Standin' on the corner, waitin' for the bus

Ok, meant to write about the WRTA a week ago but got sidetracked. Thanks alot, teabaggers.

The Sun is back, for the interim, which means that travel has suddenly become exponentially less suicidal for Ohioans. No car scraping, no salt-stained pants, no grey hairs stemming from hitting a patch of black ice, no rituals of pre-preparation just to leave the house. Going places is fun again! Well, except for that one ever-looming black cloud of gas prices (which, literally, becomes a black cloud, depending on your exhaust system).

We all complain about it, we all hate seeing our money turned into a gaseous vapor floating away above the interstate, but we all remain fiercely devoted to our cars. People around here tend to enjoy driving a lot more than they probably should — maybe its the GM/Rust Belt mentality, and decades of pro-automobile sentiments instilled into us. We like cars, we like people to buy our cars. But IN THIS ECONOMY (editorial cliche #241), one cannot afford to cling to tradition.
A solution? Take the WRTA.

In most metro areas, taking the bus is common. Professionals, students, families, the elderly — all are encouraged to take advantage of public transportation. Around here? Not so much. Maybe it's because the city is small, and traffic is minimal. Maybe it is because people simply don't know when the bus comes, or where it goes. Maybe it an idea that the bus is full of bums, or that it is dangerous. Either way, the taking the bus can be a good option for just about about anyone in the city.

The WRTA services downtown, YSU, Belmont, both city hospitals, West Side, East Side, South Side, Struthers, Cornersburg, Boardman, Southern Park Mall, and not one, not two, but THREE Walmarts. There are suburban bus loops in Canfield and Boardman. There are discounts for seniors and YSU students. The rides don't take much longer than driving, and there are stops within walking distance of just about anywhere. Or, you could park downtown or by the mall and ride the bus, and let it drop you off back at your car. This can be helpful if you are bringing back groceries or heavy bags.

Despite all of these conveniences, both funding and ridership went down in recent years.
In 2005, the then-unthinkable $3 gas prices did not generate additional riders for the WRTA. Jim Ferraro, longtime director of the WRTA, said that most riders do not have a car, so they ride regardless. He said that people, especially downtown work commuters from the suburbs, don't see the point of taking the bus to save a 20-minute car ride.

In 2006, Ferraro and other employees of WRTA took a pay freeze in an effort to save money and to avoid cutting services.

IN 2007, the WRTA faced state and federal funding cuts of $2 million. Riders and supporters took to the WRTA downtown office to protest the cuts, which resulted in the cutting of routes.

Ferraro pushed for a levy in 2008. It would have used a 0.25 percent five-year sales tax to fund the bus service. That issue was defeated 50,570 to 38,519 in the March primary. After public outcry, the issue was switched to a county sales tax and later passed 62,212 to 49,664 in November. It funds the WRTA with an estimated $7 million a year.

Ferraro has been a tireless advocate for the bus system. He represents the people, rather than the county. Ferraro has always kept the people informed on the state of the bus service, and never minced words when they were in trouble. Thanks to his efforts, not only did the 2008 levy finally pass, but in 2009, the WRTA received $2.2 million in federal stimulus aid for an expansion project. Ferraro planned to put local contractors and businesses to work on expanding the nearly 25-year-old WRTA office. The expansion from being a city to a county agency also made this expansion necessary.

Other improvements have also resulted from his dedication. Routes have been expanded to the suburbs. Park-N-Ride services are in talks for YSU. The Dial-A-Ride program allows residents to be picked up from their homes for appointments or the grocery store.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit I have never taken the WRTA. I have either lived too close to work to take the bus, or too far away. If i need a few things from the store, there's one within walking distance. It is easy to pretty much exist in a two-mile radius in this city. But that's no excuse — there were many times where taking the bus would have saved me money and gas. I feel ashamed — taking advantage of good deals is usually my forte.

