x
Breaking News
More () »

La Mesa community looks to rebuild after protests turn into looting and vandalism

Shawn Styles visits La Mesa, the city he grew up in as the locals come together to clean up after protests turned to vandalism on Saturday.

LA MESA, Calif. — La Mesa was the town I grew up in. 

Skateboarding down the streets, delivering papers to my neighbors, it was where my dad built the house that my brother Gregg and I grew up in. 

So to see the devastation on Sunday morning was overwhelming. 

I watched the protests as they started on Saturday and knew that the people that were participating were just trying to get their message out. 

Then you could see things start to change when a few started to do bad things. Police reacted and things escalated quickly and before you knew it, the protesters' message got hijacked by a few bad people. 

That was Saturday night. By Sunday morning you got to see the goodness in the La Mesa community. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people showed up to volunteer and help clean up their hometown, my hometown, of La Mesa. 

We support the protesters' message but we're not going to put up with this kind of activity in the town we love.

So everyone was able to see the goodness in the people on full display after a very bad thing.

It made me proud to see La Mesans come together and other residents from San Diego come to help clean up my hometown, La Mesa.

RELATED: La Mesa pastor reflects on riots during devastation cleanup

RELATED: African American leaders address 'unlawful use of force on peaceful protesters' in San Diego

Before You Leave, Check This Out