Rahul Dubey is a first generation American, whose parents came from India. He works in the field of healthcare innovation and is a 17-year resident of Washington DC. On Tuesday night, Rahul found his street flooded with thousands of protesters being pushed back, pepper sprayed and pinned down by the police. Without a second thought, Rahul opened the door of his home and ushered in and sheltered over 60 protesters, thus turning hero for demonstrators who had nowhere to go as the police attacked them.
Speaking to NBC News, Dubey said, "I don't think there was even a choice in what I did, to be honest. The crowd just came racing through like a tornado… We had to keep the door open and just kept grabbing people and pulling them in. It's the same that you would if it's a storm, and you would have let anyone into your home, I know that."
Dubey not only provided refuge to the protestors but also gave many water and milk to ease their burning eyes due to the pepper spray, he continually made efforts to negotiate with the police outside his door to allow the protestors to leave, he charged many of their cell phones and even ordered them pizza.
The United States has been rocked by protests for more than a week over the custodial death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died after a white police officer pinned Floyd down with his knee to his neck.
Protestors have taken to the streets all across the USA with many agitations turning violent due to the use of excess force by the police, including tear gas and pepper spray.
The protestors on Swann Street in Washington DC on Tuesday night were out past curfew time when Dubey gave them refuge from the police. Some of the protestors he sheltered posted their messages of appreciation on Twitter, thanking him for providing them a space to hunker down till the morning after the curfew ended.