Photo of elderly person goes viral and sparks a grassroots movement for installing benches at bus stops

A photo of an elderly man sitting on the sidewalk went viral and sparked a large popular movement for the installation of benches at bus stops.

A photo of an elderly man sitting on the sidewalk next to his cane was posted on social media, went viral, and sparked a large popular movement for the installation of benches at bus stops in Berkeley, California, USA.

It all started when Darrell Owens shared an image of his neighbor, who had undergone surgery for chronic leg pain, sitting uncomfortably on the sidewalk while waiting for the bus.

The photo caught the attention of Mingwei Samuel, a software engineer, who offered to donate a bench to be placed at the location. Samuel actually built a bench with the help of Public Bench Project, a popular organization whose mission is to spread public benches everywhere.

Samuel also used social media to show the wooden bench already installed at the bus stop. The post quickly received more than 100,000 likes and generated a wave of positive vibes and goodwill in the community.

Owens and Samuel, who did not know each other, eventually came together to create their own bench-building project called SFBA Bench Collective, a website where people can report a problem or request a bench.

So far, the organization has installed around 77 benches at local bus stops, and the movement continues to grow, with engagement on social media and the creation of new groups across the country.

This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.