Life
Cop hits breaks when he reads shirt of homeless woman he’s never seen before
He was determined to prove her wrong, and he did. 💘
Melissa Leventhal
02.16.21

For many of us, food like pizza and hamburgers make an easy and enjoyable meal that you can get pretty much anywhere. You can just stop at any fast food restaurant and get it whenever you please.

But for some people, especially those that are homeless and hungry, things like a fast-food dollar menu item is actually something that is very difficult to get.

Luckily, this homeless woman had a lucky day when this cop stopped by to share a slice of his pie and a good conversation.

Facebook/Chris Barnes
Source:
Facebook/Chris Barnes

Cassie Lea Parker, snapped this kind interaction of her boyfriend, Chris Barnes on her lunch break. Since posting this photo it has gone viral.

“Cassie was out on her lunch break and observed Goldsboro’s Finest enjoying lunch with a homeless person. Law enforcement does so much for our community, with a lot of it going unnoticed. We see you Goldsboro P.D. Keep up the good work.”

During these unpredictable times, many people are in a state of survival and looking out for themselves. This small act of kindness of a cop sharing his lunch with a homeless woman helps us restore our faith in humanity. It’s these types of actions that bring the kindness we need into this world.

Instagram/ofc_rivers
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Instagram/ofc_rivers

Officer Michael Rivers has spent the last nine years with the Goldsboro Police Department in North Carolina, and that time has been spent wisely. Not one to turn a blind eye, he’s come to know the faces, if not always the names, of all the homeless folks living on the streets in his community.

But on the day that photo was taken, Officer Rivers saw a homeless woman he’d never seen before. The shirt she was wearing caught his eye. It read: “Homeless. The fastest way of becoming a nobody.”

She wasn’t a nobody, and he wasn’t going to stand for that nonsense!

Instagram/ofc_rivers
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Instagram/ofc_rivers

Since the windows on his cruiser were down, he made eye contact with her and that’s when the two acknowledged each other with a casual “Hey.”

The 29-year-old officer started to drive away, but he felt something tugging at him to go back to her. He told CNN:
“God put it on my heart to get her lunch. So I turned around and I asked her, ‘Hey, did you eat today?’ And she said, ‘No.'”
Instagram/ofc_rivers
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Instagram/ofc_rivers
So what did he do? He jetted off to a nearby pizza joint and grabbed both a pepperoni and cheese pizza, since he didn’t know what she liked.
He then drove back to the grassy knoll she was hanging out at, and plopped down right next to her so the two could share a meal.
The food was great, but according to Officer Rivers, he enjoyed the conversation even more.
Instagram/ofc_rivers
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Instagram/ofc_rivers

The woman, who was having lunch with the officer identified herself as Michelle. She would just so happen to be his lunch date for the next 45 minutes. Somewhere in between sharing the delicious slices of pepperoni pizza, they exchanged life stories.

Since posting the photo on Facebook, the heartfelt comments came flying in.

@Tinks Gill wrote:

“Learn from this beautiful interaction. Acknowledge the homeless, don’t forget they’re people just like you and me. There’s nothing wrong with a warm smile and a friendly hello. A little chit-chat doesn’t hurt either.”

Instgram/ofc_rivers
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Instgram/ofc_rivers

Not only have people been sharing the love with this officer on social media, but people are actually taking the old-school route and sending Officer Rivers hand-written letters! Human kindness is rampant everywhere you just have to stop and look for it.

“Letters that were sent to me today in reference the Facebook post by Cassie Lea Parker and CNN. A lot of People have been reaching out and it’s so amazing to see what one picture has done. #spreadthelove”

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