Goo, once again you've picked a very touchy subject near and dear to my heart. Since I am raising five children in this town, I would like to see it a better place for them. Unfortunately, it seems as long as the mafia, irresponsible parents and people who think that driving a nice car is better than having a decent place to live is running this place, it won't. A commenter earlier stated that I must bitter because I keep bashing this town and the people that are trying to make it better. I am not bitter and I don't see too many people trying to make it better. I know that everyone is eventually responsible for their own destiny and yadda yadda yadda. But it all boils down to broken spirits and unfulfilled promises. Our first black mayor hasn't done much in or for this town. People may ask or say how do I know all of this stuff, I worked downtown for many years and was on the inside for a while. It's not what people think it is. It is too crooked and still ran by the mafia, just in a more modern way. Yeah, I know my rival commenters will bash all that I have to say, but believe me, the old way is still in effect.
Anyway, I do my part to try to make it better. I do girls' hair in my kids' school that really need it for free. And I'm not talking about any girls, I'm talking about those little girls' hair that hasn't seen a comb in weeks or even months and all the other kids are making fun of them for something they can't control. I have kids over for dinner all the time because I know they haven't eaten and all though I can't afford to feed anyone but my family, I will go hungry for a child I don't know. I clean up for my elderly neighbors that can't to it and take out their trash. It may not seem like much to others but I do what I can to make children feel like they matter. My house has become a safe haven for so many kids in need and don't have much money myself. I live from paycheck to paycheck and some times that don't last, but I don't care. I do what I can for anyone; even my enemies. So, if everyone would just a little then so much would get done. It only takes that urge to step outside of the box. Thank you for blogging about this. This is what matters!!!

Hey, what happened to the blog entry???? It disappeared.

I think every time I use html it makes stuff disappear

yep. I took out the link and there it is.

Vally 24 staff, can we make it so I can use HTML with out my post vanishing?

Great blog! I agree with most of it. Although, I do think rock shows and places to get drunk have the potential to help save Youngstown. I am for anything that brings new people downtown....in the hope that once they realize how great some of the businesses and organizations are, they will come back.

I agree with your post in part but I believe your taking a short view and over-simplyfing a very complex problem. The issues that you list for improvement are obvious post-industrial, socio economic issues that need addressed and that many cities face. I disagree with you that to save Youngstown, we should only address those issues first, without similtaniously creating an environment where people will want to choose to invest in the city again.

Is a blog or selling t-shirts or throwing a party downtown going to "save" Youngstown. Of course not. That's not the intention. It's just an initial way to bring positive exposure (which hopefully leads to further investigation/involvement)and one of many, many components in the grander scheme of urban revitilzation in Youngstown.

No single element will turn around Youngstown. Not PR campaigns or blogs, not addressing urban mentoringship programs, not restructuring local government to fit a 21st century network approach, not aggressive demolition programs and commuinty policing policies, not investments in inner city high school higher education scholarship programs or the creation of stem colleges at YSU, not landlord registration and increased housing code violations, not 1,400 more jobs at GM and a 3rd shift; not urban homeownership incentive programs; not Youngstown 2010 land use planning; not hiring of professional community organizers; not creating "x" number more of block watch groups; not fixing up a parks or creating urban farming programs or planting/saving more trees; not state and federal investments in biotechology/advanced manufacturing/brownfield development/green collar job market; not investments of over $200 million in a 10yr span in downtown Youngstown, not the Youngstown Business Incubator; not regional economic revenue sharing initatives; etc., etc., etc. Not any of them by themselves.

But, together, these things turn around cities. Accordinly, there are steps in the process with multiple elements working in concert at the same time to reach the next step. I think it's all just beginning to turn around in Youngstown and that's why we find ourselves having these conversations. To me, that is a good thing because none of us, as individuals, have all the answers. So, let the debate continue but keep in mind casting stones helps nothing. We all want to see Youngstown succeed and we are all in this together.

