Let your thoughts be heard...

So we’ve reported on it, we’ve talked about it on here plenty and we’ve heard many of your thoughts as well.

Well now, it looks like everyone may have a chance to be heard about what you’d like to see in “the next great city of the South.”

My fellow Byrd alum Jeff Everson has organized a meet and greet with Mayor Cedric Glover in which he wants to hear the city’s young adults on their perspective of Shreveport and how to make it better.

Jeff said the idea came from a conversation he and the mayor had about the young perspectives on the city, new ideas for the city and so on.

I thought it was an invite-only type of thing, but it turns out the event is open to anyone, particularly young adults, who want to share their thoughts with the mayor and maybe meet some other young adults in the city. (Yeah, as it turns out they actually do exist!)

He’s only asking that you RSVP just so they can plan appropriately. So here’s the breakdown of it all:

WHAT: Meet and Greet with Mayor Glover.
WHEN: 5:30 p.m., Tues. Oct. 16.
WHERE: Stoner Avenue Marina, 851 E. Stoner.
RSVP: Jeff Everson, 347-2554 or eversonjeff@hotmail.com.

Maybe it's all relative, depending on who you ask

I always read story chat comments on our web site and hear talk of how Shreveport is such an extremely violent city.
I even remember one mayoral candidate last year referring to the city as a future Baghdad during one of those colorful, more entertaining-than-informative forums.

I don’t deny the violence exists and I’ve read the stories we’ve reported about the city's rankings and such. But I guess since I’m from here and lived here practically all my life, unharmed, I never thought it was as violent compared to other cities.

I mean, forgive my ignorance. In fact, enlighten me on something: Is crime in Shreveport really unusually, extremely high, especially compared to cities of the same size or larger? Or is it all relative?

So whatcha gonna do about it?

I read Joel’s story today about Shreveport losing it’s young professional population and I wasn’t surprised at all. Saddened a little, but not surprised. I also read the comments and everyone has their opinions about why the city is losing, well, us. But at the end of the day, I’m anxious to see what the city is going to do about it.

When I left for college in New Orleans, I thought I’d never come back. Period. A combination of chance and circumstance blew that plan out of the water. Yet, during this time back, I’ve discovered there are some good things about this city. However, it’s always seemed like a city of potential – unfulfilled. There’s so much more left to be desired and in my opinion, it starts with career opportunities.

As a native who reluctantly returned home six years ago, I remember hearing about a campaign at the time to bring the younguns home, but I don’t remember ever hearing or even seeing much beyond the talk. Even as my high school class plans our 10-year reunion, I’ve skimmed through the names and pics of former classmates and saw that a good chunk of the folks in the list, now reside in other cities across the country.

I feel like the guy in Joel’s story (and fellow Dillard University grad) Franklin Whitaker stated the problem best:
"I would have loved to come back home," said Whitaker, 27, a personal banker for JP Morgan Chase who lives in the Dallas suburb Lancaster. "But I never got that chance. Shreveport has jobs, but it does not have career opportunities, which is a big difference."

This problem is nothing new to us. So what is Shreveport going to do about it? Actually make substantial, significant changes and improvements to make Shreveport the next great city of the South? Or just sit here in denial and watch the population erosion worsen for another decade?

Folks have talked and talked and talked and talked about it ad nauseum, but what are the city’s leaders going to DO about it? For those who have left what would it take to get you to come back? And for those of us still here, what would it take for you to stay?