Homicide on W. Evergreen

[AllanY2525]

It sounds like that house may not have been completely abandoned....my experience with all of the
vacant (and boarded up) houses around Wick Park has been that Ohio Edison disconnects the
ends of the three power cables up on the utility poles, but leaves the "drop" (ie: support cable
and the three electric cables) still strung between the utility pole and the house/building.

This house was probably not vacant or abandoned for very long if all it took to turn on the
electricity was to place a meter in the meter box.  When I was in my early 20's I remember
someone that I knew who did this trick with the electric meter - don't know where he got the
meter, though....

[Towntalk]

Heard on the Ron and Casey Show today: Outdoor electric meters are being stoled and hooked up to houses like the one on Evergreen to steal electricity. This is te first time that this kind of theft has been made public and explains how the drug houses (abandoned houses) are getting power.

[connie254]

The criminals don't care-they do what's been going on for years in the city. I'll believe when I see it about zero tolerance for any crime in the city.  I've reported several incidents over the last ten years involving criminal behavior and juveniles and no one came.  I don't see it changing anytime soon. I live on Hilton(hopefully not long) and can't tolerate the nightly gunfire. 
Gee how did these people know about the shooting on Evergreen. Hmmm, innocently-maybe listening to their police scanners-could be.  Maybe the gunmen had let it be known that the shooting took place-as a warning or for bravado. And the sob story on the front page about the pregnant girlfriend of one the victims-he fathered 3 of her 5 children and she's pregnant with his child-guess she's not a tax paying citizen.  I'm all for helping people out when they are down on their luck, but when they make a lifestyle out of it, I say make them do manual labor for their welfare check.
And if they want to shoot people, send them to Iraq and bring our troops home.  If they survive their prison term over there, they can come home.

[Micky]

I guess it wasn't a surprise that the murdered victims all had criminal records.  What a waste of their lives.  According to the news reports and film clips, a feud has been taking place for quite a while.  Thank God that innocent law-abiding citizens weren't caught in their crosshairs!  We're all a little nervous about future retaliation for these murders and hope that the police catch the perps quickly without endangering themselves.

And finally, Mayor Williams stepped up to the plate and spoke on TV about plans to curtail (as best they can) the violence.  We were hoping that he'd call in the National Guard, like the Mayor of New Orleans, in order to allow the police to do what they have to do to.  Little steps are better than nothing!

[Towntalk]

Again, I applaud those in the community that have the time to give of themselves, and believe me, these good citizens are recognized and honored each year, but at the same time we must remember that for the majority who work two jobs and have spouses that also work just to keep a roof over their heads and raise a family, there simply aren't enough hours in a day to accomplish everything and still have time to do volunteer work, so my suggestions are an alternative.

The city's crime problem is everyone's problem, and the business community takes that into consideration when looking for places to relocate, and that is exactly why businesses that could take some of the weight of the shoulders of city families won't locate here, and why Youngstown is becoming home to Senior Citizens and folks on welfare, while our young folks are moving away as fast as they can.

Those bent on criminal activity will never change, nor could they care less who they harmed as witnessed by one of our City Councilmen first handedly. These were young people who were involved ... teenagers I believe, gang members.

I don't have all the answers, but it seems to me that unless the city stops making excuses, and starts demanding that the police become pro-active the battle will be lost, more people will flee the city, and all the good work that has been accomplished will have been in vain.

[Mary]

Janko if volunteering is something you are really interested in, there is website that is helpful. I want to get involved with one of these programs also. The site is www.VolunteerMatch.org. From there you can get to the local sites of big brothers/big sisters and several others. I am researching the organizations before signing up so let me know if you get any other information if you dont mind!

[Janko]

This was the email subject line of my state-wide news email this morning:

"ONN Headlines: Four Found Shot To Death In Youngstown"


I wonder how far this story will spread to media around the country.  And I wonder how many of the victims graduated from high school.

Perhaps a solution from a community standpoint is for the public to assist in the education of the city's children, in addition to community policing.  If a handful of kids are taught to respect life and education, maybe that will create a few less murders in the future.

With all due respect, I think the time has come to take actions beyond complaining to public officials and calling talk radio. 

