12-year-old Devonte Hart, Sgt. Bret Barnum share hug at Ferguson rally

In this photo shot by freelance photographer Johnny Nguyen, Sgt. Bret Barnum (left) hugs 12-year-old Devonte Hart during the Ferguson rally in Portland on Nov. 25, 2014.

(Johnny Nguyen/Special to The Oregonian)

Hundreds of protesters shouted at the closed doors of the Multnomah County Justice Center. Their signs, bobbing up and down emphatically, read "Black Lives Matter."

To the side of the building's front steps, a 12-year-old boy climbed atop a platform and faced the crowd in downtown Portland. On his forehead, his mom had written in white: "We all matter."

His name is Devonte Hart, and last November he gave a policeman a hug shared around the world.

The May Day rally was Devonte's first since a freelance photographer snapped him hugging a Portland police officer during a Ferguson demonstration last fall.

The picture, first published on OregonLive.com, went viral. It was featured on NBC's "Today" show, ABC News, CBS News, MSNBC, Fox News, USA Today and Time.com. It reached No. 1 on the social-sharing website Reddit, and got several hundred thousand shares on Facebook.

The image was heartwarming or a distraction from the issues or a blatant lie -- all depending on whom you asked.

If you asked the Hart family, it was overwhelming. Jennifer Hart, Devonte's mom, spoke to The Oregonian Friday about the "unexpected" experience. It was the first time anyone in the family has talked to the media about the incident.

When the photograph exploded, reporters camped outside their home. Death threats arrived in their email.

Devonte's mom carried the weight of the world's attention, doing her best to shield him from the hateful messages swirling in cyberspace. They avoided going out in public for fear he'd be recognized.

The 12-year-old was frustrated by the situation, Hart said, and so was she. A photograph taken by a stranger without his approval had changed his life. The photograph, the media attention, the threats -- it was all out of their control.

The family backed away from civic events -- a regular occurrence before The Photo -- but came to miss them.

So on Friday, a slightly timid Hart accompanied her children to the Portland rally where Devonte stood, seemingly unafraid, in front of hundreds.

"It's healing because I let all the attention bring me down," Hart said.

"Doing nothing solves nothing," she said. "We've always been active. I didn't want one moment, good or bad, to alter that for us."

As for Devonte, he wants to set the record straight about the tearful hug. Some media outlets clearly assumed the officer was comforting him, an interpretation he found frustrating.

"I was trying to show peace, that there was a different way to handle it," he said. He'd been giving free hugs downtown with his family.

Devonte, this one's for you -- a photograph you personally approved and are proud of:

Here's a new photo of Devonte that he IS happy with: pic.twitter.com/THjVdCzyLS — Melissa Binder (@binderpdx) May 2, 2015

-- Melissa Binder

mbinder@oregonian.com

503-294-7656

@binderpdx