- Police department!
Anybody inside?
Answer up.
Do it now!
[dramatic piano music]
# #
male narrator: Like many cities
 in the U.S.,
Kansas City
 has two stories to tell.
- We want the same chance.
We want the same opportunities
for a job.
narrator: There''s the story
 about the gleaming,
pretty neighborhoods.
- When you talk to people
in Kansas City,
you hear a lot about
the Troost divide.
narrator: A land of opportunity
 that''s mostly white.
And then there''s the story
 about the east side of town,
home to the black community.
- Well, there''s not a whole lot
of people living around here.
So many empty houses.
narrator: The disinvestment.
 The poverty.
The violence.
- I dove in on my floor,
anticipating that the glass
was going to start breaking
in the house or something.
narrator:
 Shootings and homicides,
young black men
 killing each other.
- They doing all day
 in the penitentiary
or they in the dirt, dead.
narrator: This is the real
 story of Kansas City.
It''s the story
 of modern America.
Its biggest story.
 Its biggest shame.
- You do not come on this
property
to steal, to break in.
narrator: In this film,
 you''ll see what it''s like
to live on
the east side of town,
how brave people here
 are fighting back,
how the police are trying
 something new
to build bridges
 with the community,
and how City Hall
 is taking on its critics.
[chatter over police radio]
- Everybody says action.
Nobody has an answer.
If anybody had an answer
to that question,
you don''t think it would
already be being used?
narrator: One Monday in June,
and a community gathers
to mourn another murder victim.
Three-year-old
 Amorian S.L. Hale
was asleep in his bed
when the bullet
 struck his house.
- Well, another baby
 was murdered.
Three-years-old Amorian,
and, you know, it was another
senseless shooting.
narrator: This is a community
 ravaged by violence.
In 2015, as the city''s murder
rate soared once again,
nearly 3/4 of the homicide
 victims were black.
Of the seven children murdered,
six were black.
[mournful music]
- If you look at
 the ''50s and ''60s, ''70s,
the black community--
You know, people keep on talking
about "it takes a village."
We were a village then.
Now, it''s two
 things going on:
either you don''t have anybody
 that live next door to you,
or you don''t know how they are.
narrator: This is something
 you''d find across America:
a segregated black community.
In Kansas City, the area was
carved out decades ago
by the the racist policies
 of the real estate industry,
the school district,
and the Federal Housing
Administration.
# #
Troost Avenue marks
 the boundary.
The blue dots show where
 the black community lives.
According to KCPD,
 3/4 of Kansas City''s
violent crimes occur
 in one area.
In 2010, the Carter family
 chose to move
to the east side of town.
They knew the community here
was fractured,
and they wanted to try
 and help rebuild it.
Then on a winter''s evening
 four years later,
a gun battle broke
 out round the corner.
- All of a sudden
 I start hearing gun shots,
a bunch of them,
really, really close,
so it was coming
from this direction.
I just basically threw
the door open
and ended kind of baseball
sliding into the floor.
- A short time
 afterwards,
his wife, Kristen,
arrived home and went upstairs
to check on their two children,
 Lainee and Miles.
- So I come inside, and I
somehow ended up looking up
and there is a massive bullet
hole in the wall.
narrator: The bullet had passed
into the house.
Lainee''s bedroom
 was just a few feet away
from its entry point.
- I can remember walking
into the room
to check on Lainee,
and you can''t see her
until you walk around.
It was a bit unnerving
not knowing
if she was okay or not.
narrator: The bullet had lodged
in an air vent in the ceiling.
The violence in this area
 of the city
is something
 the Carters have got used to.
- Not a bullet coming
 through your house,
but drive-by shootings,
murders, drugs,
domestic disputes on the lawn,
people cussing at their
little three-year-old
babies about things.
This is our normal.
It is.
This is our normal.
narrator:
 This is their normal.
According to police data,
in 2014
there were 87 violent crimes
within a three-block
 radius of their home.
That''s homicide, rape,
robbery, and assaults.
But the Carters
 aren''t prepared to move out
and abandon their neighbors.
- What do the people do
who can''t leave, okay?
What do the people do
who can''t just get up
and try to go somewhere else
and do something else?
How do they get to live
in a community?
narrator: The gun battle was
 fought here,
round the corner from
 where they live.
Those involved
 haven''t been caught.
On the ground,
 officers found bullet casings
for 7.62 caliber rounds.
That''s larger
than the standard issue
for the United States Army.
Trying to reduce the violence
in Kansas City
are KCPD''s 1,300
or so officers.
[siren blaring]
[intense music]
- Our day squad, they were
 watching one of our targets,
and they got into a car chase,
then they bailed
and go in a foot chase.
# #
narrator: The man they were
chasing has run into this house
past the terrified owner.
- We''ve got some SWAT guys
inside searching the house now.
narrator: He could
be armed and dangerous.
# #
SWAT find him hiding
 in the basement,
and an arrest is
 made before anyone is hurt.
# #
You may think this was
a successful outcome for KCPD,
and of course
to some extent it was,
but there''s
a new approach in town.
This unique police
 unit is determined
to make fewer arrests.
It started in 2012,
and is headed up
 by Major Joe McHale.
- If I go out and arrest
somebody at 17 for a felony,
what does that do to them
for the rest of their life?
They can''t get a job.
It''s a self-perpetuating cycle.
So as a police department,
you kind of build
 your own problem.
narrator: It''s moved on from
 the zero-tolerance approach
parts of the black community
 saw in the 1990s.
- We flooded that area
with police resources.
Did it build community trust?
Did break the cycle of violence
for the people in the community?
No.
narrator: This is the
headquarters of
Kansas City''s No
Violence Alliance, or KC NoVA.
Joe''s team has
been given office space
by the Jackson County
 Prosecutors.
The alliance includes other law
 enforcement agencies,
academics, and City Hall.
- Last night,
after the three-year-old
was murdered yesterday...
narrator: They don''t just want
 to react to violence crime;
they want to get
in front of it.
- It''s different
in that we''re trying
to prevent violent crime
before it occurs,
but in a focused deterrence
model, that''s the goal.
- That''s right.
They want to stop
 the crime from happening
in the first place.
In other words,
 they want to keep young men,
such as Jerome,
away from the violence.
