Photo by DG-rad

Mayor Vince Gray hosted his first youth town hall Saturday at the THEARC Theater in Ward 8, and about 50 young District residents turned out to vent their frustrations with what they said was a lack of summer jobs. The meeting kicked off a series of monthly meetings the mayor has planned citywide to hear from D.C. residents 21-years-old and younger.

Gray answered questions on topics like traffic problems and neighborhood violence, but unemployment was the dominant issue.

He pushed back when students said their weren’t job enough opportunities (one girl handed Gray 10 pages of signatures from youth in her neighborhood who were looking for jobs), stressing that every eligible youth who signed up for the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program was given a job.

“The people who didn’t get jobs, I’m inclined to believe it’s their fault,” Gray said. “They didn’t do anything to help themselves.”

Despite a few verbal tiffs, the tone of the meeting was casual with Gray lauding students on their achievements and quipping with the crowd.