By Canadian Press

As some protesters in D.C. gird for battle, others provide first aid, supplies

Jun 3, 2020 | 9:26 AM

WASHINGTON — Moving among the pulsing mass of angry activism outside the White House, a handful of people are on hand to provide help and first aid to police and protesters alike.

Morris Crawford, a former U.S. military combat medic, totes a backpack filled with medical supplies outside Lafayette Square, the front line in a standoff between demonstrators and troops armed with truncheons and riot shields.

Others drag a wagon loaded with water, snacks and bottles of milk to ease the sting of pepper spray, urging those in the crowd to take what they need.

Still more squirt sanitizer into outstretched hands — a pointed reminder of the threat of COVID-19, which stalks Americans through the tensest cultural crisis since the civil rights movement of the 1960s. 

Crawford, no stranger himself to discrimination at the hands of police, says he wants police reform to help law-enforcement officials better navigate America’s racial divide.

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In the meantime, he says he and others will help dress the wounds of anyone who needs help, regardless of which side of the divide they’re on.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2020.

The Canadian Press