Tired of seeing empty streets, storefronts and houses in Cleveland?

tired of seeing empty streets, storefronts and houses in #cleveland?  "Many American cities have depopulated over the last generation or two; they have ample infrastructure that would welcome new families and skilled workers. New Orleans, Detroit, Cleveland, Rochester, and Buffalo, among others, have lost thousands of people yet still offer big city infrastructure, education and opportunities. And since the financial crisis, there is excess housing ready to be absorbed. Targeted immigration policies could be meshed with special economic zones and other incentives to revive cities, fill skills gaps, and restore greater long-term stability and competitiveness to our labor markets." http://qz.com/#39274/america-needs-more-immigrants-and-here-are-four-ways-to-get-them/

Cleveland --- maybe look to Chicago? Mayor pushes "New Americans' Plan"

ok, we're not Chicago, but can Cleveland maybe do a little of this "immigrant-welcoming"? Check out this "Chicago New Americans Plan --- Building a Thriving, Welcoming City." http://www.scribd.com/doc/118033424/Plan-for-New-Americans-Chicago

Immigration to Cleveland Would Reboot the Economy

"While some cities push measures that drive immigrants away, some cities are doing exactly the opposite. Dayton, Ohio, adopted a plan to rebuild its battered economy by attracting immigrants — an approach that's influencing the way other cities deal with immigration. " http://www.ideastream.org/news/npr/167797730

Cleveland Homestead Act to Attract Immigrants and Other Hardy Souls?

what about a Cleveland Homestead Act of 2013 --- open to all hardy souls? 150th anniversary of Homestead Act of 1862: "Skeptics will say that the Homestead Act which welcomed immigrants to a sparsely populated continent is irrelevant to t...oday. Skeptics should consider not only that immigration is still an entrepreneurial act but also that as the entitlement state buckles beneath the weight of an aging population, America's workforce needs replenishing.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/door-opener-america

Shrinking City Update: Can Cleveland Embrace Immigrants Before It's Too Late?

Mayor Frank Jackson and Cuyahoga County Ed Fitzgerald talk a good game --- on the need to welcome immigrants to help stem progressive depopulation and boost entrepreneurship and homeownership in Cleveland.  

But the reality is that it's a smokescreen.

If they, and their comrades Ronn Richard and Albert Ratner, were really serious about immigration-based economic development in Cleveland, they would at least START to implement some of the initiatives that are being pursued in cities like Detroit, Philly, Dayton, and most recently ....Baltimore.

Check out what Baltimore's Mayor is doing!

"Baltimore is moving ahead with its own agenda: It's courting immigrants in an effort to revitalize its shrinking population. Baltimore was once a major port city and destination for people moving to America. In 1950, nearly a million people lived here. Since then though, Baltimore has become known for high crime rates..

1. and abandoned homes. The city's population has fallen to just half of what it was in the 1960s. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has a plan: She's looking to bring in 10,000 new families over the next decade, focusing on immigrants, a group that has helped other large cities grow. She's hoping new families will boost income and property tax revenue, helping to reignite the city's economy.
   
   Al-Sagheer says he could have moved to another state, but his relatives convinced him to settle just outside of Baltimore.
   
   "They speak about the population, how they treat the new immigrants, the style of the city, how they live in the city, everything," he says. "They told me many good things about living in Baltimore."
   
   That word of mouth is exactly what Rawlings-Blake is counting on to bring people into the city. Her administration is trying to make all immigrants feel safe and welcome. Her boldest move so far is prohibiting police and city officials from ever asking residents about immigration status.
   
   "I don't really think of people as legal or illegal," she says. "Are you productive, or are you not productive? That's really my focus."
   
   The city is spending money on training programs like this one, but Rawlings-Blake says the costs are negligible compared to the revenue new families will generate in taxes.
   
   It's too early to calculate Baltimore's return on investment, but there is another Northeast city that also tried to fight population decline by recruiting immigrants: Philadelphia.
   
   Philadelphia had the same kind of population crash as Baltimore. It peaked in the 1950s, then went into decades of decline. When the city finally grew again in 2010, the bulk of the newcomers were Asian and Hispanic immigrants.
   http://www.npr.org/2012/12/09/166829186/baltimore-says-immigrants-welcome