Uplifting news for the week Dan Stevenson is not a Buddhist or a follower of any organized religion. This Oakland, California resident was just looking for some hope in a city of desperation. He visited his local hardware store and bought a 2 foot tall Buddha statue to place on a small strip of property in a residential area.

He had wishes that his simple sign of peace may bring a bit of change to his area that was being destroyed by crime: drug dealing, prostitution, robberies, dumping, aggravated assault and burglaries.

As time passed something beautiful started to happen. Local residents started to leave flowers, food, candles and other offerings at the base of the statue. A group of Vietnamese women showed up in robes and began to pray by the statue.

The neighborhood began to change. Garbage disappeared from the streets, graffiti because less and less common, drug deals were rarely seen.

Since 2012 crime within a one block radius of the statue went down dramatically. Robbery reports went from 14 to three, aggravated assaults from five to zero, burglaries from eight to four, narcotics from three to zero and prostitution from three to none.

Still to this day, worshipers gather around the statue to sing soft songs of worship. The original statue is now part of an intricate shrine that includes a 10 foot tall wooden structure that helps hold offerings from photos to flowers.

“This used to be a huge spot for dumping stuff,” said Alicia Tatum, 27, on an early morning walk with her dogs Lulu and Mya. “But over time, it’s blossomed with more and more and more flowers - and they are out there every morning like clockwork.”

“The dope-dealing has stopped, the ladies of the evening have stopped,” Blackwood said.

The Buddha has stood strong over the two attempts to remove him from his stand, one by criminals and one by the government. Neither was has been successful.

The statue has daily visitors from all walks of life, from locals to German tourists. Can this statue be credited for bringing peace to such a crime ridden area? Does it carry mystical powers that helped bring a calm to a chaotic area? No one can say for sure.

Maybe it was the simplicity of it, maybe it was the peace that it represents. Whatever it was the residents of the area are thankful that it was placed there.

It’s really amazing what a small bit of kindness can do. If one small act like this brought this type of change to a whole community imagine what one act of kindness a day can do to change the world. Be kind, smile and help those around you. Make your own uplifting news, do the next right thing, try to make a change. You never know what type of snowball effect it may have!

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