Riverside County

Man Buys Out Vendor's Cart to Combat ‘Idiots' Seen in Videos Robbing Vendors

Obadiah Baldwin had seen enough of the crimes against SoCal's street vendors, so he decided to show a vendor in his neighborhood some appreciation.

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A Riverside County man who was moved to action after witnessing attacks on street vendors in Southern California on social media decided to make a change.

Obadiah Baldwin bought out one local vendor's entire cart for the day.

Baldwin said over the past few months he's been disturbed by videos that show street vendors being harassed. In some cases, the vendors were physically attacked and robbed.

"I came down here from the driveway and stopped him," Baldwin said of the spot outside his Perris home where he stopped street vendor Miguel Lopez earlier this month.

With his 13-year-old son following behind, he started buying out the corn for $80. Then, he bought all the chips for $40.

"How much? $120. Lets get it," he can be heard saying in the video.

Lopez told NBCLA by phone in Spanish that Baldwin didn't take the food he bought, so Lopez could sell it and make double the money that day.

Baldwin said he did this in part because it was a good life lesson for his young son.

It's all about love, man. Just spread love, not hate. This world is in turmoil and we need all the love that we can get.

Obadiah Baldwin

"To give him an example of what's the right thing to do versus the wrong thing to do at the end of the day," he said.

He said because of those videos, he decided to post his own on social media.

He said street vendors have a tough life. They work hard, and we should all appreciate them. There's no doubt that Miguel Lopez appreciated the kind gesture.

"He was happy. He was smiling all through his face mask and everything. He couldn't believe it man," Baldwin said.

It's another act of kindness that Baldwin said we could all learn from.

"It's all about love, man. Just spread love, not hate. This world is in turmoil and we need all the love that we can get."

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