A plump boy wearing a hand-made Confederate soldier’s uniform stood by himself alone at the foot of a statue of General Lee, standing straight at attention like a guard – surrounded by protestors waving their fists, index fingers raised, in his face.

Immobile, expressionless, without making a sound, his lip quivered and leaning towards him the protestors waved their fingers closer to his face.  

It was a picture of anger and meanness but there was a glimmer of redemption: The boy never said an unkind word to the protestors and, outnumbering him ten to one, the protestors never tried to lay a hand on him.