Residents place blame for rioting on poverty

A cleric said money is needed for programs to keep teens out of trouble.
TOLEDO (AP) -- Residents at a sometimes testy forum named poverty, above other causes, as the kindling for a riot earlier this month sparked by a demonstration by neo-Nazis.
A crowd of about 150, diverse in race and age, voiced a slew of concerns at city officials, including Mayor Jack Ford, who had tried to defuse the uprising a week earlier.
"Whether they're black, white or brown, poverty is the reason," said north Toledo resident Albert McClusker, 37, one of three dozen people who addressed the room Saturday's meeting.
Violence broke out Oct. 15 after a white supremacists march was called off, and rioters turned their anger toward police because they thought officers were protecting the neo-Nazis and did nothing to stop their plan to walk through their neighborhood.
The damage
Vehicles and business were vandalized, a corner bar was looted and torched and an officer in a cruiser was hit in the head by a chunk of concrete.
The unrest lasted about four hours. Police arrested 114 people, mostly teenagers and young men, on charges including assault, arson, vandalism and failure to obey police.
"Everybody knows what the problem is: The youth -- they need direction. We need the money for programs to give the youths something to do," said Saeeda Hunter of Redeeming Temple Church.
Addressing complaints
Ford took notes during the meeting and told those in attendance that he had compiled a list of 35 of their complaints to address.
Residents have questioned why officials initially allowed the demonstration by the Nazi group, which intended to walk along the neighborhood's sidewalks.
"Throwing rocks? This is the north end. You're so lucky that's all that happened," shouted Michael Rose, a 32-year-old who said he used to be in a gang.
"Violence only breeds violence. We should have never let them come into our neighborhood."
Ford has said the city couldn't stop the group because no street closures or marching permit were required.
Residents also have cited tensions between police and youth in the area as an accelerant to the riot. Authorities, in turn, have blamed gang members.
Earlier this year, the Toledo Police Department changed the approach it takes to controlling gang activity. Four uniformed officers and a federal agent respond to complaints and work trouble spots -- public schools letting out for the day, for instance.