- I got put in a file and that''s
why I''m sitting here today.
You know, trying to get my life
on a better path for real.
narrator: Jerome used to be
 a member of a gang
called the 51st Street Crips.
It was a life with only
 short-term prospects.
- At any second somebody
 could slide through
and start shooting at you
 and you could get killed
or you could get picked up
and get sentenced to life
in prison or something.
That''s life on
the edge right there.
You living for the moment.
narrator: Research shows
 that those in these gangs
are more likely to be killed
than the U.S. soldiers
deployed to the wars in Iraq
or Afghanistan.
In order for the Alliance
 to understand these groups,
it has to know who knows whom.
The names and contacts
 of about a thousand people
were shared by the police
with academics
at the University of Missouri
 Kansas City,
who turned the data
 into sociograms.
Police resources
can then be directed at
 those with the most contacts.
- You''re not in trouble.
Have you heard
of the NoVA program yet?
Have a good day.
narrator: The message
 delivered is that
we''re watching you
and your group,
and you should tell others
that we''re going to come after
the next group
 that kills someone.
- One way or the other we''re
going to stop the violence,
whether they choose
to do it,
or whether it''s
put in our hands.
narrator: But the message isn''t
 just a threat of arrest.
The men are also offered
 the help of client advocates,
and they''re given an invitation
to something called
 a "call-in."
- This card here
 is actually his invitation.
It''s letting him know that NoVA
would really like to talk to him
and explain to him
what we have to offer him.
[intense music]
narrator: The call-ins take
 place every three months,
and they provide
 the Alliance with the chance
to talk to
the young men directly.
These are the names
 on Joe''s sociograms.
They hear from the Mayor,
 law enforcement,
and the community.
A stark warning is delivered.
- In jail or dead.
In jail or dead.
Either one don''t do me know good
''cause I can''t help you
in either place.
- A three-year-old baby
was killed the other day.
Three years old.
What are we coming
to here in Kansas City?
narrator: But a helping hand
 is also offered.
- It''s a process
to get away from it.
If you want help,
we''re gonna give it to you.
narrator: KC NoVA recognizes
that an effective way
to deter crime
is to equip these young men
 with the skills they need
to get a regular job.
For Jerome, the offer of help
is not something he''s used to.
- I do really feel like
this is the first time
I''ve been offered help,
because, you know,
I''m staying away
from the streets.
They give me the resources
 that I need
in a positive manner.
narrator: Jerome''s childhood
east of Troost
wasn''t an easy one.
- It was just, it was rough.
It was, like, basically survival
of the fittest for real,
and it just continued on.
narrator:
 His father was in prison
and his mother had
 to work full-time.
He couldn''t resist the streets.
- I first seen somebody get
 robbed probably when I was,
like, 14 years old,
and I was scared,
but at the same time,
I was curious.
narrator: At the age of 17,
 Jerome was sentenced
to seven years
 in jail for robbery.
- I don''t blame nobody
 but myself
for the path that I went down.
I chose to go down that path.
I said, "Yeah, come on.
Let''s go."
narrator: Jerome has turned his
 back
on the violence and crime,
and he''s building a new life
with the help of Andre,
a client advocate.
Some of Andre''s clients
 have shared with him
why they turned to crime
 in the first place,
and he questions how much
free will was involved.
- For some of our clients,
the lifestyle that they lead
isn''t necessarily a choice.
Their world isn''t as broad
 as what you or I may see.
because of what
 they were born into.
- Police Department!
Anybody''s in there,
answer up!
narrator: Jerome believes
there''s a separate city
within our city,
one with its own government
 and courts.
- We handled it
 how we handled it.
The streets got
 its own government.
The city got, you know,
courts,
municipal courts,
 state courts.
That''s what the street got.
Their own courts.
narrator: Andre and the three
other client advocates
are working with
around 200 individuals
to whom they''re
 offering services
such as literacy classes
 and job training.
If the initiative succeeds,
it can create taxpayers
who are no longer stretching
 police resources,
and more importantly,
 it can save lives
and help keep the streets safe
for Donald Carter
and his family.
- Right now we''re gonna go see
one of the best people
on the block, Mr. Hill,
that really kind of took a role
in our life.
How are you, sir?
Almost like a father figure.
narrator: Donald and Kristen
have made good friends
with William J. Hill,
 or Mr. Hill,
who lives a few houses
down from them.
Mr. Hill moved here as
 a boy with his family
during the 1950s,
when the area was more
 of a village.
- It was, "Hello, Mr. Kerns."
"Hello, Mr. White."
It was "Mister, Misses."
You know.
"How y''all doing?
Anything I can do for you?"
That''s the way it was.
That''s the way I am still.
narrator: Over the decades,
 he''s seen it decline.
- But now, all of
the good people are gone.
All of the community
 structure is gone.
It''s ridiculous.
narrator: Across the road,
there''s a house
that''s causing trouble.
- You start seeing
 the cars coming and going,
coming and going.
2:00 and 3:00,
 4:00 in the morning.
- So what''s going
on over there?
- They selling drugs.
# #
narrator: An elderly lady
 owns the property,
and it''s her son,
 who''s in his 60s,
and his friends who are
involved in the drugs.
Mr. Hill keeps
 a close eye on them,
and he believes
they''re watching back.
He''s let them know
 that he owns guns.
- I walked out the door with
a couple of pieces of hardware,
you know, that I''ve tried
to cover up with a sheet,
but you can almost imagine
what it is, you know?
They''re really long.
I''m more or less telling them,
"You do not come
 on this property
to steal,
 to break in."
narrator: For him, the house
 has been a nuisance
for years now,
and he''s frustrated that
 the police haven''t done more.
- I used to call
 the police a lot,
but they used
 to always come late.
narrator: Donald''s long-term
 strategy
is just to wait it out.
- My biggest thing is that,
 you know,
younger guys come in and try
to set up shop.
Thank you, sir,
for your time.
narrator: Donald and Mr. Hill
 know they back each other up.
- I think that
 if he came down to it, yeah.
He would do whatever
for my family.
- Bye, Daddy!
 - Bye, babe!
That''s really
what this is about.
