YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A bus with 55 concerned citizens from Youngstown joined ACTION and the YNDC on a protest trip to Columbia-South Carolina Saturday morning.

Members of the group say they plan to stand up to Vision Property management for what they call predatory practices in the city of Youngstown.

They accuse the management group of operating business practices that have harmed both residents and properties, renting homes to individuals using predatory land contracts. They say renters have agreed to the terms under the impression they were renting to own. 

After the contracts are signed, they say Vision Properties Management increased rent on customers, which in some cases resulted in evictions.

"We want this company to stop buying properties in Youngstown. We want them to pay back the folks they have taken money from, and we want to see these blighted properties torn down," said Neighborhood Stabilization Director Jack Daugherty.

Daugherty said Vision Property Management has already paid off one of the of the 33 homes they manage in the city of Youngstown.

The team will return to Youngstown on Sunday afternoon.