Jane McImtire hands a pamphlet about an outdoor festival this weekend to Jaylyn Dupree at his home on Camden Street in Chattanooga on Monday.Praying for peace and rallying to end violence beat doing nothing to save the community, but several East Chattanooga youth say employment would also help.
More than 33 percent of men in East Chattanooga are unemployed. Nearly half the community, 45 percent, lives in poverty.
"Lack of leadership, lack of opportunity to work. There's nothing out here," said 22-year-old Anthony Frieson.
Several East Chattanooga neighborhood associations want to help. East Chattanooga Improvement Inc. will host a joint rally and community festival on Saturday, but it's also working with city and county elected officials to get jobs and get more people qualified to work.
Even if more jobs were available, "a lot of the people unemployed wouldn't get them," said James Moreland, chairman of East Chattanooga Improvement Inc.
People complain that they don't have jobs. Employers complain that people lack vocational skills, education and some have felony records. Moreland said neighborhood leaders and elected officials are working with Chattanooga State Community College and First Things First to develop programs to train them. And he's speaking with employers, asking them to strongly consider Chattanooga State students and students that community leaders recommend for jobs despite their criminal records.
Moreland said he and some elected officials will call a community meeting within the next month to give more details about their plan to train people for employment.
Saturday is just a start, Moreland said.
The rally and festival are intended to encourage a violence-free day for all of East Chattanooga and offer a way to communicate with a bunch of people about the upcoming program, he said.
East Chattanooga Improvement Inc. is sponsoring the event in partnership with the city's Department of Youth and Family Development.
Moreland led a handful of women through East Chattanooga on Monday to distribute fliers about the festival.
The walk and Saturday festival come after more than 20 homicides this year.
"A lot of people are stressed out about violence," Moreland said. "They're afraid. Nervous. We want to have a free day, an activity that supports family and brings the East Chattanooga community together."
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 757-6431.