While some protestors used fire extinguishers to thwart Houston police officers trying to maintain order in a disorderly crowd publicly angered over the in-custody death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, one life-long Houstonian waited until the raucous group petered out and went home before he pondered and employed the JFK mantra, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
With that sacred message in the mind, heart and soul of truck-driver Brian Irving, going downtown to pressure wash the graffitied federal building and other downtown surfaces defaced with racial epithets and anti-police vulgarities and “George Floyd” was an impromptu mission he endeavored…with unimpeded success.
Aided by cans of spray-on solvent called Goof Off Graffiti Remover (which he paid for out-of-pocket), Mr. Irving set out at 2:00 a.m. and reportedly spent four hours exhaustively hand-wiping then pressure-washing defaced property including the federal building on San Jacinto.
This is how we Houston.
"We can protest, but we don't have to destroy the city."
— Melanie Lawson (@MelanieLawson13) May 30, 2020
As our nation is gripped with massive crowds escalating violence and property destruction in cities all across the 50 states, Irving’s sentiments are so direly needed right now—and so reassuringly gratified. Solemn and determined in his thoughts, to his wife, Irving said, “Let me go down there and let me clean up my city.” Seems he got a gander of live TV reports depicting the mayhem in downtown Houston, with protests resulting in numerous arrests of people negating the order to disperse peacefully.
Although members of the Houston police force were able to conclude the large gathering from deteriorating further, damage and desecration was done. In that context, Irving offered his cue: “I just took a shower, I told my wife, ‘I’m going to go down there and wipe off all that graffiti,’ and I got my pressure washer.” Four hours later, and voila!
A good Samaritan who adores his Houston hometown, Irving exudes the quiet voice of reason in otherwise anarchistic forays, righting a wrong in the most humane and peaceful way possible. While governors, mayors and city council members all across the United States underscored the right to protest peacefully and denounced any hints of violence and destruction, Mr. Irving lent his hands and Goof Off…without goofing off whatsoever.
Quite often, the respectfully reserved and reasoned among us carry the most viable message and waste zero time exemplifying sound principles with actionable outcomes.
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