SO therefore I pledge to take the bus someplace in the next month. The mall, Austintown, Sparkle, wherever. Someplace where I won't have bags of heavy and/or frozen stuff. I will print out the bus schedules and keep them handy so I know when and where the next bus is coming. You do it too, kids. You never know, you may find some kind of adventure. You may end up on the Violent Femmes bus.

LINKS LIKE CRAZY:
http://www.wrtaonline.com/index.html


YSU Route Schedule
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/ysu.htm

Austintown Routes
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/tt40-austintown.htm

Fifth Avenue Schedule
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/TT33-FifthAve.htm

South Side/Southern Mark Mall Schedule
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/TT35-South.htm

MVOC = Not ACORN, Karl Marx or The Devil

Recently, U.S. Rep Tim Ryan (aka The Destroyer of HUD Hopes according to Vindy.com commenters) postponed a meeting at Youngstown Community Health Center because of potential danger and threats against himself and other figures. Not altogether unreasonable, based on the threats and actions against other local politicians like John Boccieri. It seems reasonable to wait until things cool down instead of trying to get business done amidst tumult and controversy that would detract from your work and purpose. Right?

Despite the lack of meeting or attendees, teabaggers (oh, how I am enjoying the excuse to use that word in print) showed up anyway to protest healthcare/socialism/puppies or something, with signs that seem to have been made by putting a bunch of controversial buzzwords into a hat and then pulling them out in random order. "Obama?" Check. "ACORN?" Check. "Socialism?" Boy howdy. "MVOC?" It has initials, why the hell not?

Freedom of speech is awesome. Where else can you see the incredible, brave expressions of pride, frustration and noble American spirit mixed in with goofy hats, shock photos downloaded from the least reliable Web sites on the Internets, and the whitest people who ever sliced bagels? Protest signs can be inspiring, or late-night talk show fodder. More often the latter.

However, freedom of speech trumps responsibility, unfortunately. Most people who are intelligent, informed and moved enough to get involved in protests also feel that internal duty to represent truth and fact instead of spin. These people, not so much.

The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative was the subject of a few of their signs. "MVOC = ACORN." "If this HC Bill was Sooo Wonderful, Why does M.V.O.C. Have to Sell it 4 You?"

While the MVOC is not without its drawbacks (I'll get to that), it is surely not ACORN. ACORN was about 10% federally funded, while the MVOC gets that sweet, sweet Wean Foundation money and other grants. ACORN is concerned with national issues, while the MVOC remains largely Valley focused. ACORN is subject to national scrutiny about its funding and funneling of money, while the MVOC's funding and scope remains pretty simple and local.

They do both have similar concerns. They are both community organizers, and were both for affordable housing and voter registration, but against predatory lending (which is bullshit — I voted against the payday lending bill, because it would not only put local lenders out of business, but it would also give more free reign to credit card and mortgage companies to charge high fees, since the lenders' fee of around $18 per hundred borrowed would still be less than a late fee or bounced check. It was a good temporary option for those who paid back their loans on time to avoid being massacred by fees.) But better neighborhoods, schools and voter turnout are issues that are important to almost all community groups, so this is no revelation.

The MVOC, being privately funded, they operate largely outside of politics. Its board and staff are made up of ex-high-school principals, law enforcement, educators, military, clergy and citizens.

The MVOC had little to do, publicly, with the recent health care bill protests and passage. They have pretty much not expressed any public opinion or agenda about this issue until after the bill had already passed, when they sponsored a meeting explaining the bill to area seniors. They focus mainly on local progress in the form of housing, properties, local elections and neighborhood groups.

The signs confused me, since ACORN didn't have anything to do with the health care bill issue either. Maybe it was because the other day the infamous "pimp" video came out to have been heavily edited and manipulated (like that he wasn't wearing a pimp outfit when he was actually talking to the staff), and the ACORN officials were not found guilty of any criminality. They aren't even called ACORN anymore — get with it, neocons.

