A video surfaced capturing actor Denzel Washington helping a wandering homeless man to safety before local officials arrived on the scene.
Reports by TMZ claim the man had been walking into traffic when Washington got out of his car and helped moved the man to the side. Police arriving on the scene allowed Washington to help before they handcuffed the man and took him to get checked out.
MORE NEWS: Grounded Flights and Political Turbulence
I find it very interesting that Washington didn’t simply pull out his phone to record a potentially hostile situation, only to upload it to social media for likes. No, he noticed an American in distress, he walked over to help to defuse the matter.
Police allowed Denzel to get involved. Perhaps it was his celebrity that helped. I say that because there are countless times on video, where people have tried to help the unfortunate, and we’re met with threats of arrest or violence from the cops.
In the George Floyd fatal arrest, bystanders tried incredibly hard to tell the cops to stop. However, the arresting officer wasn’t letting them close asked them to go back on the sidewalk.
Washington wore a mask as he came to the man’s aid, standing several feet away from him through most of their encounter. At one point in video footage TMZ obtained of the incident, Washington gently squeezed the man on the shoulder while standing at arm’s length.
Per TMZ, Washington walked the man, who did not appear to recognize the actor, to safety and comforted him. Washington stayed on the scene when police arrived. The police briefly detained the man for unknown reasons before releasing him.
Washington’s act of kindness is just the latest in a proud tradition of fate turning celebrities into the occasional good samaritan. Some other examples include Ryan Gosling rescuing a British blogger from being hit by a car in 2012, John Malkovich helping a man who was hit by a piece of fallen scaffolding by stopping the bleeding until paramedics arrived, and Brad Pitt saving a little girl from getting trampled by a large crowd.
MORE NEWS: [VIDEO] Store in Minneapolis Guarded by Armed American Citizens Didn’t Burn Down or Get Looted
It shouldn’t take a celebrity. There should be others who respond to “commotions” and homeless people rather than the police. There are #CredibleMessengers doing what Denzel is doing in cities across the country. They are as vital to public safety as any government institution.
Denzel Washington saw a commotion in West Hollywood with cops and an unarmed distressed homeless man. He got out of his car and served as a barrier between the man and the police — helping to diffuse a tense situation. This man was arrested safely.🌎❤️ pic.twitter.com/4UyYdX1vT6
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) May 28, 2020
Washington is a class act. He does many charitable things that don’t get recognized. He does it because he is genuine, not looking for the press.
This piece was written by Wayne Dupree on May 28, 2020. It originally appeared in WayneDupree.com and is used by permission.
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Steve Gruber.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.