Steven Washington----INQUIRER'S HERO, bandit sign spammer

**sharkey** · 12-26-2011, 05:45 PM

I just read the cover story of the business section of today's Inquirer, profiling an entrepeneur starting a business selling hair for weaves. The article proclaims that Steven Washington has been in the t-shirt and real estate businesses also. In the interior of the article, we learn that his real estate "business" consisted of "plastering the region with 'we buy houses' signs." I will be writing a letter to the Inquirer chastising it for legitimizing his illegal sign campaign by calling it a business. What other illegal business practices does Mr. Washington enagae in? Philadelphia Business News, Philadelphia Companies - Philly.com

**Jayfar** · 12-26-2011, 06:40 PM

Updated link to the article:
Diane Mastrull: From T-shirts to real estate to hair weaves, he has a head for business | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/26/2011

He graduated from West Chester in December 2004 and had purchased his first house in May 2005 after plastering the region with "we buy houses" signs. His aim has been to convert physically and financially distressed properties into homes that are no longer eyesores and tax-delinquent.

It was that business that got Washington recognized at the White House last month as one of the Empact100, a group of entrepreneurs under the age of 30, each of whom had reported revenue of more than $100,000 in either of the last two years.

Empact, a for-profit organization that promotes young entrepreneurship through education, elicits from each Empact100 honoree a commitment to help further the cause. It is a pledge that Washington eagerly made.

Having grown up in a single-parent household in West Philadelphia and East Germantown and with no male business role models, Washington, who is also a minister at Chosen Generation Worship Center Church in Hunting Park, said he considered it his obligation to "help other youth to achieve their goals and achieve their dreams."

**hkp** · 12-26-2011, 08:08 PM

Let's move some of those signs right in front of Ms. Mastrull's home and see how she likes it then?

**ArcticSplash** · 12-27-2011, 05:37 AM

You too can violate the law and then get praise from Obama.

**mixiboi** · 12-27-2011, 11:28 AM

Ugh, that story has me torn, he made his money not in the best ways...but he is doing good.

I mean plastering the region with "we buy houses" signs is better then selling drugs, right?

**Gladys** · 12-27-2011, 11:42 AM

yes it is. there needs to be a place where people can post things legally. like bulletin boards throughout the city or something. People just starting out need a place to do free guerrilla marketing.

**annie** · 12-27-2011, 12:17 PM

There's this thing called legal advertisements. Anyone can buy them.

**raider.adam** · 12-27-2011, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by Gladys

yes it is. there needs to be a place where people can post things legally. like bulletin boards throughout the city or something. People just starting out need a place to do free guerrilla marketing.

Except they don't want to advertise in a general repository. They want to put signs up in the neighborhoods where their target is.

**sharkey** · 12-27-2011, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by mixiboi

Ugh, that story has me torn, he made his money not in the best ways...but he is doing good.

I mean plastering the region with "we buy houses" signs is better then selling drugs, right?

Yeah, and selling drugs is better than shooting people and taking their money, right, so selling drugs isn't so bad. He might be doing well, but he is not doing "good." He was not running a nonprofit; he was trying to turn an easy buck duping unsophisticated people out of the equity in their houses.

**mixiboi** · 12-27-2011, 07:42 PM

Which is why I said I was torn. Specially if he uses some of his money to as he said "help other youth to achieve their goals and achieve their dreams."

And no selling drugs is not better than shooting people and taking their money.

**harvey** · 12-28-2011, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by ArcticSplash

You too can violate the law and then get praise from Obama.

It works for the Fresh Grocer.

Michelle has been to gtown twice to praise the man and his construction project that turned a school zone into a war zone.

**harvey** · 12-28-2011, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by mixiboi

Which is why I said I was torn. Specially if he uses some of his money to as he said "help other youth to achieve their goals and achieve their dreams."

And no selling drugs is not better than shooting people and taking their money.

If the mans signs destroy nice neighborhoods and tax base i would argue that he is just as bad.