Another reason why a young person might leave the city

Another reason why a young person might leave the city
EDITOR:
The Youngstown Police Department should be cautious in who it allows to represent it in routine interactions with the public.
Oct. 27, during 8 a.m. rush hour traffic, a rushed man stopped at a redlight on Glenwood, looked around to see if anyone was coming, and then proceeded to go through it. That was when I hit him. My car was mid-turn into the passenger side of his truck, and I wasn't even thinking about fault, but worried if anyone was injured. Luckily, I was OK, and apparently the man was fine, as he was out of his truck, walking past me, and to talk to the woman in the car behind me. I wasn't worried. I didn't do anything wrong. My light had just turned yellow and the car behind me was into the intersection ready to make the turn with me. The woman in the car behind him, who rushed to see if I was injured, assured me that she saw him stop and go through the light and everything will be fine. Thankfully the two witnesses stayed, because first the man told me I ran the light looking at my cell phone, then he told me the lights may have been timed wrong to allow two green lights, and finally when contradicted by the two witnesses, he offered to give me 100 because he had to get to Chicago.
By this time, I was confident that a police report would clear everything up and the witnesses wrote down their names and numbers. However, after waiting a half an hour for the traffic cop, laziness trumped justice. The traffic patrolman pulled up, looked at the man and me, and politely asked me what happened. I proceeded to tell him only what I knew being in my car (simply that the light had just turned yellow and I was making the turn) and then I added what the witnesses said and offered their names and numbers. He quickly cut me off when I said "witnesses" and told me that if he were to issue a citation it would be to me because I made an improper turn. Then he said he could either write the report with the citation for me, or we could just exchange insurance information. When I asked how I could possibly be at fault, he rudely told me I was in no position to question him. As I reluctantly gathered my insurance information, the traffic cop and the other driver joked about young girls and driving with their cell phones. (My cell phone was in my bedroom five miles away.)
Thank God no one was injured and that the witnesses will be contacted by the insurance companies. However I just can't shake how this policeman would assume I was just some young dumb kid and then get out of writing a report. In addition to that, the cop never even checked our driver's licenses: either one of us could have had a warrant out for our arrest. I never thought that in such a clear cut situation, with two witnesses, and an experienced traffic cop on day turn, would justice so willingly be left in the hand of insurance companies.
This situation only contributes to the negative perception young adults have of the Mahonng Valley. My generation is leaving for college and never coming back -- not because of economic woes, or corrupt politics, but because of a mentality that nothing will change.
The mentality that you can't fight city hall, you have to accept the way things are, and the only change is the next revitalization plan. The perception that downtown is unsafe, anyone who is outside walking is a gangbanger, and that settling within the city limits equates to failure. I don't want to accept this mentality as reality, but when my only interactions with the city are pejorative, it becomes easy to accept and move on.
I am positive the Youngstown Police Department is filled with dedicated women and men who constantly stop bad situations from getting worse, but one bad apple will ruin the whole bunch. There are many idealistic young adults who could do wonderful things for this Valley, and I hope the city reaches out to them, because I cannot wait to leave and get back to college.
JENNIFER GONDA
Youngstown