It''s about us being
here for each other.
narrator: The Oak Park
neighborhood where Donald lives
is home to
 around 10,000 people,
the vast majority of whom just
want to pay their taxes
and lead regular lives.
Most of their local
 representatives sit
in City Hall or
 the State Capitol,
but they have at least one
 who lives in their community
and has an office here.
After winning the vote
 at the end of 2013,
Pat Clark represents the area
as president of its
 neighborhood association.
- You see this Oak Park
Neighborhood Association, man,
has been around for years,
but neglect--
I really can''t even say we
can even use that word anymore.
narrator: The challenges
 Pat faces are huge.
This area has some of the
 city''s most violent hot spots
and over the years,
 he''s been to many funerals.
- And as long as I''m here,
 I''ma go to many more.
Nine times out of ten,
 I know the family.
This stuff is personal for me.
narrator: With a team of two
 part-time staff,
Pat is steadily trying
 to build up
a network of contacts
on the blocks,
but he''s yet to get
 to Donald''s.
- Come on, man,
let''s get out, man.
Let me show you.
narrator: For over three
 decades now,
Pat has been working
 with the youngsters here.
He wants to provide them
with a male role model
that he believes too many
 of them down have at home.
- If you got a man
that wants to be a man
and raise his kids respectfully,
you don''t have have kids
doing ride-bys.
You don''t have kids
walking around
with they pants around
they ankles.
You don''t have kids cursing
and being disrespectful.
Beat me,
I''ll start calling you Daddy.
Ball game!
[both laughing]
narrator: In this part of town,
 around 60% of the families
are made up of a single
 female with children.
- If you build relationships
with these kids, man.
You can get anything you want.
# #
narrator: Politicians on both
 sides of the political divide
have acknowledged that
 the state has played a role
in breaking up black families.
Historically, this was done
 by over 200 years of slavery.
In recent years,
 it''s been prison.
Over the last three decades,
it''s been estimated
the incarceration rate
for black males in Missouri
 prisons has nearly doubled.
- Oh, that''s off!
narrator: It''s now nearly five
times the rate
of that for white males.
Pat and KC NoVA
 are pushing together
to try and keep the young men
away from the violence.
If they can strengthen
 the communities,
neighborhood associations
 have a critical role to play.
One that''s having great success
 is the Ivanhoe neighborhood
that sits just
to the west of Pat''s Oak Park.
Oak Park knows it could
 learn a lot from Ivanhoe,
and today''s Pat''s deputy,
 Forest Tyson,
is meeting with Ivanhoe''s
 Margaret May.
- You can''t improve
your neighborhood
if you don''t have a standard.
- We need a lot of work.
Oak Park is...
is suffering.
I reached out to Miss May
just to ask for her assistance
 to right the ship.
- Do you have a copy of our
block contact handbook?
Did I give you one of those?
- No.
- Okay, let me get that
and give it to you.
narrator: The work in Ivanhoe
 started decades ago.
This is a community that has
steadily been
 rebuilding itself.
It has its own community center
 and a full-time staff
of four and two part-time.
- Appreciate what was going on
at that time.
narrator: It runs classes
 for the children
and has built playgrounds.
An empty lot is now
a demonstration garden
where people can learn how
 to grow fresh, healthy food,
and Ivanhoe''s purchased
 land for development.
With financial support
from City Hall
and the Missouri Housing
Development Commission,
this neighborhood association
 is going to build
quality affordable housing.
- As these people come and show
this is a good place to live,
we''re certain
that more will follow.
narrator: The momentum in
 Ivanhoe seems to be building.
It was started and helped along
by two factors:
the bravery of this couple
and the generosity of this man.
Mortgage banker James B. Nutter
has put over a million dollars
 of his own money
into the Ivanhoe neighborhood.
- With Mr. Nutter''s
assistance,
we were able to renovate
this building.
He''s our go-to guy.
He''s come to our rescue over
and over again.
An incredible story.
- I frankly feel like I owe my
city something,
and the more I got into it,
the happier I was.
The African-American people
had lost their confidence
in themselves,
in my opinion,
through no fault of their own,
and Ivanhoe is a good
 a pick-me-up.
narrator: It was Mr. Nutter who
lent Ivanhoe the money
to cover the construction costs
of its housing project.
- He always comes to our rescue
and helps with things
 that require dollars,
and he''s always talking us up.
narrator: Back in 1997,
 Mr. Nutter saw an article
in the Kansas City Star
about the Young family
and their attempts address
 the problems on their block.
Inspired by their heroism,
he told them he wanted to help
 in any way he could.
Much like the Carters
 in Oak Park to the east,
this is the story
about a family
who refused to back down.
- I''m not unlike any parent.
One of the greatest joys is to
have all your children together.
We''re very, very proud--
the fact that
 they weathered the storm
of living
 in a neighborhood like ours.
narrator: Alan and Yolanda were
 not from east of Troost.
In 1987, as a growing family,
 they decided to move into
a house here
 that Alan would flip.
They had no idea what their
 new block was really like.
- One day I was sitting
in the living room
watching my favorite show,
"Cops".
I kept getting distracted
 because of all of the people
that were arguing and fighting
 with the police outside.
It was sobering, it was like...
- A harsh reality.
- This is--where we live
is worse than "Cops".
narrator: As with the Carters,
 Alan and Yolanda decided
they wouldn''t move out
 and abandon their neighbors.
Discreetly, they started
 to organize block meetings
to discuss how
 to tackle the crime,
but the drug dealers found out.
- There was a carload
of guys parked.
They yelled out.
They said, "We''re gonna kill you
and all your family."
That was a frightening moment
where, you know,
 you have to decide
that God
is more for you
than the whole
 world against you.
- There were several incidents
like that, I think.
- Yeah, several.
- Several threats on our lives.
Just because we were trying
to make our neighborhood better.
narrator:
 They refused to give up.
This was a community they felt
had been abandoned
 by the authorities.
- The philosophy was
"contain the drugs
and the crime
and the blight
in one area,"
okay.
Keep it in that area
so it doesn''t migrate
into the nicer parts
of town.
narrator: The Youngs would call
 the police
and they wouldn''t come.
Alan knew that he needed
their help to defeat the gangs,
and so in the late 1990s,
he met with a senior officer
 at the local patrol station.
- He said, "We don''t know
 who our friends are
in that neighborhood."
