Feel Good Stories

'Tis the season for a reminder of the goodness of humanity, and we've never needed it more than now. Here's a quick hit of people being good.

Violence Interruption:

A woman who tragically lost her 19-year-old son to gun violence on his father’s birthday is now a “violence interrupter”, a job credited with Baltimore’s crime drop.

Rochelle Johnson, a mother of five, is a Baltimore “violence interrupter” who checks on people in her community, asking if they need anything, “running up to children and adults alike as she gives countless hugs.”

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Johnson was hired by Safe Streets in 2020 as a violence interrupter or “credible messenger,” a person who is rooted in the communities they serve with a mission to reduce violence by drawing on their shared life experience with those at risk of violence or in the justice system. City leaders have credited programs like Safe Streets with the historic, roughly 30% drop in homicides in Baltimore this year compared to 2024 and a more than a 50% decline in homicides since 2023, touting a “community violence intervention ecosystem.”

If we juxtapose this actually effective program with the violence-inciting tactics of Trump’s ICE thugs, it becomes obvious that being anti-violence requires an effort at starting off being anti-violent.

John Oliver Raises $1.5 Million for Public Broadcasting:

The Last Week Tonight With John Oliver auction raised more than $1.5 million for Public Broadcasting, which also makes a new record for a Bob Ross painting.

While many elites are making it their personal business to show us all how out of touch they really are, and how little they care about the lives of the Americans who keep them wealthy by buying their extreme capitalist tinker toys, others are putting their privilege to good use.

We should expect this from ALL public figures. Yes, ALL. But we won’t get it if we keep taking the rage-bait, like hate-watching Kim Kardashian’s All’s Fair, which have has now been renewed perhaps because of the scathing reviews of nearly every critic.

Your attention is the economy. Spend it wisely!

People Buy Ice Scrapers and Return Them to Protest ICE:

Speaking of spending wisely, protestors in Monrovia, California bought 17¢ ICE scrapers at Home Depot, and then immediately turned around to stand in long lines to return them immediately to protest Home Depot’s catering to ICE agents.

Protesters hoped the lines would disrupt their sales and send a message against ICE raids in their community. For nearly an hour, the “buy-in” act of consumer activism stalled the store’s operations according to CBS LA. Home Depot even had to close the store down when they marched through the aisles.

An activist pointed out that Home Depot shut the store down over a protest, but refuses to shut the store down to prevent ICE raids and abuse.

Home Depot says they do not cooperate with ICE agents and are not notified of raids in advance.

Generosity, Not Greed: Patagonia Leads the Way

Three years in, Patagonia says its radical ownership model is paying off for the planet

“Since devoting nearly all of its profits to climate and nature in late 2022, the company has given away an extra $180 million.”

Each year, as much as 98% of its profits can now be spent on climate action, after subtracting any funds needed for reinvestment in the business. (The company hasn’t shared exactly how much cash goes back to the business itself, but it needs some funds for building retail stores, buying inventory, and having some money in a bank to weather unexpected events like a pandemic.)

Just an example, Fast Company pointed to Patagonia contributing “$2 million this year to help conservation groups buy 8,000 acres in Georgia’s Okefenokee swamp, a unique ecosystem with rare and endangered animals, which was at threat for development of a new mine.”

Caring about others is an effective strategy. It can be both lucrative and an act of stewardship. Spend your money and attention wisely!

AOC Delivered More Than 1600 Turkeys to Her Community for Thanksgiving

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has organized and participated in turkey distributions for her constituents, particularly ahead of Thanksgiving. These events, supported by grassroots efforts and community organizations, have provided thousands of turkeys to families in the Bronx and other areas of her New York district.

This year, when inflation and Trump’s tariffs have squeezed Americans even harder, AOC has distributed more than 1,600 turkeys through grassroots support in communities like Throgs Neck and East Elmhurst.

Read more below.