Dear Editor,
The reason I am writing to you is regarding the increase of violence in the city of
Youngstown.
According to a new article reported by WKBN on August 8th of 2021 “Youngstown has seen a spike in gun violence incidents. After incidents over the weekend, there have been over 80 shootings this year, on track to surpass the 98 shootings in the city in 2020 … By far, the south side has seen the most violence this year, with 12 homicides.”
As a Youngstown native, and growing up in the city the past 21 years there is a need for change to make strides into the right direction for the future of the Youngstown community. This increased violence, if not taken seriously, will have an effect on the young men and women in Youngstown negatively.
I give a lot of credit to the Youngstown’s ‘United as One’ organization from seeing their efforts in making a difference as members of the community. My specific call for attention is on city lawmakers to pay our police force trying to stop and prevent future crime on our streets. Youngstown’s police force has been severely underpaid the past decade, and we are losing great quality first responders as a result. The need to invest in Youngstown is a must if we hope to return to what once was a city that had great success and prosperity. John F. Kennedy once said “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth.” I call for the city of Youngstown to stand up and make a difference for the future starting with all of its citizens.
Sincerely,
Brent Weaver
