YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The city of Youngstown is turning up the heat on problem landlords, and one local group is targeting the worst offenders.

The ACTION Housing Task Force has a whole list, in fact, and Tuesday night one of the landlords it looked to take to task didn't show up.

Easily 100 people packed into the Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Youngstown - intent on giving landlord Mark King a piece of their mind.
Even without King or his lawyer present at the ACTION Housing Task Force meeting, the complaints and concerns of tenants and other residents hardly fell on deaf ears.

"My children don't live with me because I have no water in my home and a leak that's been going on for about eight months," said Tremain Williams, Sr. "No one has come out to the home to see what's going on. I want my kids back."

Many in the large crowd echoed Williams' frustration and said the solution has to go beyond what ACTION is capable of - demanding the city do more to hold slumlords accountable.

There's also an agreement between the city and King that includes a promise to pay more than $250,000 over the next 10 years.
According to the agreement reached between ACTION and Mark King, several properties have already been torn down, and others are improving.

ACTION continues to demand he works with the city to keep them up to date on his progress.
He has three more opportunities - with more meetings set for June, September, and December.

ACTION says King didn't show up at Tuesday's meeting because he couldn't be assured the media wouldn't be there. We tried to reach King and his lawyer by newstime but were unsuccessful.