Dan Buxton watched in shock as a peaceful protest turned into destructive chaos as people began smashing windows and stealing merchandise from his Play it Again sports equipment store in La Mesa California.
He watched his life savings literally go in flames as looters vandalized and burned his business. He watched people smash his windows with his own baseball bats and run away with arm fulls of expensive equipment.
But when morning came he was not overwhelmed with sadness or anger, but instead, compassion as he saw hundreds of strangers helping the community clean up. The response from the community has truly made him smile in such a dark time.
One stranger, in particular, made an impact on Buxton when he pulled him to the side and explained that he was one of the looters the night before, but regrets his actions and is extremely sorry. He promises he is not a bad guy, but was going along with others who took the opportunity to steal items. The man then gave Buxton a bag of stolen goods back including softball bats and supplies from Sally's Beauty.
Buxton forgave the man and explained that he too did some bad things in his youth, but applauded the stranger for owning up to his mistakes and wanting to rectify the situation. #GoodVibes