PBS Frontline: Dayton examined on "Left Behind America" (Kent: for sale, house)

[WRnative]

Saw this while scanning through tonight's program guide:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/f...ehind-america/

[weatherphotographer]

I bet your link isn't popular with this crowd, just saying.

NBC was here about a year ago for the heroin epidemic. They filmed out the Life Enrichment Center. Dayton is kinda of getting press it doesn't want

[wrightflyer]

It's kind of indicative of the city's leadership when they cannot get this press turned around. I know it isn't quick, but at least a year and still, stuff like this?

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

It's kind of indicative of the city's leadership when they cannot get this press turned around. I know it isn't quick, but at least a year and still, stuff like this?

What can they do, exactly?

[randomparent]

Watched it last night. A bit of a gut punch, but I think most of us already knew what's going on. The producers definitely chose the most dilapidated parts of the city to feature, which gives the casual viewer a skewed perspective of the region as a whole. Still, it gave me pause. Lots to ponder.

[randomparent]

Watched it again this morning, and it occurred to me that there's much left unsaid about the Dayton economy (med/fed/ed) and the effect of jobs moving out of the center of Dayton to the east, south, and, to a lesser extent, the northern suburbs. The city of Dayton has been gutted, but the entire region is not a lost cause. That's why Dayton has been seeking to increase its tax base by tapping the rest of Montgomery county for funding to prop up city development. Of course, we all know that's going nowhere.

The brief mention of the closing hospital made me wince. I don't what to think about the reasoning behind it, but it's clear that the demise of west and northwest Dayton continues with terrible consequences for those who remain. Red Hook, the fully-restored smaller of the Sherman estates just a block north of Good Sam, is still for sale with a price that's astoundingly low for a 9k sq. ft. Tudor Revival mansion of such high quality. It's such a shame. I feel for Beth Duke. It's clear that she put her soul into making that house a showcase, but the tide is against her. It's going to take a very special person with deep pockets to save that house for future generations.

[weatherphotographer]

Nan is on the defensive

https://www.daytonohio.gov/DocumentC...C-News-9-12-18

[randomparent]

I thought her response was fairly measured, but I can understand why she might be feeling a bit defensive and want to highlight programs that are changing things for the better. It was not a particularly flattering view of Dayton. It was interesting seeing Kent Harshbarger featured. I've seen him interviewed about the city's opioid epidemic several times now, and he's always come across very well. Terrible job, though. I imagine it weighs heavily on him.

[Ohiogirl81]

I did like the focus on the immigrant communities and what they've done in the city. So much of the show broke my heart, though.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by randomparent

Watched it again this morning, and it occurred to me that there's much left unsaid about the Dayton economy (med/fed/ed) and the effect of jobs moving out of the center of Dayton to the east, south, and, to a lesser extent, the northern suburbs. The city of Dayton has been gutted, but the entire region is not a lost cause. That's why Dayton has been seeking to increase its tax base by tapping the rest of Montgomery county for funding to prop up city development. Of course, we all know that's going nowhere.

The brief mention of the closing hospital made me wince. I don't what to think about the reasoning behind it, but it's clear that the demise of west and northwest Dayton continues with terrible consequences for those who remain. Red Hook, the fully-restored smaller of the Sherman estates just a block north of Good Sam, is still for sale with a price that's astoundingly low for a 9k sq. ft. Tudor Revival mansion of such high quality. It's such a shame. I feel for Beth Duke. It's clear that she put her soul into making that house a showcase, but the tide is against her. It's going to take a very special person with deep pockets to save that house for future generations.

I agree with the assessment of the region as a whole. The suburbs are chugging along fine and are a big part of the economy. But even the article on the Frontline website mentioned the Fifth Street Brew Pub and more positive aspects. It's funny, for a program discussing how a region was left behind the coastal metros' recovery post-recession, that it was likely, in the end, produced and edited by people who live on the coast.

It doesn't make for good view points when the areas of Dayton struggling most are high minority and the fact the poverty rate is astounding, but a majority of the suburbs are doing fine. You could apply the same view to Detroit or St. Louis. They are just on a bigger scale since the metros are bigger.