Man Who Sheltered D.C. Protesters From Police Named One of Time's 'Heroes of 2020'

A man who gave shelter to protesters on the night of June 1 following a night of rioting and arson by Black Lives Matter has been named one of Time magazine’s “Heroes of 2020.”

Rahul Dubey harbored about 70 people who were breaking curfew and were fleeing police. How many of those he gave shelter to had been out on the street committing vandalism and arson is unknown. But yeah, he’s a real hero.

The HIll:

Dubey told Time that following a 7 p.m. curfew implemented in the city in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, he noticed crowds forming on his street. He said he saw police setting up barricades to trap protesters, and then pepper-spraying the demonstrators.

“I open my door, and I start yelling, ‘Get in!’” Dubey, who works in health care, said. “All these people were swarming in.”

So the protesters were peacefully gathering, not causing anyone any trouble at all, and the cops just began to pepper-spray them for no reason?

Obviously, there’s more to this story, but any deviation from the “hero” narrative is forbidden.

“People were coughing, crying, strangers pouring milk into strangers’ eyes,” Dubey added. “They were sharing information, writing down numbers for bail bondsmen. It was this real camaraderie.”

Dubey claimed that police officers made several attempts to come into his house that evening, either by posing as protesters or trying to intercept a pizza delivery Dubey ordered.

Mr. Dubey was harboring people breaking the law. so naturally the police wanted to get in. But he has zero evidence that any cop who made it into his house would have been crazy enough to arrest anyone. No doubt, the police were trying to gather intel and placing a fake protester or getting a pizza delivery guy to get the lay of the land and take the protesters’ temperatures or something.

“It means a lot that TIME Magazine has recognized us as heroes of the year,” Dubey told the local outlet. “But it is a collective and I’m grateful for that.

“It puts D.C. back as a reminder of what this city is,” he added. “Not just politicians and bureaucrats, but people driving change.”

There is a theme in American history romanticizing the rebel — or the criminal. Billy the Kid was a murderous lawbreaker but was sensationalized in the media of the day. Jesse James told a newspaperman he was still fighting the Civil War by robbing trains and Northern banks and was made a hero in the South. John Dillinger, a cold-blooded killer, had style and personality and was embraced by many during the Depression.

Mr. Dubey is a dubious “hero.” Time made him a hero despite the danger of romanticizing and praising anti-police zealots. But their audience of left-wing nitwits needs to be assured that advocating the goals of Black Lives Matter to “defund” — and disarm — “the police” is the right thing to do. Like little children, they need to be told they did good.