Page 54 - March 2018 FOP Newsletter

Members Only Section
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Good news for a homeless man in the 16th
n BY ERIKA WURST
For 15 years, as he drove to and from work, Chicago Police Lieutenant John Garrido’s attention was drawn to a small, ram- shackle newsstand sitting near Milwaukee and Central in the city’s 16th District.
The dilapidated, decades-old shack, with a plywood door and a peeling roof, was an eyesore that Garrido knew he wanted to do something about. So one day, he stopped, peeled open the door, and was shocked at what he saw inside. In addition to dozens of newspapers were piles of clothing, blankets and trash on the floor. Garrido soon learned that what was an eye- sore to many was actually the home of 60-year-old newspaper seller Anthony Johnson, who had been living in the uninsulated shack as a means to escape the cold.
Suddenly, Garrido’s mission to revamp the newsstand turned into a mission to revamp Johnson’s home and his life.
“With my knowledge of the homeless we have in our area and how rough it is for them, to know he was sleeping in this news- stand was hard,” Garrido explained of his desire to help. “As an officer, it’s in our DNA. What we do is help. It really made me want to step up and do something.”
So, that’s exactly what Garrido did. The 27-year police veteran took to social media to ask for the community’s help, and he was not let down.
Hundreds of people came together to donate time, materials and labor in order to rebuild the stand and get Johnson back on his feet.
Johnson, an Air Force veteran, makes just over $100 a week selling papers. He sleeps in the newsstand, except on occasion when he saves enough money to spring for a hotel, where he can get warm and take a shower. It’s a scenario that many of the district’s homeless are accustomed to.
After meeting Garrido, Johnson’s luck was about to change. He was taken on a shopping spree and outfitted with warm clothes and groceries. His deteriorating newsstand was rebuilt with in- sulation, a new roof and beautiful murals adoring its sides.
The materials were donated or sold at half-price. The shin- gles, the labor, the stain, the brushes, nails and art were all sup- plied by residents who had heard about Garrido’s campaign to help Johnson.
“There’s a phenomenal side to social media as far as network- ing goes, and in regards to law enforcement, social media has been huge,” Garrido said. “To be able to have an immediate connection to the community is great, and it’s what community policing is all about. If I can expand that through social media, all the better.”
Information shared on Facebook has spread like wildfire throughout the community and was one of the many reasons that a small army of volunteers was able to come together in such a short amount of time to help one of their neighbors.
The online campaign is still going strong, thanks to a Go- FundMe account set up by Garrido. Johnson is currently stay- ing at a local motel that costs $345 a month. There are enough funds in the account to keep him set up there for a year, or until he can get into an apartment. He hopes to see a doctor and den-
54 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2018
John Garrido (left) talks with Anthony Johnson about reconstructing his newsstand on Milwaukee Avenue in the 16th District.
Johnson’s newsstand after it was revamped.
tist soon and get his life on a better track.
“He’s a really nice guy,” Garrido said. “He didn’t ask for any of
this. He’s just a guy trying to get through life, and somehow it got away from him.”
Johnson and Garrido still meet up several times a month for breakfast, lunch or just to chat. They are fast friends grown from an unlikely situation.
“With all that we hear in the news about law enforcement and the divide between communities — it really doesn’t have to be that way,” said Garrido. “At least that’s not the experience we’re having here. When the community works hand-in-hand with law enforcement, you can really get things done.”
That’s why he’s confident that the experience he’s having in the 16th District can translate to all neighborhoods.
“There are people who want to help everywhere,” he said.
Visit Garrido’s GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme. com/stepupforanthony d