Community rallies behind West LA gardener who had tools stolen just days before Christmas

Days after their beloved gardener was robbed of all his equipment outside of their West Los Angeles homes, one neighborhood has rallied help him get back on his feet.

It happened on Dec. 18, just a week before Christmas in the Palms neighborhood in the Westside Village. Video shows the moments that a truck full of men pull up next to Jose Lopez's red work truck before his tools are stolen in broad daylight. 

Lopez can be seen rushing out to try and stop the thieves, but after exchanging words, they drove off with thousands of dollars worth of his equipment. 

"He chains everything to the back of his truck. So they came in, they started cutting the chains, and start stealing from him," said Tatiana Lowe, one of the neighbors rallying behind Lopez. "He happened to come out at the same time."

She says that Lopez has worked in the neighborhood for decades and works at dozens of the homes in the area. To many, he's much more than just their gardener but also a friend. 

"Your home is where the heart is, and when I come home and my home looks good — thanks to Jose — I feel good," Lowe said. 

What didn't make her feel good, however, was the brazen theft. 

"I was angry as a Mexican America. We've got to do better and we have to hold people accountable for crimes," she said, noting that after the COVID-19 pandemic, break-ins and crime became more common in their once quiet neighborhood. 

Because police couldn't keep up, some residents began to hire private security to control the street while others joined a neighborhood group chat where they discuss anything from crime to babysitting requests. 

It was that same group chat where they started fundraising for Lopez after his tools were stolen. Many neighbors jumped at the chance to give back to the man who has kept their homes looking pristine for so long. 

"We have to find ways to help the people that are within, working or living in our communities," Lowe said. "It makes no difference. He's a part of this neighborhood."

Lopez was beyond grateful when they told him they had raised enough to cover all of his losses and even more. 

In order to keep the same from happening again in the future, some neighbors are now offering their garages as a spot for Lopez to park his truck while he's on the job. 

"I hope it gives him hope as well, in humanity," Lowe said. "To be robbed right before Christmas is a crime within a crime."