And at that point, I said,
"Well, now you know me,
and I am your friend.
"We need you to help us...
make our neighborhood better."
[inspirational music]
narrator: At his prompting,
the police started to help them
shut down the drug houses.
The streetlights were fixed,
and the Youngs
 and their neighbors
started to clean up the mess.
It''s a time their children
still remember.
- My parents really were
 pioneers in this area
with getting things started.
Neighborhood clean-ups
each weekend isn''t the norm
for the average family.
- It''s changed drastically.
I mean, when we were younger,
I think my parents
even had fears of us just
going out to the front yard.
- The drug houses are gone.
It''s nice to not have to worry
 about stray bullets.
- Hello! Hello!
narrator:
 On this day in June 2015,
the Ivanhoe community gathers
 for food and friendship.
- Oh! It''s Brooke Saunders!
- Hello.
- How are you?
- I''m fine, thank you.
narrator: Entrepreneurs turn
 out to sell their wares.
- I''m thinking.
I''m just thinking.
I don''t have--
narrator: It''s a celebration
of the restoration
 of their park...
- Wow! Look at all the children!
narrator: But they''re also
 remembering Father''s Day
and Juneteenth
 and the ending of slavery.
And, as part of this community,
officer Nathan Hurley
 is lending a hand.
- I act as a liaison between
the Kansas City,
Missouri Police Department
and the Ivanhoe neighborhood.
narrator: Nathan is one of six
 community liaison officers
for the police department.
They operate
 outside of KC NoVA,
and their purpose is
 to build bridges
with the communities here.
- Interacting with the kids,
playing with the kids
is a huge part.
A lot of times
 the kids will grow up
with a negative view
of the police.
narrator: As a liaison officer,
 he''s forming relationships
that could prove critical
 in the event
of a controversial
 police shooting.
- If there is an incident
 that occurs,
we can have
a conversation about it
and talk about why things
happened
and what happened.
narrator: Ivanhoe recognizes
 the importance of his role.
They''ve given Nathan
 an office in their building,
and because
 they''ve got contacts
on 90 of 160 of their blocks,
he''s got an intelligence
 network he can plug into.
But spending time working
 with the community,
and not just responding
 to 911 calls,
Nathan has found that
his own perceptions of
 the people here have changed.
- Previously, you know,
 I would answer 911 calls,
and I''m seeing people
 on their worst days,
but working here in Ivanhoe,
I''ve been able to see them
on their best days
and interact with them
in a positive light,
and that''s really changed
the way that I look at things.
narrator: There''s an argument
 that all police officers
should have this more rounded
view of the people they serve.
[intense music]
Donald Carter has a unique
 perspective on policing.
He not only lives
 in Oak Park, he grew up here,
and before
 he took a job in finance,
he served as an officer
 with KCPD for eight years
until the fall of 2014,
and he''s still in the reserves.
Donald''s view is that because
 he''s from the community,
he''s better able to police it.
- I think it gave me
a little bit of an edge
on being able to communicate.
narrator: In his opinion,
 there''s too little emphasis
during police training
on building personal
 relationships
with those they''ll serve.
- This is our daughter,
Laniee, and son, Miles.
- Because of the way
that we''re trained,
we have to think
in a certain way
that we tend
to objectify everybody,
and so we''re
objectifying humans beings
instead of recognizing
them as human beings.
narrator: At police academy,
 KCPD recruits
complete 150 hours
 of defense tactics,
120 hours of firearms training,
and four hours
on minority relations.
Donald believes officers would
have a better understanding
 if they lived in,
or at least nearer to,
 the communities they police.
- It wouldn''t be
 that every person
that''s walking down the street
is a potential suspect
of some crime,
and I think the people
 would have
a different perspective
 of them.
''Cause right now they
generally are seen
as outsiders coming in,
and the reality is that, well,
for the most part
they are.
narrator: But he doesn''t think
that black communities
should only be policed
 by black officers.
- I definitely think
 that a white officer
could police this community
 and police it well.
I''ve actually seen it,
 where there are officers
who are from somewhere else
that take a vested interest
in the people that they serve,
and really it''s the ones
that have served
in the same areas
for a longer period of time.
narrator: KC NoVA''s Alliance,
which includes
the police department,
is determined to show that
it serves and protects everyone
in Kansas City,
so on this day in spring 2015,
the Alliance is taking
a further step into the
 communities east of Troost.
- It''s so wonderful to have
a relationship with each other
before we''re in a crisis.
narrator: It''s the launch
 of an initiative
called
 the Byrne Grant Area Project,
which will be funded by
the federal Department
 of Justice for three years.
The idea is to assemble
 a range of organizations
that will work with seven
 of the neighborhoods here
and include
 Oak Park and Ivanhoe.
This isn''t about handouts.
It''s about enabling this
 fractured community
to mend itself,
so that the violence
 can come to an end.
- What we''re trying to achieve
is showing the community
that we have a plan.
That we care,
and we''re tired of the violence
in Kansas City, Missouri,
and the entire metro area.
narrator: The 2.15 square mile
 area
was chosen because it contains
some of Kansas City''s
most violent hot spots.
Despite the efforts
 of the associations,
two of them are
 in Ivanhoe and Oak Park.
Donald''s block is between them.
Sergeant Garrik Hayes was
appointed to head a police team
of five handpicked officers.
They want to work
 with the community leaders
to make the area safer.
- So it''s a hot spot area
 in the city,
but it''s not just,
 like, homicides.
It''s violent crimes, assaults,
aggravated assaults,
shootings where people
still live.
narrator: With support from
community orientated
 non-profits,
Garrik''s team start to meet
with the neighborhood leaders.
Michael Mansur,
from the Jackson County
 Prosecutor''s Office,
chairs these meetings.
- We see around
 the country that
the major institutions of every
city, like police,
like prosecutors,
like the mayor''s office,
they have this challenge now
of connecting better
with the community.
narrator: During 2015,
the killing of black men
 by police officers
around the country continued
 to dominate the headlines.
In this context,
 it''s all the more important
for Garrik to demonstrate
that KCPD wants
 to serve this community.
- I''ve got a lot of people
at my disposal.
I''ve got vice units.
I''ve got drug units.
