Part 3/10:
The narrative shifts to the economic upheaval beginning in the early 2000s, especially from 2001 to 2007, when Dayton experienced the loss of nearly 23,000 jobs—about one-third of its manufacturing employment. Unemployment soared, and the poverty rate skyrocketed to nearly 35%, almost tripling the national average. Once, hard work and adherence to the rules promised prosperity; now, those promises seemed broken.
The speaker underscores how the American Dream—where children could do better than their parents—no longer holds true for many families. The decline of manufacturing jobs prolonged economic hardship, especially for communities that relied heavily on industrial employment. These shifts led to increased poverty, community decay, reduced tax revenues, and a shrinking middle class.