Hi! I'm Lawrence. I'm a volunteer community organizer. In my North Portland neighborhood, I lead a volunteer safety patrol, make and give away banana bread, discover unmet needs, and connect my neighbors to each other.

Our neighbor Cornell Garrett, affectionately known in our neighborhood as Mr. G, needs our help.

Mr. G is battling stage 4 cancer at 74 years of age. His treatment is going well, but he has encountered an unexpected expense he cannot pay by himself quickly enough to resolve the issue he faces.

Mr. G needs help getting his vehicle registrations up to date. He has been putting off this expense, along with many others, in order to keep up with his medical bills. He even keeps the lights off in the house whenever possible - even when it's dark - to try to keep his power bill low. But he cannot put off this expense any longer.

The story of how he got to this point is heartbreaking, and he has given me permission to share some of it.

For years, Mr. G has been the target of racially motivated harassment from a nearby neighbor. I have personally witnessed this bully hurl verbal abuse and racial slurs when he thinks nobody is watching or listening. He even torments Mr. G with death wishes referencing his cancer.

Recently, someone in the neighborhood, I can't say for sure who, complained to Police about Mr. G's vehicles parked on the street.

One day while walking my dogs, I spotted an unmarked Police car parked at the bully's address. As an active member of the community interested in our mutual safety, I took the time to speak to the officers. I wish I had video recorded the interaction, as it would turn out to be important later.

To my memory, the officers told me they were responding to a complaint of abandoned vehicles and were awaiting PBOT personnel to tow them away.

At the time, I wasn't sure which vehicles they meant. I walk down this street every day, and I've never noticed such a thing. Not even a vehicle improperly parked. I walked down the street, found nothing, but worried this might be connected to the harassment Mr. G has experienced.

I called Mr. G, who told me he was out of the house. I offered to remain present and observe the Police activity, and he accepted. Great news: nobody was towed.

If my memory of the officers' statement is correct, and they did intend to tow away vehicles, I believe that my serendipitous presence, questioning, and remaining to observe the Police that day may have caused them to have to change their plans. Or, perhaps it was PBOT who recognized there was no legal grounds to tow any vehicles that day.

Whatever the reason, Mr. G's vehicles did not get towed, but they did receive 72-hour tow warnings for expired registrations, and were ordered to be removed from the street.

Without access to more information, I can't prove that Mr. G's bully is responsible for this. But Mr. G believes it is just a part of the years-long harassment he has endured.

And there's a very suspicious coincidence to note - the day this happened was the day Mr. G's order of protection against his bully expired. The reason Mr. G could not be present to answer to the Police when they came was because he was in court seeking renewal of the protection order.

If my memory is correct, if the information the officers told me was accurate, and if this bully is indeed responsible for the complaint, it would appear that he acted with intent. He would have waited for the day the protection order against him expired, waited for Mr. G to leave the house, then called Police to complain and claimed the vehicles were abandoned.

We want to foreclose this avenue of harassment and give Mr. G the peace of mind that he needs to focus on his health.

The funds we raise will be spent on permanent vehicle registrations for those that are eligible, and standard registrations for the others.

Here's a breakdown of the costs we hope to cover:

Antique (permanent) registration - $180

Antique (permanent) registration - $180

Title & standard 2-year registration - $350

Title & standard 2-year registration - $350

Total: $1,060

Any donations beyond the target will be spent on insuring the vehicles.

As you consider your donation, I know you may have some questions. I've tried to anticipate some of them so that I don't need to take more of Mr. G's time than necessary.

Are his vehicles safe? Has he complied with the tow warning and removed the vehicles from the street?

Yes. Our community quickly stepped up to address the most immediate needs for safety and security. Neighbors have volunteered their driveways to accommodate his vehicles so he can comply with the notices, but this is only a temporary solution. In order to foreclose this avenue of harassment completely and get his property returned to where it belongs, vehicle registrations must be maintained.

Why not sell one of the vehicles to raise the funds?

Arranging a sale would take more time and energy than Mr. G can afford to expend while battling cancer, and our volunteers of course hope to have the use of their driveways soon. It would also deprive him of his property. Maintaining his cars has been a source of joy in retirement and he continues to work on them according to his ability. It's an important way for him and his son to spend time together when he visits Mr. G. He intends to give two of the vehicles to his grandchildren when they graduate college and start their independent adult lives.

Shouldn't the Police be involved in stopping this harassment?

Mr. G believes that the tools available to Police often do more harm than good. I think that's pretty evident since misuse of Police is apparently a part of the harassment campaign waged against him.

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Mr. G thanks you for your time and consideration. He wanted to record a video message to share with you all. I will post it as an update as soon as I'm able!