I''ve got traffic units.
narrator:
 But the community leaders
don''t tell him who to arrest,
they ask for help
 with the blight.
- We have a lot of vacant lots,
you know, vacant houses.
You know...
they need a lot of attention.
narrator: In the black
 community,
the blight is everywhere.
- The single most
 challenging thing
in Ivanhoe right now,
the vacancy rate.
Either a vacant lot
or a vacant house.
narrator: The vacancy rate for
houses
in this area of the city
is around 30%,
and there are empty lots,
overgrown and cracked
 sidewalks,
weeds and trash.
- If I see trash in my
 neighborhood,
I''m gonna pick it up.
Another great liquor bottle.
narrator: The Carters can''t
tackle
the violent crime head-on,
but they''re trying to restore
some pride to the area
by keeping it clean.
- If I see somebody
throw trash in my neighborhood,
I''m gonna talk to them about it.
narrator: Round the corner
 from their house,
where the gun battle
 was fought,
the illegal dumping
 is getting worse.
There''s too much
for the Carters
to clear up by themselves,
so Donald tries City Hall''s
 311 number.
It''s a service we pay
 for as taxpayers
that''s supposed
 to remove illegal dumping.
- It''s blocking
the sidewalk down here
and then some of it''s
in the street.
narrator:
 City Hall told this program
that once it''s notified
 of illegal dumping,
it''ll usually remove it within
 two to four working days.
Donald discovers, however,
that it can sometimes
 take a lot longer.
- Someone actually
called that in.
Let me notify management
 and let them know.
Hold on one moment for me.
- Okay, how long ago was
that called in?
- It says...
narrator: Donald''s making this
 call
at the start of July 2015.
- Yeah, it''s been
 there since March.
narrator: It would seem
 that somebody else
called about the same trash
 five months ago,
and it''s still here.
- But this was called in
in March too?
- Right--
narrator: Donald is told
to wait
at least five business days
before the City will remove it,
because of recent storm damage
 that it''s yet to clear up.
- Well, I really appreciate it.
Thank you.
- Thank you, bye.
- Bye.
narrator:
 But they won''t do anything
about the condition
 of the properties.
This is what blight looks like.
You''ll find houses like this
throughout the black community.
Pat Clark knows all about it.
- What I''m getting ready
to show you now
is the way it looks.
This is what it looks like
round here.
# #
It don''t do much for hope,
you know what I''m saying?
I mean, look at it.
narrator: These houses are down
 the road from the Carters.
City Hall is well aware
 of the issue.
At the launch of
 the Byrne Grant Project,
City Manager Troy Schulte
 had this to say.
- So thank you very much.
Keep up your great work and
keep moving this city forward.
Well, we''ve got a number
of issues in the urban core
that we as a city
have to tackle.
The first and foremost issue
is the large number of vacant
and abandoned structures,
and that is a huge detriment
to the vitality
 of our neighborhoods.
narrator: Garrik and his team
have been asked
by the community leaders
 to help with the blight.
His officers have been
 specially trained to asses
how urban environments
 can foster crime.
- Some of the boards on
the house have been pulled back
or removed in order for people
to get inside the house
either to sleep,
to further commit crimes,
for narcotic use,
prostitution,
things like that.
Got a lot of concealment
 for anybody
that''s up to no good.
There is a strong link
between criminal activity
and these vacant houses.
narrator: The board over this
 property''s doorway
has been prized of completely.
[indistinct chatter over
 police radio]
- There are obvious signs
of squatters
that have been staying
inside this house.
narrator: The house is right
beside
homes with young children.
- Negative.
# #
narrator: The police team also
starts
to investigate the blight
around the violent
 crime hot spots.
They discover 19 empty
 properties with open access,
including these two properties
 that sit near to the hot spot
at 27th and Prospect.
- We''re going to go and clear
these abandoned houses,
make sure nobody''s inside.
[indistinct chatter over
walkie-talkie]
Police department,
anybody inside?
Answer up!
Do it now!
narrator: They''ve no idea
what they could
 encounter inside.
# #
- Watch your steps.
narrator: It''s worth noting
 that the Byrne Grant Project
takes its name from
 the police officer
Edward Byrne who
 was murdered in 1988
while protecting a witness
 in New York City.
According to FBI data,
 over 14 1/2 thousand
U.S. police officers
 were injured
after being assaulted in
 the line of duty during 2013.
[indistinct chatter]
- All right!
narrator:
 The house is empty,
but there are clear signs
 of what it''s being used for.
# #
Down the street,
 an arrest is made.
- Well, he came out of one
 of our abandoned properties.
He''s not supposed
to be in there,
and then he''s just
 got warrants.
He''s gonna go to jail
for those warrants today.
narrator:
 The man was in this house.
Yes, there is a house there.
The visible police presence
 on the block today
is winning them some fans.
- The neighbors
can exhale and say,
"Hey, we''ve got
some protection here.
It''s not as crazy today
as it was yesterday."
- What do you think about
the police operation here today?
What''s you view on that?
- Oh, I think it''s real good.
They need to let people know our
whereabout--
what going on around here.
You know, a lot of people--
Well, there''s not a lot of
people living around here,
so many empty houses.
narrator: But the police will
depart
and the criminals could return.
Garrik hopes their efforts
 will send out a message.
- One of the things
 that everybody understands
is that the streets talk.
They know what''s going on.
The word will get out
that abandoned property
is not the place
you want to be.
narrator: But there are so many
 empty houses and vacant lots,
it''s estimated that there are
8 1/2 thousand
 in the urban core,
that the criminals can just
 move on to the next one.
In Ivanhoe, the numbers are
 overwhelming.
- There''s so many of the
abandoned properties down here
that it''s hard to keep tabs
on them all.
There''s nobody actively
responsible for them
so folks will go
in there and use drugs,
commit crimes.
- KCPD!
Anybody inside, answer up!
- Shouldn''t the owners
 be held responsible
and made to keep
the weeds down
and the doors boarded up?
In fact, all of these
 particular houses
have just one owner.
Who owns them?
City Hall.
# #
Donald Carter is trying
 to clean up his neighborhood
and he''s called City Hall''s
 311 service
about some illegal dumping.
They told him they''d need
at least five business days
 to remove it,
but just over three weeks later
and there''s even more.