In fact, the MVOC weren't the biggest fans of Tim Ryan either, posting a petition on their Web site calling him to justify and explain the rejection of all that HUD money. Like many, the MVOC pinned blame on Ryan for the Mahoning Valley not getting any money (see previous posts), when it had nothing to do with him, but the CDA official in charge of the grant application and ... drumroll ... THEMSELVES! since an MVOC official had actually reviewed the failed application! But still, even after all the HUD details unraveled, they left the petition on their site naming Ryan as the man to go to with your complaints — not the CDA with whom they work locally. I guess blaming Tim Ryan for everything is a practice that has transcended party lines. But I guess you cannot accuse the MVOC of being leftists, like the teabaggers were doing.

The MVOC and its affiliated groups have been ASSISTING IN (edit) the sale of a number of vacant properties to BUYERS (edit) who come in to profit from the next-to-nothing home prices. While at a community event at Wick Park this fall, a couple from California discussed their plans to buy homes in the area in cooperation with the MVOC and its related groups and rent them out, while still residing in California. While they expressed a genuine altruistic desire to turn around neighborhoods and improve the community, this can have adverse affects on local renters, landlords and homeowners. C'mon, Joe Pedaline needs another pot factory! I will not throw out the dreaded "g" word, but some of us can't afford to live in a nice neighborhood! That's a joke. I guess that's what the East Side is for. Another joke.

Speaking of sides, the MVOC lastly should focus efforts evenly. The bulk of their programs focus on the "historical district" of Wick Park, YSU and the North Side. Renovating a home in a historic neighborhood near campus would be more profitable than, say, flipping houses and land on the East Side, though both would be beneficial to the residents. This raises concerns that the efforts may be based in profitability. However, the Idora Park/corner store projects in conjunction with other groups are a good step in the equal-opportunity direction. The Eastside Coalition is another. I'd like to see them branch out further into the Mahoning Valley, everyone needs a hand nowadays. Trumbull County folks should help out too! There is a Warren office — 394-3801.

IN CLOSING: MVOC GOOD — JUST DON'T BECOME GREEDY SOULLESS REAL ESTATE MONGERS. We've all seen GlengarryGlenRoss, right?

And lay off Tim Ryan, everybody. He doesn't even have a condo full of hot young interns to have pizza parties with like SOME people.

* EDIT - My paranoid real estate plot fantasies come in part from watching too many 1940s gumshoe detective movies, and my secret wish to have a REAL GlengarryGlenRoss in my town and that Alec Baldwin will come here. Alec Baldwin from the 90s, not Alec Baldwin now.

The Riots of Spring

It's springtime, the time of year Youngstowners emerge from their caves and celebrate the fleeting five months of good weather we are rationed out by God as some sort of punishment that the Midwest must have committed. All winter long, especially since the first of the year, a good portion of the crime in the city largely went unwitnessed, as us sane citizens stayed warm indoors merely counting the gunshots, as opposed to being outside and having to bear witness.

Usually, it seems that the first warm snap garners a fair share of violence and crimes, but the past few weekends have been relatively uneventful. The real bender was at the first of the year, when several murders occurred within a matter of weeks. I guess snow is good for people wanting to get away with crimes, since no one is hanging around outside. But the more people strolling about it seems, the more petty thefts and fights and random gunshots there are. And the bigger chance a passer-by may be caught up in trouble.

The gunshots, strangely enough, are not too unsettling, as our neighbors in yon Trumbull County know well enough when the four-wheelers start revving up and hunters start coming out of their camo and into their yards. Shots can either mean people hanging around outside bored blowing off a pellet gun, or something more sinister. But the nice weather almost seems to guarantee an upswing in crimes both big and small, or at least ones that we witness.