True, the availability of time sometimes narrows our options, but perhaps giving 2 hours of tutoring/counceling/shadowing a month to city school students from individuals in the community will have any impact.

How many of the people reading these messages have any interaction with the city schools, regardless if you are a parent?

For how many of us is this a problem to complain about, and not a problem to actively help in solving?

I am guilty of not interacting with the students myself.  What is the phone number for big brothers/big sisters?  Maybe a group like that can use help from a number of us?

[Towntalk]

While I agree that we should all get more involved in community affairs, attend public meetings and voice our opinions and wishes, not all of us have the time to be as active as others. There must be some way that we can communicate our anger to our elected officials.

One way is that when the local talk shows have our elected officials on, we stop being just listeners and start being callers willing to voice our anger. By flooding the lines, we can do more good than just sit in at public meetings where we have no voice.

If say 20 people were to call WKBN's Talk Shows every day on this issue and make it clear that we are angry and keep calling we can put pressure on the Mayor to do something because if each host kept getting a multitude of calls on a daily basis, they would hold the officials feet to the fire in a way that would force them to act.

We must remember though that until we do get the results we all want we must not make it a one time call. It must be made over and over and over again. And above all, accept no excuses. Don't be afraid to tell the mayor that his political future depends upon how he responds. NO MR. NICE GUY routine, and above all, accept no excuses.

Beyond that, remember that just preaching to the choir will not stop the killings.

By the way, the talk shows at WKBN have the highest ratings. Some might like listening to Louie Free, but he doesn't have the punch that Mangino, Rivers, Ron and Casey, Morris Ray and Maggy (when she's on) have. They are the ones that can have the most effect on City Hall.

Also flood the Vindicator with Letters to the Editor. They might not publish them, but if they keep getting stacks of letters on this issue on a regular basis, they will turn up the heat on their end, and no elected official wants to see his name in print when what is said is negative.

[Oldmill]

Youngstown has been out of control for years !! Seriously , How can you demand these type of people to stop the violence ? What are so called "outside agencies" going to do ? Just like the Iraq war ...the citizens need to step in and do something and even if they do , the violence will continue.  Oy Vey !

Totally out of control!!!  No one in charge wants to take a stand and demand that this violence stop - they can't ignore it anymore!  They must call in outside agencies to help put an end to the terrorism in this town. 
 

[jay]

Last year the south side had more homicides than any other side of town.  With these four homicides, it looks as though the trend will continue.

I suggest that forum members should attend the community public meeting about crime and violence on Wednesday evening.  See the event listing on this forum's calendar.   We should also attend city council meetings.

[Towntalk]

There is something very strange about this story.

According to the Vindicator: "Another officer, who did not give his name, said police had "a lot" of witnesses at the house and were working to question those individuals."

Then later in the same article: "Any questioning was soon put to the side as officers dealt with carloads of sobbing and excited people who pulled up trying to get to the house. Most could be heard screaming that a cousin or other relative might have been in the house."

How did all these people learn about the killings so soon?

[y town streets]

  You know its bad when you servive the war and come home and get killed. its so crazy when you stand a better chance there than you do in you'er own country.

[y town streets]

  The homicides around here are just rediculous,ther are some really cold hearted people in y town. no regard to human life what so ever and its useally over druges or money. we are lossing a lot of our young people to this madnes. it even affects innocent people who arnt involved. We really need some changes y town have gotten such a bad name. if you go out of town when people find out where you are from thay just say hum and look at you like you just escaped from some mental ward.

[Micky]

Totally out of control!!!  No one in charge wants to take a stand and demand that this violence stop - they can't ignore it anymore!  They must call in outside agencies to help put an end to the terrorism in this town. 

Mary, you're absolutely right.  Can't sleep at night, afraid to come home when it's dark, afraid to drive on any city street anymore, even during the daylight hours.  Our police officers are stretched to their limits and can only be reactive. 

[Mary]

This city is out of control. I am afraid to go to sleep at night, afraid to come home from school at 9pm, check my doors 2-3 times, make my fiance get out of bed to check on noises i hear.

Wonder what the mayor and police chief are going to have to say to this.