Jordan Uhl saw the Twitter video of Anthony Torres shaving on a NJ Transit train that went viral last week, and found it to be in poor taste. Then he read the Associated Press report that Torres had just left a homeless shelter the morning of the video, which Uhl described as "a gut punch."
But when he saw on Twitter that the person who shot the footage was looking to license it? That's when he felt he needed to do something.
"He was literally trying to profit off of mocking a homeless guy," Uhl told NJ Advance Media in a phone interview Tuesday. "It just felt really disgusting and vile so I figured we needed to come together and help this guy."
So Uhl, who lives in Washington, D.C. and works the public policy advocacy group "MoveOn," put his more than 100,000 Twitter followers to good use -- launching a GoFundMe for Torres on Monday night that has raised more than $10,000 in to help him get back on his feet.
Uhl's original goal was to raise $10,000, but that number was hit in the first 13 hours of the fundraiser. The goal has been bumped to $15,000, but could be raised again as more money pours in for Torres, whose living situation has been complicated by multiple strokes in the past few years.
"People really responded quickly and in a big way. It's growing pretty fast," Uhl said. "I've talked to his brother, trying to understand his specific needs and see how best we can help with his medical supplies and medicine and that sort of stuff. It just shows how amazing people can be in these moments."
Torres and his four brothers grew up poor on a farm in Hammonton, according to The Associated Press, and he has worked several jobs including casino security guard as well as construction, moving to wherever he could find work, even going as far as Florida, and has spent time living in motels and sleeping in bus depots.
Torres had just left a New York City homeless shelter and was headed to Atco in Camden County to the home of his brother, Thomas, when he was filmed shaving on the train. According to Uhl, Torres was jumped and robbed the morning of the video as well.
"Let's get him as comfortable as we can because so many people in this country live paycheck to paycheck and it's really, really difficult for people to get ahead. To even touch some sort of semblance of financial stability is a pipe dream for so many people in this country. And with systemic barriers to economic advancement, it's just so farfetched," Uhl said. "So if we can come together and even just help this one guy, it might not solve the entire problem but it makes a difference in his life. Getting him to a position where he won't have to worry about this anymore would make me feel really good.
"This campaign is everybody coming together. All I did was just start it. Everyone who chipped in, everyone who shared it, everyone who was of the same mindset that this guy needs our help, it's a collective effort."
Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook.