This is the story of an average sort of fellow who lives in a nice average
neighborhood in a nice average town every night he comes home to his nice average
house. And in due time.
He goes to sleep but suppose that one morning.
Is it possible for a neighborhood overnight to become a slum perhaps not quite.
Although most of us have been asleep housing has become our number one social
and economic problem. Absolutely
and getting bigger all the time you might have known you had a stake in this.
A big stake. One of our most profitable fields of operation and so easy to man.
I just check up people do all the work.
Yes people think houses take care of themselves
but they don't houses left to themselves go to pieces.
Well maybe this kind of thing wouldn't happen if people understood the problem
wouldn't make the slightest difference. We disagree.
Let's go back to the beginning.
Suppose we get this fellow out of here educate him a little
and see
and hear just checking on your house for you. You're the digital relaxed.
I'm not him.
I'm just one of these projects supervisor division of urban destruction was urban
destruction.
We don't need any destroying around here read it I don't destroy anything I just
keep track of the schedule. People do the destroy. Did I let that feel.
Did I crack that step. Did I neglect that Rusty drain.
What are you talking about my house is the best in the whole block.
What's the use you haven't told him the whole story keep talking. No good.
This is one of my favorite projects but wait.
Do you see inside six people sleep in this one room
eight in here seven in here looking for silicon plumbing thirty two children
in the house and here is their playground.
This is one of your favorite I can really claim credit for it. People did it all.
Do you remember how this looked forty years ago
when it was a new development called Paradise garden
paradise garden. My grandmother and grandfather lived here.
Gee it was a nice neighborhood.
They all started nice
but have watched by
now the street wasn't wide enough for the traffic load so.
That's when grandpa moved down this week. R.J.
A good many moved out about that and the neighborhood began to change.
Property values went down paths
but landlords found ways to keep up revenue one family how these became ten family
housing time poverty and neglect did the rest.
Every step of the way right on schedule and I didn't lift a finger.
What's your interest in all this.
Anyhow this kind of neighborhood is fine for our business juvenile delinquent
alcoholism. Yep this is a great little neighborhood.
Too bad it won't last. Why not. There might be a high.
Why wait a minute is my neighborhood in that book jury as is my house in it.
Yep You're on my schedule.
Well that's one place your schedule is going to be wrong.
This is the day you really play God. Matter. It doesn't mean a thing.
One man working by himself. Can he do it then gotta start somewhere.
That's a time for the evening paper. Paradise garden most unfortunate.
I sent flowers this morning you hypocrite you probably started the fire.
Why should I. With all that overcrowding in violation of every safety code.
It was inevitable. It was not a final one.
If I was going to be I might have been able to prevent it impossible.
It's all right here in the book everything past present
and future everything. You said or didn't make.
Any difference whether people knew or not that's right.
I did but where is he going.
He's going to City Hall to report the facts to the city official ridiculous.
There's City Hall there is your voice.
Now most of the facts are known to the official.
What can they do their hands are tied. Listen to the mayor.
Or God is our slum clearance programme.
If we can prevent disasters like paradise gardens.
We've got to do something do something. Now the expert will tell them what to do.
That's the city planning.
We're in the same difficulty as every other city in the United States slum
clearance is not enough.
We've got to prevent slums being formed in the first place.
The most worthy object and what's to prevent it. Taxes. You see their barking.
Why even if a planet tells them the exact trouble spots State Street South Street
Holmgren's alley
but we mustn't forget the public have got some houses on State Street just leave us
alone so Street is OK to go there you have it.
There's nothing to be done just a minute the city planner is absolutely right.
State Street South Street.
They're both in the book I can tell you exactly what's going to happen only
and there's nothing the matter with oakum Sally Hogan Sally.
Holy smokes Hogans out is the worst of the lot.
This afternoon the chimneys going to fall
who are you. Where did you get your information.
It's all right here this is the devil's own book Crazy.
Bang and another crusader bit the dust. Give me back my book to.
Get everybody out of the building the chimneys going to fall
the chimneys going to
go fire chimneys going to fall in about five minutes get the people out of the
house. You better be right.
Fish to
do you think you'll do. I'm trying to prevent another disaster.
He says Dick Cheney is going to phone in exactly three minutes arrest
that he's a problem like he says the chimneys going to hold the phone down.
You want to be ashamed of yourself such initiative in this war don't free years ago.
Hitchens. Take my life from
when you say we're gonna fall down in exactly one minute to show you what I think
your prediction.
We've got to prevent things like this happening from now on
but we can't do it without public support we need a city wide group to study the
whole problem right.
And the time to start it is right now ladies
and gentlemen we need a citizen's Committee on housing with representatives from
every neighborhood in town.
This is only the beginning of things to really groups organizations joining in
and who do you think is the main spot.
I know we can win this battle because I know the fellow we've got to lick.
You all know what he looks like if your house needs a coat of paint. He's there.
If you are sidewalk has a crack in it.
He's find a leaky roof there find a neighborhood without a playground
and overcrowded schools a traffic hazard alone in violation of violation of the
building code that's sanitary code. He's a number a neighborhood.
Maybe in your own house where every getting.
Everybody went through
and everybody went up through there was no place you know
there isn't going to get out of here.
It didn't happen overnight but things began to get better.
You are you going
on your blank blank committed.
I've got my book back now you know what good is it now.
No good here
but this isn't the only town.
Well they've driven model one town
but he may be on his way to your community right now he may be there already.
But you know how to handle him he can't stand organized groups where people work
together.
If enough of us work together we can run him right out of the country.