A week after this, and Donald
 goes to check on it.
- This is new trash that''s here,
so I don''t know if somebody
else, like, dumped here,
or if there was actually
an effort to clean up.
- For 311 call center for all
city services, press 3.
[jazzy music plays over phone]
# #
- So we''re on hold for a second.
narrator: It''s outside two
 empty properties
owned by City Hall.
Some of it''s been bagged,
but there''s plenty
 that hasn''t been touched.
- Your call is important.
Please wait for the next
 available operator.
# #
- Well, it''s a start.
I appreciate it.
- You''re welcome.
- All right, thank you.
- Have a good day.
- You too.
narrator:
 He''s told that they''ll let
the relevant department
know about it.
- So yeah, it''s just good
that something was done.
So I guess we have to stay on it
in order for stuff
to keep being done,
or just do it ourselves.
narrator: Two days later,
 and he''s back with Kristen.
- Oh, no.
This is absolutely sad.
It even has
the Kansas City logo on it.
Maybe they ran out of room.
- Ran out of room?
I want to be understanding
of the system and how it works,
but bottom line
is that it really shows
how little of a priority
that our neighborhood
or neighborhoods like it...
really are.
We''re down here!
- Come here!
narrator:
 The Carters have had enough,
and they call on a friend
to help them remove the trash.
- We called the city on...
- Waste of time.
[both laughing]
- I mean, it took them
about a month
to actually get cleaning up
of the stuff,
but then they ended up
leaving their own trash.
narrator: For Mr. Hill,
 it''s especially galling.
Earlier in the year, the city
had taken him to court
because he hadn''t
 carried out repairs
to the exterior of his house.
Now he''s clearing up
 a City Hall property
that''s in a worse condition.
- I''m look at a house now
that belongs to the city
where the eaves are rotten,
there''s no gutters where
there''s supposed to be gutters.
It''s not fair,
in no shape or form,
that the city can let
the property go below
what my property looked like.
That''s not fair.
narrator: In 2014,
City Hall issued
 fines of just over $660,000
for property code violations.
And yet this property
is owned by City Hall.
And this one, and this one,
and this one.
- The city can''t control
when people abandon houses,
but if they take them over
for whatever reason--
- Then they''re
responsible to maintain it.
- Yeah, then they''re
responsible to maintain it.
narrator: Back in 2012, as the
 recession continued to bite
and foreclosures rocketed,
City Hall created a land bank
to take on the tax
 delinquent properties
that don''t sell
on the courtroom steps.
These are the places
 that nobody wants.
- $1,200.11.
Do I have any bids?
No bids?
Next parcel.
narrator: Typically, the taxes
 haven''t been paid on them
for at least four years,
and they may have sat empty
 for much longer.
The dates on the boards give
an indication.
- Yeah, this board was put
on here at least in 2009.
- July 23rd of 2008.
- June 6th of 2008.
narrator: On this map
 the City Hall properties
are marked in green.
You can see the dividing line.
Just east of Troost
 is the Paseo
and east of the Paseo
is a foreclosure town.
This accounts for around 50%
 of the blight here.
- Who wants to live
in this mess?
Who wants to live next to a
house that looks like these do?
I mean, these look like they''re
from a scary children''s story.
narrator:
 In the last three years,
City Hall has cut
the land bank''s budget
by nearly 15%.
This means the weeds
can now only be trimmed
five times a year.
The second floor windows
 are open to the elements,
and there''s not the money
 to keep up with demolitions.
For the mayor,
however the land bank''s budget
is just one of many
he has to balance out.
- It''s not nearly
as simplistic as to simply say
you''re not doing enough,
because the bottom line
is that we don''t have enough
to do everything that we''d like.
narrator: The other half of the
 blight is owned privately,
but it''s City Hall through
 its property code inspectors
that''s supposed to ensure
 they''re maintained properly.
These three properties
that Pat Clark''s
 been trying to tackle
are about a mile
 or so south of the Carters.
There are nearly one hundred
 violation notices on them,
many of them still open.
Will things improve
 over the summer?
Not really.
When houses like this
are owned by companies,
it''s not always easy
 for the inspectors
to find a person responsible.
City Hall wants a new law
 to help this process.
- Until we are able to get some
additional legislation
that allows us to track down
the real owners
and hold them accountable,
then we do the best we can.
narrator: It''s the neighbors
 who suffer.
- They don''t keep
 the grass and stuff cut,
and then when you find
an empty house like that,
empty place,
people use that for a dump.
They dump their trash,
their garbage, everything.
narrator: William and his
friends
try to pick up the trash
and he cuts the grass
 of the empty house opposite.
He''s called City Hall
 more than once to complain.
- Houses are falling down.
They need to be torn down,
The area needs
 to be cleaned up.
narrator: City Hall''s
 40 code inspectors
have a case load of nearly
 14,000 properties.
At the moment it may be easier
to chase people
 such as Mr. Hill
than to hold absent owners
 to account.
[car horn honking]
The blight makes
 the blocks more dangerous.
It attracts trash,
and there are other
 consequences for residents.
- Property values go down
whenever properties are
 in this condition.
narrator: He''s right.
The blight depresses
 the housing market
and compounds
 the segregation of poverty.
Families won''t move in.
Or will they?
- As I drive from
my home over to Ivanhoe,
you can really see
a true transition.
It seems to really go south,
if you will,
as you cross that Troost divide.
narrator: David Larrabee
 has become an expert
in the real estate market here.
- Someone''s future home.
narrator: David made his
fortune
in the financial services,
and he believes that markets
 can be a force for good.
- I call it
 compassionate capitalism.
My wife and I wanted
to have a goal,
when I was still young enough.
I could take capital,
I''ve been very blessed,
and be able to try
and give back.
narrator: His aim is to entice
 families of whatever race
to lay down roots
east of Troost
and bring some stability
back to the community.
He bought this property
 in Oak Park
from a private owner
 at the end of 2013.
- This is one where there
were dead animals in this house
when we first bought it,
lots of drug paraphernalia.
narrator:
 David paid $13,000 for it
and then put around 50,000
 into doing it up.
Today it''s on the market
 for $65,000.
