Patrick Hutchinson carries a white protester while surrounded by police (Image: Reuters)
Read the article: James Robinson, Tom Pyman, and William Cole. "Hero Black Lives Matter supporter reveals the moment he carried white 'far-right' protester '.." The Daily Mail, U.K. 14 June 2020.
This article was very powerful to me because it shows that despite all the controversy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, one man showed us all what it's really about. Patrick Hutchison made the decision to stand up for what’s right -- which is saving someone’s life no matter what they believe in, or the color of their skin.
Not even knowing who the man he was rescuing was, in the midst of all the chaos, he saw that the anti-Black Lives Matter protestor was getting kicked and brutally beaten and he couldn’t stand by and watch that happen.
Patrick Hutchison was the man who rescued the protestor who was getting beaten. When he was interviewed he brought up a good point that if the three officers who were standing by while their colleague kneeled on George Floyd’s neck would have stepped in and broken it up, like he did, then George Floyd would be alive today.
This uprising for social justice was bound to happen sooner or later but it should never have to be at the expense of someone’s life. The news story goes to show the importance of the love and respect that we need to show towards each other, and the courage it takes to do so in difficult times.
There is already so much hatred and cruelty in the world that we don’t need to add to it. Patrick Hutchison's act of kindness highlights what we need to move towards and how each individual act can be a powerful model of the kind of community we wish to build. One in which you can love yourself and love others no matter what the color of their skin is. It's an idea worth dying for.
~~ Shawntea Mahdi (Class of '23)
Please take a moment to show the courage of loving beyond one's self. Please click on the button to the left and invest in empowering a Gator in need. Let's show the transformative power of love.
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