Traveling Trash Men Save 2 From Overdoses In Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD — A group that goes by the name the Traveling Trash Men cleaned up some of the city's streets and helped save two lives in the process. That was on day one of a three-day service project.

Veterans and first responders organized Operation Baltimore Cleanup, an effort to pick up trash in west Baltimore. The group invites anyone to join and is partnering with city organizations too.

"You live a life of service and you just get devoted it to it, whatever it is," one of the group's coordinators, Clint Scherb, said on the Traveling Trash Men Facebook page.

Scherb, who lives in Florida, is a former deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, and in the first hour of cleaning up trash, he saw two people, one slumped on a stairway and another who fell on the ground and lost a pulse, The Baltimore Sun reported. A neighbor came out with Naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose, and Scherb helped revive the two, according to the newspaper.

The life-saving actions took place on Presstman Street in the first hour of the cleanup, Scherb later reported, in a video recap of the first-day's work on the Traveling Trash Men Facebook page.

"We're doers — so we execute," John Rourke said in a video he and Scherb made on the 15-hour drive up from Florida. They said they love America so much that they want to do whatever they can to help make it better. Rourke served in the U.S. Army for 16 years, The Sun reported.

By the end of the first day, Scherb and Rourke said eight Traveling Trash Men volunteers plus several people from Baltimore and one person from Virginia collectively picked up 15 tons of trash.

"We're just here to donate our time and do what we do," Scherb said. "It was a problem that was identified obviously through social media and the political realm...a couple weeks ago." He was alluding to tweets about the state of Baltimore by President Donald Trump, who called it a "dangerous and filthy place." (For the record, the Traveling Trash Men said it has no political motivation and wants to put politics aside.)

The Traveling Trash Men found by looking at Google maps that they could see trash on the streets.

After they contacted officials from the city, Baltimore's Department of Public Works selected an area for them to clean: the Easterwood Park community. It also provided a spot for them to dump.

They are working on a 12-block area, WBAL reported. Much of the trash comes from people who are illegally dumping, neighbors told the news station, particularly in alleys.

Volunteers said they found vacant spaces were also trash magnets.

"You have these empty lots that are full of trash," Scherb said. The group plans to spread black-eyed Susan seeds on the empty lots and will "see what happens."

Organizers said Thursday that they anticipate more volunteers joining Friday, as city council members, the mayor's office, inspector general and an area school plan to send people to help.

"We're looking for anybody in the community who would want to help or add to us doing what we're doing," organizers said.

The group plans to work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, and Friday, Aug. 16, as well as half-day Saturday.

The goal is to get 90 tons of trash over the next couple days, organizers said.

The Traveling Trashmen was started by the companies All American Sanitation and Fits You Custom Apparel in Jupiter, Florida; Allstar Aggregates in West Palm Beach, Florida; Maggio Environmental in Yaphank, New York; and Gruntworks. The business owners came together to donate their services and time. Their effort is not political, nor is it a nonprofit. After they finish in Baltimore, they plan to hit four other cities and will conduct a poll to determine which to visit.

Want To Help Clean Up?

Those who would like to volunteer should stay tuned to the Traveling Trash Men on Twitter, Traveling Trash Men website and the group's Facebook page to learn the latest meetup spot.

Volunteers should bring gloves, water and trash bags, if possible. The group is also seeking black-eyed Susan seeds.

After the first day, the Traveling Trash Men said chainsaws and weed-wackers would be welcome additions.

The group welcomes all help and is especially interested in "landscapers, pressure cleaners, painters, contractors, people with bobcats, grappler trucks, dump trailers, etc., who can donate their time and equipment to the cause."

The Traveling Trash Men are selling t-shirts, with money going toward supplies and operations. Any proceeds will go to a local nonprofit in Baltimore.