(27 Aug 1996) English/Nat
U-S President Bill Clinton is due to unveil his dream for America during this week's Democratic Convention in Chicago.
The convention centre is just a few minutes walk from streets controlled by gangs, where drug dealing is rife and life for many means scraping by on a welfare cheque.
They are the very streets where Brothers Michael and Pete try to bring a little comfort.
One used to be a Wall Street broker, the other a ruthless gangster - now, the unlikely couple are modern day missionaries in the roughest part of Chicago.
On another mercy mission in south-side Chicago, two men from different worlds united by God.
One, Brother Michael was a high flying trader who grew up in the calm of the English countryside.
The other, Brother Pete, was a gun man and drug dealer in a street gang.
He has lived all his life in the dark corridors of this housing project.
Now, he takes food to the poorest of the poor, and together, the Brothers spread the Word as they go.
UPSOUND: (Brother Michael)
"In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Jesus told his disciples this parable."
Hoping that some will get the message.
SOUNDBITE:
"I look back where I come from these projects over here and I look at these little kids, if I can be a role model to keep them from doing the mistakes that I did, you know gang- banging, shooting people and things like that. If I can change just one or two of them that would be a blessing for me and a blessing for them, you know, that I did do something for my community."
SUPERCAPTION: Brother Pete, Eucharist Minister
With nowhere to go and nothing to do, all that is left for these children is to stare into a bleak future.
More than four thousand people live in the Henry Horner complex.
Everyday life is a check list of problems: crime, drugs, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, welfare, bad housing.
Mattie Williams has lived here for 35 years.
She says children need something to do, something to occupy their minds, somewhere to play.
SOUNDBITE:
"We should have that and I think that would stop the crime rate so much if you had, cos like the saying an idle mind is the devil's workshop. If you don't get the kids enough recreation they are going to take to the streets."
SUPERCAPTION: Mattie Williams, Resident of Henry Horner Housing Project
SOUNDBITE:
"But you still can go to college and come back over here it shouldn't be a problem for you to do both. I mean there are some people that just can't do it.
(Why do you think that is?)
I don't know I think they just got caught up in all of this, all of this here, this, all of this, all this."
SUPERCAPTION: Maurice Henderson, Resident of Henry Horner Housing Project
Gang members hang out at the entrance to the housing project - a project just yards from the convention centre where President Clinton will outline his vision for America.
But it is a vision that probably won't mean much to these young men.
Mitchell Johnson, who works for one of Chicago's inner city youth projects and knows the area well, is sceptical.
SOUNDBITE:
"I have seen over a period of years, every President steps in and say what he going to do for the inner city and the urban areas, only thing we see is poverty and destruction. I mean I really look at this as a disaster area."
SUPERCAPTION: Mitchell Johnson, Gang Intervention Director, Inner Youth Foundation
Doing their bit to make things a little brighter, Brothers Michael and Pete tour the projects every day.
They hand out food to more than one thousand people.
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