A group of Huntington Beach residents gathered on Saturday to help their neighbor clear debris and brush from his property after he underwent a series of life challenges that left him unable to do so.
The man spoke with CBS News Los Angeles on Monday, saying that he knows his home has been an issue for some of his neighbors and that he wished for some compassion as he deals with the blows life dealt him in recent months.
He says that what happened Saturday, unprompted and without his doing, was a powerful move to show that his community still has his back.
“We saw the story that you guys posted about somebody in our community that needed help, and I remember his interview saying he just needed some compassion,” said Joe Grisham, who owns Top Tier Movers OC, which provided much of Saturday’s manpower.
Grisham posted on social media, calling on anyone willing to lend a helping hand as they took on the property, which was overflowing with cars, construction materials, boxes and bags.
For some residents, it wasn’t just an eyesore, but a serious public health concern. The city of Huntington Beach stated that it has received 39 complaints about the residence over the last few months.
“His goal is to get rid of these vehicles,” Grisham said. “The tree had grown on top of the vehicles, so we started with taking the tree, the debris removal, we ended up with over 3,500 pounds of waste that we took out of here.”
Grisham, his crews and volunteers worked for nearly six hours to clear what they could. SkyCal flew over the property later Saturday, where there still appeared to be a large amount of work to do.
“There’s definitely some construction that needs to be done. There’s definitely more debris removal that needs to be done,” Grisham said.
The man living at the home said that the help is a lifeline that he desperately needed, as he battles cancer for a second time. He’s hoping that the kindness helps pave the way for more work getting done.
He said that as he continues going through a tough time, also struggling to keep up with finances from his recovery efforts, he’s extremely appreciative of any help people can offer.