Phil Kidd

P.S. Sorry for the poor spelling. I didn't spell check and I'm a horrible at spelling.

I think there is way too much focus on trying to find that magic investor(s) to save Youngstown. What good is a business if all it's going to do is attract people from the suburbs?

I also think it's how you view Youngstown. Is Youngstown land or people to you?

"What good is a business if all it's going to do is attract people from the suburbs? "

I think we absolutely need to attract people from the suburbs. As a local artist I can tell you that the vast majority of my work comes from out of town. Don't get me wrong, I am proud to work in Youngstown, but I am certain that if you polled any of the local entertainment venues you would find that most of their patrons come from the suburbs. I don't believe than any city can survive on its own. Out of town patronage is very important.

I'm curious...what's your beef with the suburbs?

The problem IS the people of Youngstown (and not just, but the rust belt as a whole). The majority of people here are so jaded by the past, or struggling economically, that they have no desire or ability to partake in all of the amazing things that go on here. It's sad. But what do we do? We continue to organize these events to try to bring people out of that funk. To show them that there are things happening here. People ARE shouting, defending, or bridging gaps in this town. In hopes that the people will somehow see it, and shake their stereotypical negativity. But too often does it become too much for the Crusaders. And they leave, or quit. Never to put forth energy for this town again. And if they stay here, chances are they just add to the sea of jadedness. It's a vicious mobius strip, that somehow must be broken.

Moe, you and I are completely talking two different things. A place to hang out at night is nice, but it's not a necessity. What people need are safe schools, affordable housing, and hope. These are things I've actually seen decline in my life time. It's hard for me to care about the people with no will to hang out, when I know there are families with limited funds and resources for things like food and clothing.

I have nothing against the suburbs per say, but I what I sort of see is a small bit of gentrification going on. Even Phil Kid was quoted as saying we would need some sort of "managed gentrification." Which is enough to make me a bit nervous about this. If something is going to benefit Youngstown I would want it to actually benefit the people of Youngstown. Is that too much to ask?

(Sigh) Again, please see my post above. For the record, Mayor Williams was quoted using "managed gentrification". Not me. P.S. Do we know each other? Instead of having this discussion over the internet, please call me 330.519.8712 if you are serious about continuing this conversation. This is not a topic that can be adequately discussed over a message board, to be certain. I'll also leave the board with this question and then walk away: Why am I considered to have so much "say" as to what happens or will happen in Youngstown? As flattering as it may be, I think you give me way too much credit. Let's be serious: I have a blog that talks about city developments, I sell t-shirts, and regarding downtown, I'm simply doing the job I was appointed to do: promote downtown Youngstown which largly consists of planning different events. I hope one day to work for the city's Community Development Agency or work in law in the area, drink beers at the Oaks, and just generally support Youngstown till they incinerate me and spread me over the Mahoning River. Trust me, as a city official, you've got more than enough real threats out there. Maybe one day people will realize we are all on the same team.

sorry, about that I miss typed about the gentrification line.

I ment to say mayor Williams but I was typing two things at once and I was writing your name for something else and it ended up on here.

Also, I never thought you had that much power. I know you just sell tee shirts and plan concerts/events, and that's great (not knocking that), but when I am talking about the actual problems of Youngstown I should be able to say that concert planning is not a solution.

Personally I want more than some movement. I want a real change...
I want the people I grew up with to not be in jail. I want the children that lived down the street from me to live past the age of 25. I want a lot of things. I want the people in youngstown the year 2008 to be the same people in 2010. Maybe I'm asking a lot, maybe it's not coming across the way I want it to, but these are real concerns I have.

