Collegeville Officer, Citizen Provide Snapshot Of Cooperation During Complicated Times

by Jim Melwert

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's a snapshot of cooperation against the back-drop of complicated times: a citizen and a police officer coming together to help another.

The photo and story, posted on Facebook, now with more than 400 shares.

Most other times, it might not have even registered for Collegeville police officer John Barnshaw. But after the events of last week:

"Just hit me in the back of my mind, that it would be a great idea to put it on Facebook just to see that everybody can work together," he said.

As Barshaw was driving down Main Street, a motorcyclist, stopped in the Collegeville Diner driveway, lost his balance and fell over.

"I pull up, a Good Samaritan is walking up from the Collegeville Shopping Center, we both go to help the gentleman," Barnshaw recalled.

The good Samaritan is African American, after he and Officer Barnshaw got the 84-year-old back on his feet and helped him lift his motorcycle:

"He says to me, 'and they say we can't work together.' We did a little fist-bump together," said Barnshaw.

No injuries, just a few scratches to the motorcycle. Barnshaw snapped the photo, and everyone was on their way.

He says this won't solve the world's ills, and it is just one quick moment in time, but hopefully it's a reminder that "everybody can work together, get along just for the greater good of everybody," Barnshaw said.