‘Do good to them that hate you’

Anxieties abounded in Columbia, South Carolina on July 18 as white supremacists rallied to protest the removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse. Yet not everyone on the scene allowed the tensions to override their compassion. This image, taken by Columbia photographer Rob Godfrey, shows black police officer Leroy Smith helping an elderly white supremacist who was apparently battling heat exhaustion. The white man is wearing a T-shirt bearing a swastika and symbols associated with a neo-Nazi group. Smith is holding his arm as he helps him find refuge from the heat. Onlookers were surprised that a black officer would not hesitate to assist an outspoken white supremacist, but Smith told reporters that the photo shows “who we are in South Carolina.” He said his obligation is to assist everyone “regardless of the person’s skin color, nationality or beliefs … ” He added that he hopes the photo “will be a catalyst for people to work to overcome some of the hatred and violence we have seen in our country in recent weeks.”