Chance encounter at Portland’s Ferguson protest leads to hug between officer, 12 year old boy
By Gosia Wozniacka
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. _ A touching photo of a white police officer hugging an African-American boy at a Portland protest this week has drawn heavy attention on social media.
The moment was captured by a photographer covering a protest in Portland, Oregon, over a Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown.
At the Portland rally was 12-year-old Devonte Hart, who stood crying out of sadness over the events in Ferguson. He was holding a “Free Hugs” sign.
Portland Police Sgt. Bret Barnum saw the boy’s sign and asked if he could have a hug. The boy gave him one.
Devonte’s mom Jen Hart was there Tuesday and remembers the moment as “one of the most emotionally charged experiences I’ve had as a mother.”
Alwin Marshall-Squire is the Editor-in-Chief of S-Q Publications Inc., overseeing editorial strategy for GTA Weekly, GTA Today, and Vision Newspaper. He leads the publications’ mission to deliver bold, original journalism focused on the people and communities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, and the global Caribbean diaspora.
Also writes for GTA Weekly and GTA Today.
