Rahul Dubey, an Indian-origin resident of Washington, is being hailed as a ‘hero’ across social media, especially by Black Lives Matter, after he provided shelter to over 60 protesters during curfew on Monday to ensure they weren’t arrested. Rahul Dubey opened his door and sheltered an estimated 70 protesters for a night to protect them from being arrested. His name has been trending on social media and people have been leaving flowers by his house.
Across the USA, praise has poured in for Rahul Dubey for courageously stepping in and helping those in need and sheltering them during curfew. (Source: @kikivonfreaki/ Twitter)
Every privileged white person should look to Rahul Dubey as a role model for what a good citizen should be doing right now! We (the privileged) all need to be better#BlackLivesMatter
— Shylo (@shylo_smith) June 2, 2020
This man is a HERO. He sheltered about a hundred protestors in his home and kept them safe after the cops attacked. And he kept keeping them safe as cops tried to infiltrate. @MayorBowser @ChiefNewsham how dare you ask to INCREASE the cop budget? #WeKeepUsSafe #DivestfromMPD https://t.co/CZdCCqAZkt
— Claire Glenn (@JustAnotherPD) June 2, 2020
Rahul Dubey, the man who welcomed protesters into his home, gets a round of appause from protesters and supporters @ABC7News @ABC7GMW pic.twitter.com/IDISrnPTcx
— Kristen Powers (@ABC7Kristen) June 2, 2020
I swear I have been watching this story from Houston for a solid 8 hours. Rahul has my cynical heart mush. I want to hug him with a thousand arms.
— HRCSuperVol1 (@hrcsupervol01) June 2, 2020
This one says it all: “This man represents America far better that our President.”
This man represents America far better that our President.
— mpiatt (@mpiatt3) June 2, 2020
“Rahul Dubey in DC, a first gen Indian-American, is treating a massive number of protesters in his home while the cops repeatedly try and violate his rights by breaking in. The man is a hero and this is what South Asian solidarity looks like”
A group of protesters was marching away from the White House, a site of intense protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and were in the residential area of Swann Street when curfew began at 7 pm. Surrounded by police personnel, they risked being arrested for violating curfew that had been imposed with the sole aim of curbing violent protests. Reports said that was when Dubey frantically waved protesters into his house. Dubey said the police chased a “human tsunami” as far as the entrance of his house. “Inside, pandemonium ensued as some of the screaming protesters hit by pepper spray sought relief for their eyes with milk and water. On the back patio, neighbours pitched in by handing milk over the fence,” an Associated Press report said.
A protester, who asked to be identified only as Meka, told CNN that the protest was peaceful and people were just trying to figure out what to do when curfew began.
Early today, senior Congressman, Rahul Gandhi’s tweeted
Thank you Rahul Dubey for opening your heart and your home to the weak and the oppressed.https://t.co/L5pCf7bXVV
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 3, 2020
“I guess someone gave an order, and they just started pushing us, spraying mace, trampling people, and then that’s when everybody started panicking,” the 22-year-old college student said. Many people who had taken refuge in Dubey’s house tweeted about his generosity and how he kept everyone safe.
One of the protesters who was in Dubey’s house also made a video to refute claims that protesters were breaking into homes in the area. Dubey appeared in the video to clarify that he voluntarily opened his door and it was fine if all the people in his house had to stay the night there. While many praised Dubey for his actions, he said he didn’t think he had done “anything special.” Talking to a local media outlet, he said, “I know most people would’ve flung open that door.” Dubey said he felt the nation was “lost” and “very fragile,” and decided to help because no one is “doing anything about it, except for these people.”
“I hope that my 13-year-old son grows up to be just as amazing as they are,” the 44-year-old told ABC news channel WJLA on Tuesday after all the protesters left. None of them were arrested. Dubey also said he was in awe of the protestors.
“They were all strangers to each other before this started and when we were in that first hour we were all taking care of each other,” he told AP. As the night continued into early morning, Dubey said the group began “sharing stories of where they were on Sunday and what had happened and, you know, why Black Lives Matter and what they were feeling inside.”
As reports of his generosity were shared, his name started trending on Twitter. There was praise from across the world and people have even stopped by the house to leave flowers and thank you cards.
Washington, D.C. is among several US cities engulfed by protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in police custody in Minneapolis after an officer, who was later fired and charged with murder, pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes.
Protesters outside the White House were forcibly pushed back and reported being tear-gassed by police on Monday before Trump walked to a nearby church that had been defaced during the protests.
Related:
- I Can’t Breathe: George Floyd’s Last words
- In the US, some cops take a knee, march with protesters in solidarity