Full episode
139: Ghosts of Elections Past
Act Four

Throwing Money At The Problem

A few years back Alex Kotlowitz wrote a book called There Are No Children Here, about two boys growing up in Chicago's Henry Horner public housing projects. Those projects were across the street from the site of the 1996 Democratic Convention in Chicago, and when the convention came to town, money poured in for a makeover. One of the kids from the book, Pharoah Walton—now grown up—gave a tour, showing us what got fixed up, and how the real improvements in the neighborhood all happened underneath the normal political radar. (10 minutes)