So noted. I think we all want those things but I also think in order for that type of change to happen, you need to address and begin to repair deep-seeded, systemic problems the city as well as external forces have created over the past 30+ years. That it a really, really complex repair process and it can't be done relative quickly. In fact, I would argue that is will perhaps take this current generation's entire lifetime to reverse, losing many, many battles along the way. In addition, it will take more than just speaking directly to those issues alone that you gave as an example. This is because the those types of issues are simply symptoms of much larger illness and that largely stems from general, wide-spread disinvestment in the city. That was my underlying point to the posts above. Regardless, yes, it's going to be a battle. Like you, I'm here to fight and hopefully by getting more folks to give a s--- about Youngstown again - all kinds - we get more people to fight the good fight with us.

But I don't think any progress is made when it seems like all the efforts are attracting new people to Youngstown while ignoring the people actually here.

Some establishments clearly are using practices that are used to keep a large demographic of Youngstown out of their venues. That shouldn't be acceptable, let alone celebrated.

I think for Youngstown to actually work the people are going to have to give a crap, and take control of their own stuff by starting their own businesses, buying their own property, and speaking out about decisions made in the leadership that is not in their best interests.

youngstown sucks because 90% of the people here are trash and dont do anything and the rich people move and the smart successful people leave because theres nothing here for them. and theres nothing here for them because the people of youngstown arent doing anything. so yea youngstown is screwed. im seventeen years old and i have lived here all my life and all my life ive hated it. i am growing up with the next generation of youngstowners and people, its not pretty. theyre all drop outs, 20 some year olds with no job and no plan for the future just sitting at home smoking weed and and having child after child. so all i can say is screw youngstown and i hope i can be successful and MOVE FAR FAR AWAY from this town and leave it to the losers that infest it.

lol who are you? ^^^

I love this city...
I am 22 years old and lived here all 22 years. Love every minute of it.
As for 20 year olds having child after child... That's a decision made by 2 individuals to conceive a kid. That can't be blamed on Youngstown lol. The same can be said about smoking weed all day with no plan for a future.
People make decisions... And apparently you're friends decisions were to become drop outs, weed smokers, and parents....
As much as you want to blame the city... people have to step up and account for their actions at some point.

---DTown
DK ALL DAY

"people have to step up and account for their actions at some point."

Bingo...

i think a 5k fun run could save the city

meaning everyone could run out of youngstown and start a new city down the road

lol

im 21 and i love this city, and progress is being made just not as fast as it should be. Dtown said it right you have to be accountable for your own actions. Instead of complaining get up and do something the make change other wise nothing will happen. And to the poster who wants to move far away more power to you, however if you continue to attract those kind of people and hang around them you wont get far at all.

I know where Brooklyn is coming from and I can get with what Dtown is saying too. I have always hated this town too and I'm 30+, but at the same time, I see my kids having opportunities that I didn't have but a crappier education than what I had. This town needs a lot of soul searching and kick-in-the-ass tactics. Yes, it's true that we need to take accountability for our own actions, but when you don't know any better, and haven't been taught how to make better decisions, you will be one of those 20 somethings having child after child and sitting at home smoking weed all day without a plan for the future. When you see nothing but hardship and struggle around you, then their is a certain resentment not only for your situation but for those responsible for making the rules and laws. When you have no one giving you direction and all you see is drug dealing, whoring and all other types of wrong, then that's all you know. Having someone saying or telling you and not showing you that there is something better, then what is there to believe in but what you watch on t.v.? There are people here that have never left this city before and don't realize that what's on t.v. is NOT real life. They are scared to be different from the people around them in fear of ridicule or being cast out by their peers. If people aren't given opportunities and don't know how to find one, they feel lost. That's what so many young people here are facing. All of my children want to go to college somewhere else because they say people here are small minded and all they want is to live their lives like people in the videos. They are children and they see the craziness around them and no end in sight to it. We are one of the hardest hit Ohio towns, and yet we are third in Ohio for paying the highest income tax.
Yes, planning city gatherings and city events will bring people together for a few nights a month, but what will really help is showing people that it's city cares about them enough to fight for better and more jobs, higher pay, and more money for our schools. More FREE programs that really are fun and not meant to gather all of the poor kids to feed them for a summer and that's it. So to all of the people who have something to say but have never really went through the struggles of this town and I'm talking having to feed your family off of food stamps, section 8, welfare and food banks even when you have a job, then you can't sit there and say 'People have to take accountability for this and that' when our own government won't take accountability for the mess that they have put us in.
The ones in power and with power need to show that this city can be changed by doing it themselves first, then the rest will follow. We need more REAL businesses and not 'FRONTS' for business that will pour back into the community instead of continuously take from it. It will start with honesty and real investment; monetarily & wholeheartedly.