In either spring or winter, reporting gunshots or a fight or a theft to the YPD can go either smoothly or incredibly irritatingly. First off: Call YPD, not 911. I have found that this is faster and easier, especially if you live near downtown. Save the number in your phone - (330) 742-8900. Mahoning County 911 call center covers a wider area and are often busier.
Second off, be specific. If you hear shots, know how many. If you see a car drive off, make a note of the make and model. This will help both you and the police - the more details you have, the more seriously they will take the call.
Third off, just make the call. Shrugging off shots as an everyday occurrence is just another roadblock from having a safer city. Call every time - be an asshole, that's what we pay cops and dispatchers for. Don't let unreported shooting become a way of life.

So take care, everyone, but when shit goes down, be prepared.

Youngstown: Still Branding

Yours truly attended the premiere of Ray "Boom Boom / I Killed a Man in the Ring" Mancini's latest endeavor, "Youngstown: Still Standing," a film chronicling the trials of early Youngstown including plenty of kaboomy cars and mob killings, the whole Jimbo debacle, and the emerging rebirth of the city as a can-do Phoenix from the ashes.

The movie itself could have stood alone as a short documentary about Youngstown Mafia. It was compelling, with plenty of entertaining anecdotes from regular Joes and famous ex-Youngstowners. The greater portion of the film concerned this topic, if not for its exciting stories but also for its huge amount of file footage and photos. The steel mills were also waxed nostalgically upon, with charming retirees adding colorful commentary. Next a pair of denim bellbottoms stomped all over Congress, and then I guess nothing happened for a few years until a bunch of kids started realizing the story of Youngstown not only made a great story, but also A GREAT T-SHIRT.

For the past five or six years, the city has lent itself well for branding by a number of enterprises. It has found its way into fashion, music, art, fiction, and even beer. And why not? It is a symbol of the Everyman: hard-working, laid-back, unpresumptuous, and honest. There are plenty of folks in town who fit this bill. But there are also plenty of people who want to have the effortless honesty and attitude that others have naturally. Taking on the Youngstown brand is a way to instantly earn Rust Belt cred without having to deal with the strife of a long life in the city.

How should we feel about this: Insulted? Flattered? We should be proud that our struggles are an inspiration to others. Those who want to tell our story are helping the rebirth every day with their articles and books and photos and music. But we should not be made a novelty. The Youngstown AK47 t-shirt is clever enough, but it can seem like a novelty when worn by others to either make fun or look tough. I guess that's how Chevrolets/Fords being peed on by Calvin or George Bush must feel when they see t-shirts lampooning them. T-shirts can be such a bitch.

Black humor is used as a way to cope, but what do outsiders have to cope with? They don't deal with the city. The "Murder Capital" brand is amusing, but those who have seen the effect our crime rate has had on the citizens can't explain it to the guy wearing the shirt in another town far away.

The industrial wasteland makes for romantic lyrics, paintings, photography and writing. But when does it stop being art and begin being so-called recession porn?

Young people like the brand too. College kids have been on the North Side for years, coming from their lower-middle/upper-middle class homes to live in houses worth less than their cars. They seem to think living in the city is either a learning experience or an amusing adventure, but to paraphrase some song lyrics, "cause when you lay in your bed at night watching roaches climb the walls, you can call your Dad and he can stop it all."

The city has a wide mix of people as citizens - young and old, well-off and poor - and we are all kinda in it together. The nicest house in town is only a block or two away from some of the worst. This creates a kind of camaraderie, and hopefully prevents making generalizations. Not all successful people in town are naive, and not all working-class people are blue-collar martyrs. Branding can encourage these stereotypes.

A respectable generation has a vested interest in maintaining and preserving neighborhoods and the history, but devote less time to their neighbors and the crime. It's great to have any influx of interest in the city, but people should be aware of all the aspects of the city, good and bad, popular and unpopular, before they brand themselves.

In closing, Rust Belt Brewery makes a hell of a beer. That's a brand I'd represent.

Sing along with the common people,
sing along and it might just get you through,
laugh along with the common people,
laugh along even though they're laughing at you,
and the stupid things that you do.
Because you think that poor is cool.

