The word on the street is that the streets of Fresno need to be fixed. Many youth in this growing city are still waiting for this renovation to take place. Every broken lamp post, every pothole, and every sidewalk-less neighborhood hinders the way we travel.

Over 150 demonstrators gathered on Thursday outside the Robert E. Coyle Federal Building in Fresno – with two different reasons to organize.

The protest, which was planned over three months in advance, was originally the brainchild of Peace Fresno in an effort to support the “October 2011” demonstration in Washington, D.C., which was organized to remember the 10 year anniversary of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.

Youth walking on Fresno’s west side still face safety risks. On Thursday, Sept. 22, 19-year-old Luis Pacheco was jumped by three individuals while walking in his neighborhood. His assailants hit him in the face and stole his bike, all in broad daylight with several onlookers.

Take a quick glance, just flip through the pages of Fresno’s youth magazine, the kNOw: Youth Voice of Central Valley, and it quickly becomes apparent that these youth writers are not holding anything back. Reading over the following article titles gives an idea of what many of our youth today are dealing with…

Chris Jarvis, 50, talks with the kNOw’s Jaleesa Vickers about what it’s like to be an elder in Fresno’s gay community.