PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Warren Community and Clergy Coalition is Ready to Make Change
by Jason Denzin Thursday, Apr. 17, 2008 at 11:40 PM
jbh (at) riseup (dot) net

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April 17, 2008 - A little over one hundred community members gathered together in the historic First Presbyterian Church in downtown Warren, OH, just minutes from the Warren City Hall. We gathered together for prayer, for community, for justice, and for life. Warren, like many other rustbelt cities, now finds itself in serious economic decline. People living in Warren are faced with foreclosed and abandoned houses and buildings everywhere, rising crime rates, overall decreases in community togetherness, increasing financial pressures, continuing problems in the city schools, and all of the other day-to-day problems people living in the United States have to deal with. If it's not our job, then it's our family. If not our family, then our friends. If not our friends, then it's the bank, bar, or bus. We've all got our problems and the Warren Community and Clergy Coalition (WCCC) hoped to provide some resources where we can get help with these problems.

"The Warren Community and Clergy Coalition is a new group of Warren residents and church leaders who are coming together to address neighborhood concerns in a systematic way." This is according to the Raymond J. Wean Foundation who is providing the coalition $40,000 in order to hire a community organizer. Here are some more links to this new organziation in Warren: 1 | 2 | 3

Speakers Clayton Lohry, Eleanor Williamson, Nola Yovich, Charlene Allen, Rev. Alton Merrill, Larry Dueber, Inez Killingsworth, Doug Franklin, Julie Green, Vince Peterson, Robert Stringer, Pastor Morgan, members of the Warren City Council, and others lead the community through an issue-by-issue overview of the steps people in Warren are taking in order to make positive change.

• Highland Avenue residents were recently successful in changing the legislation regarding their street from being a legal truck lane to not allowing any trucks ... in only four months! Safety Director Doug Franklin promised to enforce this new law.

• Recently adopted landlord legislation gives the city an added tool to use in its fight against rampant landlord neglect, although more legislation is needed in order to give this new legislation teeth. The mayor and city council members in attendance promised to push for supporting legislation as well as a goal of 1500 rental unit inspections by the end of the year.

• Community organizations have sprung up all over Warren in an attempt to involve citizens at the grassroots level to manage their community.

• Inez Killingsworth spoke about her group, Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP or East Side Organizing Project), and their willingness and ability to help indiviuals and families avoid foreclosures. They have an 85% success rate when it comes to keeping people in their homes and avoiding foreclosure.

• Four members of the clergy spoke about their role in assisting the Warren city schools. They explained their position regarding the "zero tolerance" school board policy and suggested that expulsions only be given in severe cases while at the same time focusing on each student on a case-by-case basis for the best results. As Rev. Merrill points out, "All children can learn."

• The Wean Foundation has grants from $500 to $5000 available for block watch groups and other neighborhood organizing efforts.

• The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative is hiring 5 to 7 new community organziers to work full time on training, organizing, and supporting community efforts.

• There's an upcoming meeting regarding the recent revitalization plan on Monday, April 28 where community members can help develop this new plan.

However, there's still a great deal of work to do. This coalition and the many groups that are currently involved make a wonderful foundation for future grassroots change. As Larry Dueber pointed out regarding the landlord legislation, there's an expiration date on this legislation and we have to remain alert. We cannot just go away now when things seem to be getting better. And as every speaker pointed out, "we must work together" in order to make Warren better.

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