By Jamon Smith
Staff Writer
June 29, 2007
TUSCALOOSA | For two years, 20 Below has been a place where troubled teens could come for guidance, to relax, study, talk about their problems and party.
But as of Thursday the teen club and activity center were no more.
Due to a number of problems, including a lack of funding and “non neutral” location, the club’s owner, Against All Odds president and founder Tim Robinson, said he had to shut the building down.
"There's been a lot of rumors going around that 20 Below was closed by the police or by the city," Robinson said. "I just want to let everybody know on the record that 20 Below is closed because I chose to close it."
"For two years we've [Against All Odds] funded all of our projects, everything we do, ourselves with no support, no grants, basically no help at all," he said. "The places I'm asked to go to to speak, the schools, home visits, etc., the transportation to those places is coming out of my pocket."
Robinson said beside having to personally pay 20 Below and his organization's operating cost, there's been a lot of problems associated with the activity center's location.
"There were problems with throwing the teen parties here because the building is across the street from a project [Rosedale Court], and a lot of teens from other areas didn't want to come because its not a neutral area," Robinson said, sitting in a chair near several packed boxes and containers in 20 Below on Thursday afternoon.
"Some of the kids from different neighborhoods have problems with each other."
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