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Excerpts from a column by Rob Borsellino
reprinted from the April 4 Des Moines Register

For all of his 22 years, D.J. Morris has lived, worked, played and gone to school within walking distance of the corner of Forest and M.L. King.

He's heard the gunfire, watched the fights and the other violence. He's gotten to know the drug dealers and the hookers, folks he grew up next to, went to school and played ball with.

When he was a kid of about 7 when his 5-year-old sister slipped into a coma and died, Morris walked the streets for hours and passed that corner a number of times. And when his older brother was gunned down at an east-side video arcade in the summer of '94, 17-year-old Morris went to the TNT Lounge on the northwest corner to have a few drinks and try to forget.

There was even a time, he says, when he sold crack near that corner.

Morris still lives in the neighborhood, and his travels still take him past the intersection of MLK and Forest. But these days he goes past there as a man of God, a deacon at the Amazing Grace Church. He's a husband, a father, a young businessman. He's met the vice president of the United States and the federal drug czar. He's talked with the governor of Iowa and the mayor of Des Moines.

He's gotten all kinds of recognition for his work with kids. He's cleaned up his act and so has the corner of MLK and Forest. The entire area is looking better.

A block off the corner there's the How to Eat to Live cafe, Muhammad Mosque and the Constance Kitchen Bakery. On the southwest corner, across from the old TNT is the state headquarters for Citizens for Community Improvement. This is one of those groups that's in the fight on everything from urban issues like redlining, crime and bringing sewers to the east side to rural issues like factory farms and urban sprawl.

They've been at it for 25 years and Morris is glad to have CCI in his part of town. He's dealt with them through a group called Youth Working for Positive Change.

"That old building brought a lot of violence," Morris said Sunday. "This place brings life, hope, peace. It certainly makes the inner-city look better."

Over the weekend CCI had its grand opening at the site and they say about 350 people showed up. A bluegrass band--not something you hear much of at MLK and Forest--did the music. Farm families from the group's chapters in Hardin, Humboldt, and Carroll counties were hanging out and partying with folks from Des Moines' inner city.

The farmers brought the meat and the vegetables. The city folks were giving neighborhood tours to their newfound country friends … .

"They've turned it into something positive," Morris said. "I go by there and think about what it used to be and I feel real good about how things turned out."