Black officer who helped KKK supporter says policing is helping people 'regardless of beliefs'

Leroy Smith says he hopes viral photo of his actions during Ku Klux Klan rally in Columbia will be a catalyst against violence of Charleston shootings

The black director of South Carolina’s public safety agency said on Monday he was surprised a photo showing him helping a white man wearing a racist t-shirt had gone viral. But he is hoping it will be a catalyst for people to work toward overcoming hatred 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 Governor Nikki Haley’s spokesman Rob Godfrey, 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.