--- description: The most memorable image of a Ku Klux Klan rally in South Carolina Saturday undercut the group's mission. title: See the Moving Photo of a Black Cop Helping a Man at KKK Rally image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f90095de0449887/69885b89cd1bbae77f6fc566/leroy-smith-south-carolina.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See the Moving Photo of a Black Cop Helping a Man at KKK Rally ## Video: Watch: The Confederate Flag Removed From SC Statehouse [Watch (HLS stream): Watch: The Confederate Flag Removed From SC Statehouse](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xKTPTJGx.m3u8) (1:36)  _Published 2015-07-10. Watch: The Confederate Flag Removed From SC Statehouse_ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:19 AM CUTPublished: Jul 19, 2015 1:47 PM CUT  Police officer Leroy Smith helps a man wearing National Socialist Movement attire up the stairs during a rally on July 18, 2015, in Columbia, S.C. Police officer Leroy Smith helps a man wearing National Socialist Movement attire up the stairs during a rally on July 18, 2015, in Columbia, S.C.Rob Godfrey—AP by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:19 AM CUTPublished: Jul 19, 2015 1:47 PM CUT The most memorable image of a Ku Klux Klan rally in South Carolina Saturday undercut the group’s mission. When the North Carolina-based Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan rallied at the steps of the South Carolina statehouse to protest the removal of the Confederate flag, one older protester was affected by the heat. A photographer captured what happened next: Police Officer Leroy Smith, who is black, helped the protester, who was wearing a National Socialist movement T-shirt, up the stairs and out of the heat. The photo, provided to the Associated Press by photographer Rob Godfrey, went viral Saturday night. Godfrey is the deputy chief of staff for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who pushed for the flag to be removed from the Capitol after a shooting at a Charleston church. **Read Next:** [_Watch the Emotional Speech That Helped Bring Down the Confederate Flag_](http://time.com/3950980/confederate-flag-south-carolina-speech/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3963726/south-carolina-kkk-rally-black-cop/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3963726/south-carolina-kkk-rally-black-cop/"},"headline":"See the Moving Photo of a Black Cop Helping a Man at KKK Rally","datePublished":"2015-07-19T13:47:04.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T04:19:01.000Z","description":"The most memorable image of a Ku Klux Klan rally in South Carolina Saturday undercut the group's mission.","url":"https://time.com/3963726/south-carolina-kkk-rally-black-cop/","keywords":["South Carolina","Confederate Flag"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f90095de0449887/69885b89cd1bbae77f6fc566/leroy-smith-south-carolina.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ryan Teague Beckwith","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f90095de0449887/69885b89cd1bbae77f6fc566/leroy-smith-south-carolina.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Confederate Flag Rallies leroy smith","caption":"Confederate Flag Rallies leroy smith","creditText":"Rob Godfrey—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3963726/south-carolina-kkk-rally-black-cop/","name":"See the Moving Photo of a Black Cop Helping a Man at KKK Rally"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch: The Confederate Flag Removed From SC Statehouse","description":"Watch: The Confederate Flag Removed From SC Statehouse","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xKTPTJGx/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-10T14:42:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xKTPTJGx.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3963726/south-carolina-kkk-rally-black-cop/","duration":"PT1M36S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3963726/south-carolina-kkk-rally-black-cop/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```