This news story could have turned into a bad one, when an Arkansas man found his car broken into and vandalized with racist graffiti. Reshod Johnson recently parked his car for a mere 15 minutes to pick up chairs for his child’s 3rd birthday party outside his place of work. When he came back, he found the car ransacked, with items spread across the street and racist remarks slandered in spray paint on the vehicle. Johnson was left stunned. As he stated, he didn’t understand the act, as he has never done anything to hurt someone and doesn’t look for trouble.

Sadly, a friend saw two white men leaving the scene shortly after in a red pickup. While Johnson did file a report with police, he was forced to make a hard decision and continue driving the 2006 Nissan, donned with hateful messages on it and all. While he did keep his three-year-old away from the vehicle, money was too tight to purchase a new car. Christmas was around the corner, he has a small one at home, and as a former veteran and full-time student, Johnson simply did not have the extra money to ditch the car and buy a new one.

As Johnson adds, he thought that society had gotten past this. He noted that he served this country and fought for the freedom and rights for everyone. He felt like it was a slap in the face.

A pedestrian passing by soon saw the car. Becoming emotional about the situation, she posted a photo of the vehicle on Facebook, and this is where a terrible story turns into a positive one.

MSN reported that the social media post ended up drawing some attention to Johnson’s plight. So much so, that it caught the eye of Steve Landers Kia, inspiring the dealership to help. In the end, they gave Johnson a new vehicle; allowing him the opportunity to give up the hate-messaged vehicle and sport around a new car. The dealership felt it compelled to help the veteran, who had been a victim to such a terrible hate crime. As an employee of the dealership notes, Johnson is a veteran and times are hard. The employee added, the new car was simply a way to help out the community.

While it sadly seems that hate still exists in this day and age; Christmas miracles and a loving community live on as well.