Lake Merritt Bro Destroys Homeless Man's Possessions
UPDATE: We have started at GoFundMe to support Drew and get him into a more permanent housing situation. Any help is appreciated!https://www.gofundme.com/j98zu-help-drewI am still stunned that yesterday I captured this video of some guy throwing a homeless man’s belongings into Lake Merritt and around the area. The police showed up soon after as the guy ran away to continue his workout. They said they couldn’t do anything because the homeless man’s possessions are considered “debri”. Only possibility is he “may” get a fine for littering. This is ridiculous that these are the kind of people who are living in Oakland now. Please share. This bro needs to go down.#JOGGERJOE #lakemerritt #oakland #homeless #bbqbecky #joggerjohn
Posted by John Harris JJ on Saturday, June 9, 2018
California locals are outraged over video of a jogger carelessly throwing a homeless man’s possessions into a nearby lake in a sad attempt at “picking up trash.”
Local resident John “JJ” Harris was visiting Lake Merritt Park in Oakland last Friday when he spotted a bare-chested man who he dubbed “Jogger Joe” hurling several items into the lake as well as the garbage can. The items reportedly belonged to a homeless man named Drew who is well-known by locals and has been living in the area for years now, according to the Daily Mail.
Passersby quickly jumped to the homeless man’s defense when they saw the jogger trying to throw all his belongings away.
“What are you doing with his stuff man?” one person says as the jogger proceeds to kick and throw Drew’s stuff around, making a mess. At one point he’s seen grabbing an armful of the homeless man’s possessions and stuffing it in a trash can. Other items like blankets and clothes are seen floating in the lake.
“What you’re doing doesn’t make sense, man,” Harris says in the video. “Now you’re spreading it out everywhere … what are you doing? Just stop! Stop taking his stuff.
“What the f–k are you on,” another witness chimes in in the background. “What the f–k is the matter with you? You can’t be doing this s–t.”
The jogger, later identified as “Henry” denied throwing Drew’s possessions into the lake, insisting they fell in on accident while he was “picking up trash.” A woman said she saw him grab the items and toss it into the lake, however.
As he continued grabbing the homeless man’s stuff left and right, he complained about how “disgusting” it was and that it “smells like p—.”
According to The Daily Mail, the jogger returned to the scene later that day to fish some of the items out of the lake.
‘I was trying to do the right f—–g thing,” Henry says in a separate video filmed by resident Matt Nelson on Facebook Live. “I pick up trash all over the place … His s–t, anyone’s s–t, it’s trash.” Nelson said Henry assaulted him after realizing he was being recorded, the scuffle leaving him with a minor concussion and a few bruises.
Kenzie Smith and John JJ Harris stand with Drew (center). (Image courtesy of GoFundMe)
In an update, Harris said police arrived after Henry took off to “finish his workout.” Officers said that couldn’t do much about Drew’s stuff, however, because it was considered “debris.” At most, the jogger could face a fine for littering, but that’s it.
‘This is ridiculous that these are the kind of people who are living in Oakland now. Please share. This bro needs to go down,’
The California man has since teamed up with Kenzie Smith, who made headlines last month after Jennifer “BBQ Becky” Schult called the cops on him and his friends for grilling at the same Oakland park. The pair have launched a GoFund Me campaign to raise money to replace Drew’s belongings, including food, clothing and shoes.
So far, the page has collected over $6,000 in donations.
Watch more of the video above.
