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by: Yana Kunichoff, t r u t h o u t | Report

The first thing Mark asked me when I stepped out of the glaring Detroit summer sun and into his yellow cab was whether I was in Detroit for the US Social Forum. I was, I told him. How was I finding the city? he wondered. Fine, I said, though I hadn’t really had much of a chance to explore the place that was being pegged as the symbol of American economic decline.

Mark, who asked that his last name not be used for personal privacy, laughed and offered me an exclusive tour of Detroit beyond the art nouveau sculptures and bright glass of the area surrounding the conference center. And with this came Mark’s story - as a former auto worker, as a Detroit native and as a cab driver who has traversed the city’s streets.

During the ride we chatted about the decline of the big three auto manufacturers that have left Detroit facing unemployment rates of 14.6 percent in May 2010 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and, at one point, leading the nation’s foreclosure rates.

Mark said he estimates the actual unemployment rate, which does not count part-time workers looking for full-time jobs or frustrated job seekers who have abandoned their job search altogether, to be approaching 50 percent, particularly in the African-American community.

Many of those now unemployed, he noted, had not gotten college degrees because they thought there was the guarantee of a steady job with an auto company or one of the multiple parts contractors waiting for them. Mark, a skilled worker who had graduated with a BA in political science, has not found the job climate hospitable since he took early retirement two years ago.

Mark’s hope is for green jobs to rejuvenate Detroit and cities like it around the country. He doesn’t know when this could happen or if it is even realistic, but he also has no plans to move his five kids - two of whom are in college and three still finishing high school - out of the city in which he was born and raised.

On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend 2010, the 11th Annual Gasoline Alley Birthday Bash moved from the Cannery Hotel & Casino to Eldorado Park in North Las Vegas, where hundreds of street rods, hot rods, customs, muscle cars, imports, low riders, and customs were placed “On The Grass”. Throughout the day, participants and members of the general public were treated to a wide variety of activities and entertainment. This event was hosted in support of The Lili Claire Foundation Family Research Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

Rally Drivers, celebrities & JYD Project supporters were revved up and raring to go for the JYD Project’s Second Annual Finish Line Dinner and Auction. This year’s theme, “Fast & Furious” promised to be a lot of fun. The Palazzo Hotel played host for the celebrities, politicians, community leaders and supporters for an evening of fun and excitement. Fox 5’s Olivia Boyle hosted the evening that started with a silent auction where guests were treated to cocktails sponsored by Johnny LOVE Vodka. Marc Savard, Planet Hollywood’s comedian hypnotist, was on hand to entertain, as well as R&B vocalist Patrick Wilson. Attendees were also treated to a fashion show sponsored by Syrup Swimwear where models blazed the runway!!

JYD Project sponsors, Dal Toro’s Italian Restaurant, Fox 5 and GM Chevrolet helped make this event a huge success. JYD Project president Jerome Williams and staff, were thrilled to have 20 drivers participate in this years Rally including seven local businesses for the corporate challenge. “It is always important to have community support whenever non-profits try to fundraise, having only been in the Las Vegas for three years, I’m even surprised at all the support that my charity has received from the community”, Williams said.

The JYD Project supports After-School All-Stars, Boy Scouts of Nevada, The Shade Tree, and The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada. The donations from the event will help benefit the JYD project as it prepares for another year of community service with health & fitness camps for kids, neighborhood clean ups and educational/leadership work shops to encourage youth to excel in all that they do. For more information about how you can support the JYD Project please visit www.jydproject.com, All donations can be made online or mailed to 2831 St. Rose Pkwy, Suite 203 Henderson, NV. 89052