Off With His HUD!!!

Oh, the HUD debacle. To offset the onslaught of insane crime that began 2010 for Youngstown, we had to have a bit of comic relief to remind us that not all news is so bloody and yucky. For the uninitiated, let me recap:

* City CDA director Bill D'Avignon was in charge of completing a HUD grant application so that Youngstown could share in some of that sweet, sweet stimulus money (which is only dreaded "pork barrel spending" when someone else has it, apparently).
* Instead of filling out the application himself, which our tax money pays him to do, he passed the application off to the 22-year-old daughter of his girlfriend (the girlfriend formerly worked at the Vindicator and now works for the city). The daughter had no grant writing experience, had just graduated from YSU, was a former Jambar editor and currently worked for the Tribune.
* The application sucked ass. We got a ZERO out of 10 on most of the requirements.
* We didn't get any money.

Before we found out why we were denied the sweet, sweet stimulus bucks, an angry mob took up their Internet pitchforks and went straight after the man who was clearly responsible for this despite having nothing to do with the CDA or the application filling out or reviewing process - TIM RYAN. Yes, it was his fault we didn't get any money, and you were all very vocal about it:

* "The Democrat Party believes you deserve to be rejected for believing in socialism and re-electing socialists. They know you die hard Dems are what the first dictator of the USSR called you, useful idiots."
* "Sounds like the valley liberal DemoPORKERS are on their way for a Washington, DC vacation at taxpayer expense. Tim Ryan does not deserve re-election. He has yet to do anything for the valley. Taxpayers can no longer afford to support the spending of deficit creating dollars for these kinds of projects. The liberal DemoPORKERS in the valley just don't get it."
* "Hey Timmy "Pelosi Lap Dog" Ryan. I'll bet you're proud of this one. If you would have spent more time on our local issues rather than the Health Care fiasco or going to Copenhagen maybe you wouldn't have dropped the ball. Believe me if Our area would have gotten the HUD grant You would have been the first one to take credit. Now your just a whiner trying to save face. Sometimes a cheat is just a cheat."

The entire town wanted Tim Ryan's head on a stick for this. Goes to show how much they know about the political process.

SO, despite having nothing to do with the application being an epic fail, Tim Ryan takes a meeting in Washington that was supposed to be about Youngstown 2010 (another mess, to be discussed later), and uses it to try and find out what happened, and how Youngstown could still try and get some money for HUD. Imagine his surprise when he goes on the back of the entire town clamoring for his blood, representing poor Youngstown who needs this money so bad and wants to know why, WHY we were ignored, only to find out it was because something, unlike money and jobs, Youngstown unfortunately has plenty of - GROSS INCOMPETENCE.

So, Tim Ryan was vindicated. The Vindicator, always the source for such daring headlines as "HUD to Mahoning Valley: Drop Dead," had to eat crow like it was going out of style. The Tribune, despite employing the girl at the center of this scandal, had no clue what was happening until the story broke, and appeared to be protecting their employee at the cost of good journalism. Everybody lost in this debacle.

I'm not a Tim Ryan fanatic, nor am I trying to make him look like a saint. This is merely to point out how quickly the Valley is to cast blame upon a political figurehead before they even know what's happening, only to look as bad as that grant application after the truth comes out.

But you know who coulda stopped all this? JIMBO. <- sarcasm.

my kingdom for a pair of rose colored glasses

ok, it's been awhile. the new year in youngstown got up and running with an onslaught of unpredictable violence. no, not the type that suburbanite racists look forward too, but real relatable violence that is a threat to everyone. and, not just violence, but the good ol' corruption and incompetence that we are used to (aka HUD debacle, but that's another story), but, at this point it's like fish in a barrel. not that we take joy in misfortune, but it's more like we walk out our front door and don't know which fucked-up situation is the biggest threat to us. but, for the sake of organization, let's take first things first:

OLD WOMAN MURDERED, ROBBED.

