query: Rural Organizing around Unemployment and Crime

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

[ed:  please feel welcomed to copy COMM-ORG with responses to Tommy's 
query.]

From: "Thomas Roberts" <thomas.jason.roberts at gmail.com>


After surveying several thousand residents in the rural area that that I 
work, I found that about 3/4 of the residents' #1 concern is either high 
unemployment or the crime rate that has ballooned in recent years with 
the rise in unemployment.  There is little history of organizing in the 
area since the 1960s, and little has been done to address these issues 
locally.  

Since I'm just starting to organize here, I'll need to cut a winnable 
issue out of these problems, so I'm trying to find examples of what 
community organizations in other areas have done to address high 
unemployment and high crime rates.  In particular, I'd like to find 
examples from other rural areas.

Thanks!
Tommy Roberts