Mortgage payment,
taxes, insurance,
all in comes to around $412,
which is much cheaper than what
people are paying for rent.
narrator:
But no one will buy it,
and it''s sat empty
for six months.
The blight in the area
 is not helping the market.
- The boarded up houses
 really make it difficult.
narrator: There are five empty
 properties on the block.
Four of them are owned
 by City Hall.
Undeterred, David tries again,
further east this time,
in the Ivanhoe neighborhood.
Rather than have
 the empty houses on the block
frustrate his efforts,
he simply bought them all.
- This is our beachhead,
 if you will.
We''re just going to take it one
 house at a time, frankly.
narrator: But other
 challenges remain.
- A lot of title insurance
companies are nervous
about working with properties
that come from the land bank.
# #
narrator: All land bank
 properties are for sale, but,
unhelpfully, they come
 with questionable title.
David''s attorney had
 to sort this out
for a property he purchased,
but for one of his finished
 houses, success.
- We have a buyer that was
 close to the asking price,
which we loved because we''re
 trying to set a market here.
narrator: Through a non-profit,
 he''d found a young couple
prepared to cross
 the Troost divide.
- Yeah, so for a
while I was really even scared
just to come visit the houses
because there were so many
stereotypes
of, like, this side of the city.
I don''t know, in my mind,
like, people were,
like, standing
on the streets with guns.
Like,
I''d never been over here.
I felt so much peace when
 I finally did come over here.
narrator: For David,
 it''d been a slog,
12 months from start to finish,
but he thought
 he''d taken one small step
towards rebuilding
the community.
Then the couple''s mortgage
 company said
the house was overpriced,
and they wouldn''t lend.
- It''s really hard
to get an appraiser
to come out and say,
okay, yeah,
that makes sense that this
house would be worth, you know,
double what everything
else is in the area.
narrator: David has let them
 move in nonetheless,
and they''re renting from him
while he tries to work
with a different bank,
but he wants buyers.
In the area, around 60% of
occupied properties are rented.
- It''s been difficult.
I mean, there''s--
you get your highs
and your lows like in anything.
I consider it a marathon,
not a sprint.
narrator: As well as
 the blight and crime,
there are other factors
that could be affecting
the housing market here.
- Lot of these schools
 have closed,
and again to get families
 in here,
and to have that community,
you need to have schools.
- It''s hard to attract families
 with children
if you don''t have good schools.
Unfortunately, you get
either people that are older
that don''t have kids,
or younger that are just getting
started and more transient.
narrator: East of Troost,
 most of the school are run
by the Kansas City Public
 School District.
Kevin Masters is its director
 of government relations.
- We want our buildings
to be the glue,
the fabric of
that particular community.
narrator: Of the 16,000 or so
students the district teaches,
only 9% are white,
most are black or Hispanic.
It''s a distract that''s
 had its share of problems.
- While there
 are very bright kids
and very hard-working teachers,
we''ve had our issues.
I mean, for many years
we were unaccredited.
narrator: In 2014,
 the school district earned
provisional accreditation
 and is fighting hard
to gain full accreditation.
For Kansas City''s mayor,
education is a priority
because it can break
 the cycle of poverty
that for him largely explains
 the homicide rate.
His "Turn the Page KC" project
 has provided reading support
to thousands
 of Kansas City''s children.
- We have failed and failed
miserably over the decades
at providing the kids
in this community
with not just
an accredited education,
but a world class education.
narrator: So you may think
 that
the mayor and
the school district are in step
in that both wan to see
educational attainment improve.
They do,
 but a spat has broken out.
The district claims
 that City Hall''s decisions
are denying
it millions every year,
and a lack of funds meant it
couldn''t afford
to maintain these two schools,
which it''s shut
in the last few years.
- Look,
 I can show you some blight
that we''re also trying
 to correct.
We''ve got water leakage
 throughout the building.
We''ve got lead paint.
My understanding,
 there''s asbestos.
[dramatic music]
# #
narrator: Oddly enough,
it''s a dispute
 about the tax incentives
City Hall has approved
 for property developers.
These are relevant
to the school district
because it receives
 62% of its funding
from property taxes.
When an incentives freezes
 these taxes,
the district says
 its income doesn''t go up
as the developments go up.
"You''re denying us around
 $25 million a year,"
says the district,
but the mayor says back,
"You''re not losing anything,
"and in the long term
 you''ll gain
as the incentives expire
 and your tax base rises."
- There is no bank
where you walk into
and there''s a box that says
"school district money,"
and you take it out and
you hand it to some developer.
It doesn''t exist.
But when the incentives
 roll off,
then the tax base rises.
# #
narrator: And there''s some
 more controversy
about the tax incentives,
or subsidies,
 as some people call them.
- Almost entirely these
 subsidies take place
in the wealthier parts of town.
The east side, the low-income
parts of the city
that legitimately need and have
claim to these subsidies
don''t get them at all.
narrator: Most of these
 tax incentives are supposed
to help cities develop
blighted areas.
Let''s have a look at where
the city-owned
residential blight is.
Then let''s add in
 Ivanhoe and Oak Park.
And then let''s compare
 the value of tax incentives
for three zip codes
 east and then west of Troost.
It''s the tax
 incentives downtown
that have caught
the eye of a think tank
that promotes the free market.
- It artificially lowers
the price of building downtown.
The places that
without this subsidy
would be attractive
to developers are again ignored.
I can''t speak to what
 it says about leadership,
but certainly
 they''re not meeting
their basic responsibilities
of caring for the city
and delivering basic services.
- I spend a lot of time
talking to developers,
and I spend a lot of time
talking to developers
about trying to get them
to build east of Troost.
If they don''t want to do it,
you can incentivize
 them all day long.
What they look at is
"How do I get
 a return on investment?"
narrator: But according to
 the mayor,
there''s resistance
 to be found
in parts of the black community
to working
with white developers.
- It''s sometimes difficult
to work east of Troost.
There''s this patina
of hostility and demand
that the only people
who are able to do things
are African-Americans.
That limits your pool
of people right there.
narrator: And he suspects
 that for some developers,
prejudice and ignorance
 about the black community
and its poverty plays
a part as well.
His response has been
 to have City Hall
invest its own money
to kick-start developments
east of Troost.