this is fucked up. horrible. terrible. no way for a woman in the late years of her life to go out. in the safety of her church and peers, gunned down like a dog for change. BUT - her murderer is just that: a murderer. there are other murderers loose on the streets of youngstown, from the other murders since the beginning of 2010. some have been caught, some are still on the loose. the murderer of the old woman garnered a $10,000 reward, while the other murders offered no incentive but retaliation and/or death in prison. remember paul gains? he had 3 witnesses killed on his watch for one crime. this is the city telling us: one life is worth more than other lives.

of course heinous crimes are treated more seriously. but all of the murders since the beginning of the year have a common bond: drugs and money. Angeline Fimognari was murdered for the same reason the north side and east side murders occurred. the symptom is the cause. is one on the streets given importance over another? i would want Fimognari's killer put away the same as the killer of the guy selling small-time weed. a killer is a killer. http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/jan/02/youngstown-police-probe-fatal-shooting-on-lora/

we are off to a really fast start, kids. let's put the park and the student condos and the neighborhood gardens on hold until we get this whole murder thing under control. just because there's no Wean Foundation money in it for you doesn't mean it's not important.

if you have seen or heard anything about the recent killings, give an anonymous tip. you see what happens to those who threaten retaliation? yeah. jail. http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/feb/05/church-murder-suspects-parents-charged-retaliation/

CALL 330-742-8926 with any information on recent violence.

New Year, Old Crimes

Well, it's 2010. Despite all the heavy-handed promises, ad campaigns, and snappy logos, 2010 did not bring a new era of change, betterment, and snazzy dog parks for Youngstown. I don't know if the whole Youngstown2010 plan extends until the end of the year, but considering Jay (!) ran out of demolition money in the first six months of his term, I'd say the whole thing has been treading water since the ink dried. No new Wick Park, just a PDF. Lots of Wean Foundation money being spread around, but little help to those who need it. White people wanting to buy up old houses cheap don't really rank high on the list of people who need grant money.

Yes, the whole green space and shrinking city thing has been evolving, but it's not like it is because of intrepid leaders. Paying for studies and bringing in experts has only told everyone what's already obvious. It's because of arson and a city that's basically engulfing itself, not unlike the Nothing of Neverending Story lore. And where's Youngstown's Atreyu? HE'S AT HOME, WASHING HIS TIGHTS!

So, getting that update out of the way, let's move on to important stuff. No, not the city's first homicide barely 48 hours into the new year ... or the suicide-by-cop-kinda death of the aptly named Pharoah Tutt less than 24 hours later. Or even the murder that just happened on the East Side yesterday. I want to talk about a murder that happened back in August 2008.

On the morning of Aug. 21, some degenerate dumped the dead, naked body of a woman in a garbage can on Michigan Avenue on Youngstown's North Side. A garbageman found her. Bearing no obvious signs of trauma, it was suggested she died from drugs, and whoever was with her panicked and dumped her body in the garbage. The sleeping frat boys and young people of the neighborhood saw nothing, apparently, as no hints came forth, and Jane Doe remained unknown. A probable identity emerged, but was eliminated. The late Captain Centorame was dedicated to finding her identity, but time soon ran out, and the woman was cremated anonymously.

Before worrying about the latest murders, putting us on the fast track to Murder Capital USA yet again, let's think about this one. The woman wasn't some young blonde with a shelf full of trophies and loving parents back home. She was someone most North Siders wouldn't look twice at. A year and a half after her death, most people have forgotten about her. I haven't. Let's try and find out who she was, and try to punish the a-holes who dumped her in the trash, only concerned about themselves.

Here's the details of the case, and the woman's description. Please call the YPD at 330-742-8251 or leave an anonymous tip at 330-746-CLUE. This case is just as low as it gets. If it was your aunt, your friend, your neighbor, you'd want to help.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/oct/31/public8217s-help-sought-to-identify-woman/