Jamaican immigrant revives S. Side neighborhood through gardens, restorations

By GRAIG GRAZIOSI

ggraziosi@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

When William Johnson walked into his prospective new home in 2011, he noted immediately that he could see the sky, very clearly, through his roof.

There was no skylight.

The house is on Chalmers Avenue on the city’s South Side, and previously belonged to a man known in the neighborhood as the person you could go to for anything you needed.

New sink? Light fixtures? VHS tapes? It was probably stashed somewhere in his house.

By the time William – a naturalized citizen from Jamaica who had moved to Youngstown from New York City – decided to check out the house, the elements had taken their toll.

It was listed for $2,225.

William called his friend Bill Orock to ask his advice. The two had worked together as welders at Bethlehem Steel, and William respected Bill’s insight.

“Hey Billy, man, I’m in this house and I’m looking up at the sky,” William said, apprehension apparent in his voice.

“Where in New York are you going to find a six-bedroom house for $2,225? Buy the damn house. I’ll help you fix the roof,” Bill replied.

It was a compelling enough argument. William handed over the money and purchased his first home.

Just as he promised, Bill showed up and helped him to fix the roof.

Almost a decade later, William has six properties under his belt, a greenhouse with an aquaponics system and a pond on the way.

Six new Youngstown residents – mostly Jamaican friends and family – have moved to the city to live in the houses William buys and repairs.

He’s no mere flipper. The homes he’s saved – most of which are located on Chalmers within eyeshot of his own home –would have been demolished by anyone else. Some of the structures had load-bearing walls that needed replacement. Others had rotting floors or caved-in roofs.

To William, it was all opportunity.

William isn’t interested in a quick buck – he’s investing in his future. He works his 9-to-5 job, then comes home and gets to work on his properties.

He wants to live in a decent community surrounded by people he enjoys. So, like so much else in his life, he figured he’d just build it himself.

LIFE IN JAMAICA

Seated in the lowlands separating the Caribbean Sea and the Blue Mountain range, the colorful high-rise buildings of Kingston, Jamaica, break the otherwise forested horizon of the island.

William grew up in Greenwich Town, a residential neighborhood just north of a coastal strip of industrial plants on Kingston’s southwestern edge. He and his older brother attended St. Andrew’s Technical High School, just west of Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae.

School emphasized technical skills; all students took courses in electrical insulation, building, auto mechanics and technical drawing. After that, students followed specialized tracks based on the aptitude shown during their initial year. That apprenticeship model struck a deep chord within William; he learned from professionals on the job. His lessons were practical, their purpose and importance immediately apparent.

His brother went on to work in pipe fitting. William, who had spent his first jobs after graduating helping welders on oil refineries, was drawn to pipe fabrication/welding. He reasoned if he worked as a helper, he’d eventually get his own helper, plus he could avoid all the complicated calculations that go into pipe fitting.

After working in the trades for nearly 20 years, he decided he wanted to pass along his skills to kids while working to reduce crime and violence in Kingston. So he began a nonprofit, Progress for Youth, that targeted inner-city kids in Kingston, offering them the opportunity to learn a trade in exchange for their labor. William had no idea starting the program would put him on the path to American citizenship.

ARRIVAL IN AMERICA

William applied for a visa to spend two weeks in the United States for a “peace makers” conference in Virginia at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va. His mother and sister were already living in the U.S. at that point – his mother in New York City and his sister in New Jersey.

On the second day of the conference, William received a call from his sister.

“She told me a letter came saying that my immigration numbers came up. It asked if I wanted to continue the process of becoming a citizen. I already had a visa for my conference, so I decided I’d stay and continue the process to become a citizen,” William said.

Apart from having family in the states, William’s motivations were the same as the long line of hopeful immigrants who came before him; he was hoping for more opportunity and a better life for himself.

So he stayed, applied for labor jobs through Tradesman International – a skilled labor staffing company – and got his first American job building a 7-Eleven in Long Island, N.Y.

“At one point on the job, I wondered, ‘Man, am I even going to get paid?’ because I was working for someone I’d never seen,” William said. “But then I got a check for $35,000 and thought ‘This really is America.’”

He took welding jobs around the country with Tradesman International before settling in at a job outside of Pittsburgh with Hennecke Inc.

Happy with his employment and with a young family in tow, he decided it was time to buy a house.

YOUNGSTOWN ­–TODAY

William, his wife Esther, and his three children live in their renovated house on Chalmers Avenue. The family greenhouse is filled with fresh produce, William raises tilapia in his basement and his recently purchased chickens will soon provide eggs.

He chose Youngstown because Jamaican friends in Cleveland recommended the city as a place where he could purchase a home cheaply while still being close enough to enjoy the culture of the surrounding region.

One street over, on Ellenwood Avenue, William is installing new siding on one of his most recent home acquisitions through the Mahoning County Land Bank. He has worked with the Land Bank four times to acquire houses.

Deb Flora, land bank executive director, said his work was so admired by the organization that he eventually became the focus of a trial program, pairing renovators with land-bank properties. Once the renovators finish their work, the land bank allows them to purchase the properties.

“I have met many well intentioned people through the land bank. But good intentions don’t always translate into action. It’s hard work to repair these homes,” Flora said. “I call him the Thomas Alva Edison of Youngstown because I’m not convinced that the man actually sleeps.”

His aquaponics greenhouse is built from reclaimed wood and plastic. A network of PVC pipes dominates the central length of the greenhouse. Every few inches holes are cut into the pipe, just wide enough to accommodate white Styrofoam cups filled with soil. A variety of vegetables grows from these cups; a cucumber hangs from the side of one, while a brilliant violet stalk of Swiss chard looms over another.

At the far end of the greenhouse is a small pond that feeds the pipes running through the building. The orange shimmers of foot-long goldfish and koi wriggle around just under the water surface. Fish waste is carried through the pipes and empties into beds of clay balls and rock. The bacteria in the clay breaks down the waste, converting it into nitrates, which are then carried through the pipes to feed William’s crops.

In the future, the 52-year-old hopes to open a corner store on the South Side where he can sell fresh produce grown from his greenhouse.

“I want people to be able to walk in and pick what they want right off the vine, so they know it’s grown right there, fresh,” William said. “For people who maybe don’t know how to prepare the vegetables, we’d have a little kitchen. All healthy food and some Jamaican dishes, too.”

He’s also planning on starting a Progress for Youth chapter in Youngstown. The first order of business will be to teach his young apprentices how to read tape measures. On Sept. 29, the organization will host its first event, a barbecue featuring reggae and traditional Jamaican food, at 39 Ellenwood Ave.

At a time when the city’s institutions are crumbling and people are leaving in droves, William has doubled down on carving out a community for himself in Youngstown.

“When I was made a citizen, the judge told me to give back to my neighborhood. I think he’d be proud of this,” William said. “America wasn’t founded by no coward people. You’ve got to be brave. I believe in making wherever you are your home, so that’s what I’m going to do.”