It started with a sign: "Free Hugs."
That's what Portland, Ore., police Sgt. Bret Barnum said caught his eye: a 12-year-old boy, holding that sign, at a protest rally held on Nov. 25 in the wake of the decision not to indict a white Ferguson police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.
Barnum said he and the boy, Devonte Hart, spoke about "demonstration, school, art and life." According to the Oregonian, "As the conversation ended, Sgt. Barnum pointed to his sign and asked, 'Do I get one of those?'"
The image of their embrace, taken by freelance photographer Johnny Nguyen, has since been shared several hundred thousand times on social media and is one of the most iconic images to emerge from the protests. Nguyen told The Huffington Post on Sunday that it has become "an icon of hope."
Hart's story, a heartwarmer, has gotten additional attention: "By the time he was 4 years old he had smoked, consumed alcohol, handled guns, been shot at, and suffered severe abuse and neglect," according to Paper Trail. Hart and his two siblings were adopted by a married couple seven years ago.
"He inspires me every single day," his mom, Jen, told Paper Trail. "He has proven doctors, psychologists and teachers wrong. His future is most definitely not bleak, he is a shining star in this world. His light shines bright on everyone on his path."
Jen and her wife Sarah added more details about her son's conversation with Sgt. Barnum in a Facebook post: "Their interaction was uncomfortable at first. ... There were generic questions about his favorite subject and what he liked to do in the summer, but the one that mattered hit straight to the heart.
"He asked Devonte why he was crying. His response about his concerns regarding the level of police brutality towards young black kids was met with an unexpected and seemingly authentic (to Devonte), 'Yes. *sigh* I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'"
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