There’s an old saying about no good deed going unpunished, but there are also exceptions to nearly every rule. Most of the country has heard about the ongoing arguments between President Trump and Maryland Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings, a resident of the Baltimore area. During this spat, the President pointed out some of the problematic areas of Baltimore, citing the endemic problems Charm city has with trash and rodent infestations. This led plenty of liberals to leap to the city’s defense on social media, but beyond that they didn’t seem inclined to offer any actual solutions.

That changed in the past couple of days. Seemingly out of nowhere, a group of hundreds of volunteers showed up with a truckload of garbage bags, rakes and glove and began cleaning up one of the neighborhoods on the west side. The transformation was startling. (WBAL-TV)

Hundreds of volunteers participated in a massive cleanup Monday in west Baltimore, inspired by .

The cleanup was attended, in large part, by supporters of President Donald Trump.

Nearly 300 volunteers removed a toilet, chairs, tables and spare tires, among other things, from piles of trash in a west Baltimore alley. The volunteers completely cleared out what was an impassable alley, making a real difference and a real dent in the condition of the neighborhood.

“I think it’s great. It’s a good thing,” said Arnold Tyree, of Baltimore.

Turns out that the cleanup project was the brainchild of Scott Presler a conservative activist and Trump supporter. And most of the people doing the work were of the same ideological bent. Presler tweeted some pictures of the before and after conditions of the street.

Before & After:

West Baltimore. #AmericansHelpingAmericans pic.twitter.com/0AAYEupvPy

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) August 5, 2019

Full props to Mr. Presler for being willing to get off the bench and actually do something rather than just talking about the problem. And it is a problem. Those denying these facts seem to be willfully ignorant of the many stories, including videos, of the last Mayor of Baltimore touring these precise neighborhoods and expressing her disgust at the mountains of trash and rampant rat population. Incidentally, getting rid of the trash is the first step to cutting down on the rats because you deprive them of their food source and hiding places.

Unfortunately, I’m not getting my hopes up for this turning into a long-term solution just yet. A lot of those folks in the cleanup crew were not locals, with some traveling from other states to participate. The streets and alleys will just go back to collecting trash immediately if this project doesn’t turn into a sustained effort. And if the residents of those neighborhoods are not motivated to get out there and keep their own turf spruced up, things are unfortunately not likely to change.