All the people that hate Youngstown...
Know what it takes to "SAVE YOUNGSTOWN"
But none of them want to SAVE Youngstown.
Why is that...?

---DTown
DK ALL DAY

Because when you have tried so many times with no success because the people with the power isn't helping, then all you can do is "Wait on the world to change". Credits to John Mayer....Anyway, and to reiterate on your comment: All the people that hate Youngstown know what it takes to save it...the reason we know what it takes to save it is because we are the ones living in the midst of the parts that aren't trying to be saved...we see what goes on everyday because it is right in our backyards and sometimes right in our own homes...Not in my home, but in some. You know, having the weekend to think about some things; I realize the only thing that can save Youngstown is PARENTS/PARENTAL GUIDANCE. If everyone would just take part in a child's life, even if it isn't their child, then we have more productive adults when the time comes. I see too many people not being parents to children they have birthed. And it's not just young parents either. I was a very young mother and I took care of my son ALL by myself with no help from ANYONE for years and I was only 14 when I had him. I still finished school, and actually was pregnant with my second at 18 when I got my GED. Yes, by the time I was with my second child, I was fortunate enough to find someone to give me support, but I still did so much on my own. Parents have to be just that: PARENTS. Not donors of babies or someone having a child just have the title. It's hard work being a parent and even harder when they get older, but you can't give up or in. You have to stick it out and stick to your guns (rules/boundaries/etc.). These kids now don't have respect for their elders or for themselves and that starts at home. We have to not be scared to reprimand children when we see them doing wrong and not be afraid to confront their parents if it's a problem with you getting on their butts. Fear is what everyone is living by and fear is what we have to learn to conquer.

If you think Youngstown has some disproportionate amount of losers and douchebags then you've probably never left Youngstown. NYC looks great on film... cigarettes are $10 a pack... 6 pack of Miller lite is $9... a closet sized apartment is $1500... and they have the same percentage of losers and douchebags. Except that these losers are pissed off about the expensive smokes and booze and don't speak English.

You live in one of the best places in the country, but sometimes it takes leaving and coming back to realize that.

So to all of you that "hate" this town, pack up some clothes, save a little money and buy a bus ticket to whatever big metropolis looks like you're kinda town. You'll most likely be back.

And if you manage to stay away... you'll damn sure miss the pizza.

I dont hate Youngstown. I am not in love with it as much as I am connected with the people living here.

Youngstown is def not one of the "better" places in the country. It's not really one of the better places in Ohio.

While I will not hate on Youngstown, I can not un-worthily praise Youngstown either

After searching the depths of my soul and wandering aimlessly through the night, pondering this dilemma, I realize that there is only one thing that can save Youngstown:

GAY ROLLER DISCO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whooooo Whooooo, you know it bitches!

i support gay roller disco.

Gay roller disco isn't that redundant?

There are so many contributing factors to the problems that Youngstown and it's people have. Unfortunately,this may not resolve in our lifetime.Unemployent at an all-time high,organized crime,corrupt government officials on all levels,low housing rates,recession,repeat offenders roaming the streets. With all of these problems plaguing the "valley",it gives the people of this area almost no hope whatsoever.What is also killing the morale of the people is the "ghetto" attitude(fuck you,it's all about me)or(I live by no rules exept for my own)With all of the above,no wonder big buisinesses and future employers won't set up shop here.