Good Samaritans step in, help woman with unkept property after Channel 11 report

PITTSBURGH — Within hours of Channel 11 reporting on the fines a woman was facing for her unkept yard on Mount Washington, several good Samaritans stepped in and cleaned up the property.

“This is great. This is what Pittsburgh is all about,” said Beth Aguilar Carroll.

Click HERE to see before and after photos!

Aguilar Carroll saw Channel 11′s story online, where we shared Angela Stabryla’s concerns. She has disabilities and doesn’t have the means to manage the weeds behind her home. Despite calls to the city for help, she’s continued to receive citations, she said.

>>> Mount Washington woman with disability struggling with weeds in alleyway, now facing charges

When Aguilar Carroll showed up Thursday morning to help de-weed the property, she was surprisingly met by a number of other unrelated good Samaritans with the same idea.

“When we came up here, the most beautiful thing happened. We saw one person that was working, another person pulled up, a couple from over here pulled up... it was just the whole community pitching in and coming to the rescue,” said Jeff Carder, with the group “For the Love of Mount Washington.”

A professional landscaper, Osman Kargbo with Oz Professional Lawn Care, also offered up his services and his vehicle for hauling away the debris.

“It feels amazing, so many other people are out there, I just think it’s important to help out your neighbor whenever you can,” Kargbo said.

Stabryla could hear workers outside of her home, but she didn’t realize at first that they were a collective group of community members.

We broke the news to her on her doorstep, and she was touched.

“I appreciate everyone here. This is a lot of work,” she said. “I genuinely appreciate it. It was such a worry.”

Channel 11 contacted the mayor’s office and received the following response:

”The City does not directly fine anyone for failure to comply with rules and regulations especially when an individual actively attempts to rectify the situation. When cases have to go to court, the magistrate is the person who would decide if fines and at what amount would be assigned. When an inspector checks the property and see that the work is completed. The applicant will receive a close case receipt and the magistrate would receive a withdrawal notice to note that we’re not proceeding with the case.”

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