This week on Street Stories, John and I head back to a notorious housing complex where local police are determined to change Chad.

 

 

When we spent a night in Chad Brown about five years ago,  often timid nieghbors blamed the drug and violence problems in Chad Brown on outsiders.

At one point back in ‘04, an unidentified man stalked toward us, flailed his arms and screamed.

 

“You want a story? I’ll give you a story.”

 

We thought it best to drive away as he approached us.

From that dark image, blossomed the idea to give Chad Brown back to the residents of Chad Brown by pushing that element out and more police in.

 

“Chad Brown is ground zero for me,” Lt Daniel Gannon tells us.

 

He’s raising three children there.Neighbor after neighbor we talked with told us Chad is now less dangerous and more of a community. The inaugural Community Day celebrated the potential for more change with a trash clean up and a basketball game between Chad and Providence police.

 

“That’s what we’re looking for,” Gannon says. “Neighbors to come out of their apartments with their children to meet each other.”

 

“Children run around and play out here,” another resident tells us. “Don’t got to worry about it. It’s a lot better.”

 

At the end of the first community day, there was a one point winner on the court.

 

“And it’s Chad,” a man on a bullhorn says to loud applause.

 

But a sense that the season is only beginning. 

 

“My goal is to make Chad Brown the envy of every public housing development in Providence.” Gannon says.

 

There are plenty of skeptics who don’t believe Chad will ever be thought of as the best but one woman we talked to didn’t even think it would be better, until now.

 

Take a look at the video version of this Street Story by hitting this link.

 

http://www.wpri.com/subindex/on_air/street_stories

And as always, ideas and comment are welcome

 

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