TUSCALOOSA | Two years ago, 20 Below opened as a place where troubled teens could come for guidance, to relax, study, party and talk about problems.
But as of Thursday, the teen club and activity center on 10th Avenue is no more.
The club�s owner, Against All Odds founder Tim Robinson cited a number of problems, including location and a lack of funding, that forced him to shut the club down.
Robinson said he initially tried to support his group, Against All Odds, himself. The organization aimed to provide conflict resolution, teen counseling and a safe environment for at-risk teenagers to hang out.
�For two years we�ve funded all of our projects, everything we do, we do ourselves with no support, no grants, basically no help at all," he said. �The places I�m asked to go to speak, the schools, home visits, etc., the transportation to those places is coming out of my pocket."
Robinson leased a building to house the group�s activity center and club, saying it was about to be condemned before he fixed it up. He said he�d often rent out 20 Below to help cover the activity center�s expenses.
But that income alone wasn�t enough.
�In the wintertime, it would cost an average of $1,000 a month just to pay the light bill," Robinson said.
Robinson approached the city in recent months seeking help to keep the space open.
Mayor Walt Maddox said he and City Planner Bill Snowden talked with Robinson about applying for a Community Development Block Grant and how to incorporate Against All Odds as a nonprofit organization so it could qualify.
But that couldn�t guarantee the center�s survival.
�It�s a competitive bidding process," Maddox said. �Like most grants, it takes time."
Robinson said that�s exactly what he doesn�t have. He applied for the grant earlier this year. He said he�s still on the eligibility list but no longer afford the building�s expenses.
The center�s location also proved problematic.
�There were problems with throwing the teen parties here because the building is across the street from [Rosedale Court], and a lot of teens from other areas didn�t want to come here because it�s not a neutral area," Robinson said. �Some of the kids from different neighborhoods have problems with each other."
And then there were the shootings.
The first shooting was Feb. 24, right across the street from the club just 15 minutes after Robinson ended a party at 20 Below. Two people were shot, one in the leg and the other in the back.
The second shooting, on May 23, took the life of 26-year-old Anthony Dewayne Cockrell as he made a purchase at the Speedee Food Mart, a convenience store two doors away from 20 Below. Police suspect a 19-year-old and a 15-year-old of shooting and killing Cockrell.
�This is the main reason I�m shutting down 20 Below," Robinson said. �I don�t want any of these young people to lose their life."
Robinson said that while he never had much of a problem with violence in the club itself, he couldn�t control what happened outside the center.
Robinson said the plan now is to start again, but possibly outside the city.
�I can�t say for sure when we�re going to get another building," he said. �But I want people to know that I�m still mentoring, doing home visits, taking trips to speak at schools and working with kids."