The tragic killing of George Floyd has led to an outbreak of anger all across America, and many other countries around the world have joined in with protests and rallies in recent days as well.

But while many people have been protesting peacefully, simply trying to make their message heard and push for positive change, others have responded with violence, burning down buildings and smashing up stores and businesses.

Just a couple of weeks ago, one of those riots hit the California city of La Mesa, and once the violence had subsided, local business owners were left to pick up the pieces and try to deal with the consequences.

One of those business owners was Dan Buxton, owner of Play It Again Sports.

The store is Dan’s entire life and livelihood, but when he came into work the morning after the riots, he was heartbroken to see that his business had been smashed to pieces by the rioters.

The store’s windows had been broken, many items had been taken by looters, and the whole surrounding building had been set ablaze.

Dan had been powerless to stop the looters and was left to pick up the pieces of the store he loved so much.

Local volunteers showed up to help out with the clean-up, aiding Dan and other business owners to salvage what they could and start putting their stores back together.

He was touched to see so many strangers giving up their own time to help him out, but one of those strangers had something very important to say.

The stranger came up to Dan and asked if they could talk outside, away from the others.

Dan agreed and the pair stepped out to the stranger’s car, where the man revealed he was one of the looters responsible for stealing objects from Dan’s business.

The stranger said:

I feel horrible, I was not part of the rioting but I did go into your store and I did take things.

At that point, Dan could have reacted a couple of different ways.

He could easily have gotten mad at the stranger, taking out all of his anger and calling the cops to press charges, or he could go in a totally opposite direction, understanding the stranger’s guilt, accepting his apology, and trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Dan decided to follow the path of forgiveness:

I told him that I forgive him and that I made bad choices when I was young, and you made a bad choice, but now you’re making a good choice.

After that, the stranger handed over the items he’d stolen and helped out with the clean-up, and it’s inspiring to see that this man, who surely got a little caught up in the heat of the moment during the riots, understood that he’d done something wrong and had the courage to face up to it.

And in the days that followed, the community, like several others all across America, gradually began to piece itself back together.

Many of the locals even decided to start making beautiful artworks to hang up around the streets and decorate the burned or damaged buildings, hoping to spread a message of “peace and love” rather than hate and violence.

Watch the video below to see the story unfold.

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Source: Fox5, San Diego Tribune, Newsner