The black director of South Carolina's public safety agency said Monday he was surprised a photo showing him helping a white man wearing a racist T-shirt went viral. But now that it has, he is hoping it will be a catalyst for people to work toward overcoming hate and violence.
Leroy Smith said in a statement that the photo, taken at a Ku Klux Klan rally, captured "who we are in South Carolina" and represents what law enforcement is all about: helping people "regardless of the person's skin color, nationality or beliefs."
"I consider myself like every other officer who was out there braving the heat on Saturday to preserve and protect," he said.
The photo, taken by Gov. Nikki Haley's spokesman, shows Smith leading the unidentified man, who is suffering from the heat, to shade at the top of the Statehouse steps, to be treated by local emergency workers. The man has a swastika on his T-shirt.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Photo Gone Viral: Black official in SC comes to aid of racist suffering heat exhaustion
Protesting can be hard work especially when someone gets all worked up and emotional about a Confederate flag and saving their 'heritage'. See the picture that's gone viral and an excerpt from the text of the story: