Youngstown mayoral candidate discusses Realty Building explosion one year later

It's been exactly one year since the deadly blast at the Realty Building in downtown Youngstown. One year later, a Youngstown mayoral candidate and entrepreneur is looking back on the blast that turned the city upside down.

21 News caught up with Independent Youngstown mayoral candidate and Youngstown Flea founder Derrick McDowell who says the explosion still feels like just yesterday to him.

McDowell said he had actually planned on going to the Chase Bank on the first floor of the building, but couldn't due to issues with his schedule.

"You can't imagine something like this happening in our city, in our downtown. And then when it happens, when tragedy strikes, what we do in those moments, they matter," McDowell said.

McDowell said one year later, the tragedy of the Realty explosion is something that should not be forgotten.

"It's something that our community must resolve to learn from, to grow from, to heal from and to lead from. We've got to take all the growing facts that we have and use them to help plan the future for the City of Youngstown. A future we keep one another safe from these kinds of moments," McDowell said.

McDowell went on to say the community should never forget the life of Akil Drake, a Chase Bank employee who was killed as a result of the blast.

"I have kids myself and I can't imagine what [Drake's] family goes through even to this day a year later, so I will never forget that and I'm calling on our community not to forget those things," McDowell said.

McDowell also discussed recent developments shedding light on the moments leading up to the blast saying the situation should act as a learning experience for the future.

"We're learning now that it wasn't just some accident, that there was negligence, there were procedures that weren't in place, there was not enough safety precautions taken to make sure that something like this didn't happen and doesn't happen to us again," McDowell said.

"And if we're going to learn anything from this, it's that we have the responsibility to safeguard one another. And you only do that when we can admit what has happened to us when we can admit what has happened to us, when we can admit what has happened to us, recognize the tragedy and the cost that goes along with that. Remembering the life that was lost. Akil Drake's name is etched into the story of this city," McDowell continued.