A truly uplifting story.
Antonio Gwynn is an 18-year-old high school senior in Buffalo, New York. Two years ago, Gwynn’s mother died and he was taken in by a friend, Duane Thomas. On May 29th, Gwynn participated in a peaceful protest against the brutal murder of George Floyd, marching for hours. Finally, tired, he went home to get some rest and watch videos of some of the nationwide protests. But, what he saw when he woke the next morning stunned him.
He saw that his hometown’s peaceful streets had turned violent after he left, with a confrontation between protesters and U.S. marshals in front of the federal courthouse, windows smashed at downtown businesses, and protesters reporting that they had been hit by police rubber bullets.
“I was sad to watch all of that. There was a huge mess downtown. I thought, ‘I should go out there and clean it all up.’”
And…
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hughcurtler 
This made my day! I hope it will make yours.
Dr. Curtler,
The story you present has both disheartening and heartening aspects.
First, the looting and trashing of private businesses and public spaces is disheartening.
It disheartens me because I regard it as wrong. It disheartens me because the actions of a few detract from the powerful moral message of those who peacefully protest.
Finally, I am disheartened because many who are wealthy and powerful will not pay heed to protests unless they are accompanied by violence – and then, for them, violence becomes the issue rather than the conditions that lead to the protests in the first place.
I have a basic understanding of the conditions that nurture violence. I understand violence as an illegitimate expression of legitimate rage. Indeed, I can even predict when it might occur, what the police response is likely to be, what the response to the police response is likely to be, etc., etc. Still, it is disheartening.
Yet that is not all. I am greatly heartened by the presence of such a diversity of protesters. Their number is astounding. Their persistence is impressive. Theirs is truly an historic action, though if history is any guide little will come of it. We can hope, but we shall see.
And, finally, it all comes down to acts of individuals who step forward to do what is right. Right for them; right for all of us. Such is the tale of Antonio Gwynn.
His is a singular, but not sole, act of goodness that should hearten all of us.
It certainly has that effect upon me.
Thank you for sharing his story.
Regards, respects, and best wishes,
Jerry Stark