman surrounded by group members on a separate train, also gained significant traction online.

For Encina, the experience lasted about 30 minutes.

“It was a little unsettling and very uncomfortable,” he said. “At first, I’m like, do I try to get off? And I wasn’t sure who they were either. But it was very unnerving as I started reading what was on their patches.”

Encina said he discreetly searched online for the group while still on the train. He had not known who Patriot Front was before the encounter.

“When I realized the situation I was in, as a person who works in history and celebrating civics, it was hard,” he said. “You’re balancing documenting what was happening.”

The presence of the Getty photographer, Encina said, provided some reassurance.

“He added some comfort, knowing that somebody else was there to at least document if anything happened,” he said.

Encina said members of the group did not directly confront him. He tried not to make eye contact while they talked among themselves. The only exchange, he said, came as people were getting off the train.

“One of them said something to me when we were all getting off the car on the Metro. He was letting us go before,” Encina said. “And I said, ‘No, go ahead.’ That was the most communication I had with any of them.”

But the timing of the moment, on the 250th anniversary of American independence, gave it a weight that Encina said he could not ignore.

“It’s the Fourth of July, which gives it a bigger, kind of powerful meaning of going through this experience,” he said. “A moment like this allows you to reflect on the history of the country, especially on the 250th anniversary.”

Encina described the United States as a country with “both achievement and violence,” and said the image should prompt reflection on democracy, civic education and the country’s unresolved divisions.

“There is work to be done,” he said.

What happened on July 4?

Hundreds of members of Patriot Front marched through Washington, D.C., on July 4 as crowds gathered for the America250 celebrations, President Donald Trump’s speech and the evening fireworks display. 

Reuters reported that the group said it had brought about 400 members to the capital. Members were seen in matching blue shirts, khaki pants, white face coverings and caps, carrying Patriot Front flags, Confederate flags and variations of the U.S. flag. They marched near Union Station and Capitol Hill while chanting slogans including “Reclaim America.”

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told Newsweek on Saturday via email: “The MPD was tracking First Amendment activities that occurred on Saturday morning in the Eastern Market neighborhood. MPD recognizes the rights of individuals to peacefully express their views and remains committed to maintaining public safety and security for DC residents and visitors.”

Encina also saw the Reuters image of another passenger surrounded by members of the group. He said that photograph was part of why he decided to speak publicly about his own experience.

What is Patriot Front?

Patriot Front is widely described by organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as a white nationalist or white supremacist organization. The group was founded in 2017 by Thomas Rousseau after the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, when it split from Vanguard America.

According to the group’s manifesto on its website, Patriot Front emphasizes America’s European-descended founding population and calls for what it describes as a national “hard reset.” Critics and extremism researchers say the organization attempts to present itself as patriotic and mainstream while promoting what researchers describe as racist, anti-immigrant and white supremacist beliefs.

The group has become known for highly choreographed marches, matching uniforms, face coverings and flash-mob-style demonstrations designed to generate striking photographs and social media attention.

For Encina, whose work centers on the history of the U.S. Capitol and civic education, the encounter cut across personal and professional lines.

He described himself as the son of immigrants. His father served in the U.S. Navy, and his parents, who are Filipino American, stressed the importance of voting and civic participation. Encina said he became a naturalized U.S. citizen and still remembers casting his first presidential ballot in 1988 at the U.S. Embassy while living in the Philippines.

“As history shows, voting for folks like me, a person of color, was never - it was a hard path to get there. I never take it for granted,” he said. 

Encina said he hopes the photograph, and the wider response to it, becomes a “teachable moment” rather than only an image of confrontation or discomfort.

“I really want people to know that civic education matters,” he said. “Democracy works and is strongest when the public stays informed, stays engaged, and understands our history.”

As America marks 250 years since independence, Encina said the country should not only celebrate its past but also understand the work required to preserve its future.

“Yes, we are celebrating 250 years,” he said, “But we need to make sure that we can make it to another 250 years.”

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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 1:40 PM.