For example, it''s put nearly
 a million dollars
into a shopping center project
 that''s set to open
not far from
 the Carters in 2017.
- This city was divided
a long time ago
along racial lines,
and the idea that you can cure
those decades
of irresponsibility
in two, three,
 four years is not logical
and it is not practical.
# #
narrator: Meanwhile,
 there are stark differences
either side
 of the Troost divide.
- You see this.
They don''t have this over there.
This what they think about us.
# #
- Coffee.
There''s no place around here
to get, like, a cup of coffee.
I can go to a liquor store
 in four different places.
There''s really no place
that I could go
to get a cup of coffee.
- [laughs]
- Why is that--
that''s not funny.
- Yes, it is.
- I''m saying give us
the same opportunity
that everybody else got.
We want the same parks.
We want the same damn schools.
We want the same chance.
We want the same--we want the
same opportunities for a job.
narrator: Garrik and his team
of officers have been targeting
this one block that sits
 in a violent crime hot spot.
Despite the time
 they''ve spent here,
they''ve been told
that criminals are still using
the City Hall property
 once they''re gone.
- A lot of signs of drug use
and prostitution here.
narrator: Something further
 needs to be done...
[chainsaw revving]
so on a wet Saturday in July,
KC NoVA and the local community
 get stuck into the blight.
- We interact
 with the community,
but oftentimes it''s not
in a positive fashion.
This is totally positive today,
and this what we need
to do more of,
putting action
 behind our words.
[inspirational music]
- So this is one of those days
where your heart just
kind of swells.
- I could show you
something with that.
- Generally I try and find
 justice within courtrooms
for this community,
but this is another way
we find justice for them
and restoration.
- This is what
 revitalization looks like.
This is absolutely
a God-given day.
[chainsaw revving]
# #
- Uh-oh, we got
to the solid part!
- There you go.
narrator: But despite the
 effort to clean up the area
and make it safer,
City Hall has still
 not boarded up its property,
even though
 the Byrne Grant officers
told them to about
14 weeks or so earlier.
- I don''t know about
 the specific case,
but normally when we know
there''s a board-up situation,
that''s almost
an emergency situation.
It''s usually done
within 24 to 48 hours.
narrator: But City Hall did
provide
two dumpsters for the trash,
and its head of Neighborhood
 and Housing Services is here.
Is he embarrassed
by the blight?
- I wouldn''t say embarrassed.
I think it''s the wrong word
to use, embarrassment.
I think it hardens me
and makes me more resolute
to try to find solutions for it.
We get the properties when
 people don''t pay their taxes
after four or five years,
but if there was a way of
 getting this done beforehand,
that to me is really one
 of the key strategies
I think we need
 to be deploying.
narrator: He would like to
 do more,
but he hasn''t been given
the resources.
- We certainly could use
a few more dollars.
Yes, I mean, we could use
a few more dollars.
narrator: His department''s
 budget has been cut
by nearly 15%
 in the last three years.
The City Hall property
 will remain open
until it''s demolished
 in two weeks or so.
That can''t happen soon enough
for the people who live nearby.
- All times of the night
 people are in and out
and running their cars
and stuff.
You can''t get any rest.
It''s like--it''s like a drama
being played out in the streets.
narrator: For Garrik,
 the day has been a success.
He accepts their efforts
 are just a pinprick,
but he believes
 in small beginnings.
- It definitely is a pinprick,
but, you know,
we take it one block at a time,
and that''s all we can do.
And hopefully the projects
get larger and larger.
# #
narrator: In 2014, the full
first year of KC NoVA,
the homicide rate
 was the lowest it''d been
in over four decades,
but for 2015,
it leapt back up by around 30%.
- Until September
we were on track
to have yet another
record-breaking year,
and then September landed
 us 22 homicides in one month.
[indistinct police chatter]
We saw spikes
in domestic violence, homicide.
We had a spike
 in child deaths this year.
We''re not going
 to be out of this jam
in three to five years.
We have to invest
in our community,
invest in our people,
and do the right thing,
and then save lives.
narrator: The mayor also wants
 to see lives saved
and says he''s trying
to do all that he can.
Isn''t it time for action?
For City Hall to act?
- What action? What action?
Everybody says action;
nobody has an answer.
If anybody had an answer
to that question,
you don''t think it would
already be being used?
You know, people seem to think
that this is somehow
a political issue.
This is a city-wide,
 societal problem,
and the city and society
 has to address it,
not just people
in public office.
That''s crazy.
If that were the case it would
have been done by now.
It certainly--I would have
done it by now
if I had that power
and authority and ability,
but I don''t even
have the authority
to keep guns out
of the hands of 19-year-olds.
narrator: In November 2015,
 the mayor formed
a new anti-violence task force
 charged with finding
pragmatic solutions to Kansas
 City''s high violence rate.
It''s due to report
 to him in November 2016.
- Right now we''re doing
everything that we can.
We''re a founding member
of KC NoVA
with the other eight members.
We work on that
every single day.
narrator: In the meantime,
east of Troost,
the Carters are determined
to try and lead
 a normal family life
despite the threat of violence.
- It''s the Fourth of July,
 Independence Day.
You know, we''re going
to try to have a good time,
I''m gonna try
to relax a little bit.
I mean, once we start--
if we start hearing
 any gunfire,
then I''ll want them at least
 on the porch or something.
- When I get home,
I''ll have my glass of wine,
and I''ll be looking at the TV,
but I will have
the 16 gauge beside me.
narrator: To put an end to
 the violence
will take a collective effort.
It''s about what goes on
 in the home,
on the block,
in the schools.
It''s about creating hope.
It''s about creating
 a strong community again.
- We absolutely don''t...
try to instill
 any fear in them
to where they''re afraid
to be out here
because that would just really
 defeat the purpose of living.
[loud bang,
siren blaring]
- You hear that?
Oh, yeah, it just sounded like
a large caliber gun
of some sort,
just probably 10 or 15 rounds.
narrator: All of our city''s
 children,
including three-year-olds
 such as Amorian S.L. Hale,
should be able
 to sleep safe in their beds.
[fireworks popping]
Our divided city...
needs to be healed.
- That''s that.
You know, we''ve got
a lot of work to do,
but it won''t get done
if we don''t do it together.
That''s it.
