Meeting the people of Allied
11:51 AM 4/19/04

Read later installments of "Life and Death on Allied Drive" to learn more about these people: <

Residents Henrickus Echols, 23; and his fiance, Beverly Williams, 22, above; and their four young children came to Allied Drive a year ago to escape gang violence in Chicago. <

Jerry Sanders, 63, offers a smoky haven to the homeless. <

Monday: Echols and Williams use handouts but move toward independence. Sanders is forced out. The promising young life of Lawrence Williams, 19, above, ended in violence on the streets of Allied Drive. <

Tuesday: A year after Williams's death. Jeff McPike, above, a 10-year veteran of the Madison Police Department and son of well-known retired East High School Principal Milt McPike, could work anyplace but chose to become the neighborhood officer in Madison's worst neighborhood. <

Wednesday: On a drizzly March night, McPike confronts the role of race in Allied Drive's crime problems. A 44-year-old mother lost her home to drinking and drugs on Allied Drive. <

Thursday: The woman struggles to regain her life. Maria Alvarez, 54, is confused but not alarmed when gunshots shatter the calm on Oct. 15. Alvarez, who speaks Spanish but little English, wonders why police armed with rifles keep her from driving to work. <

Friday: Alvarez's extended family embraces friends fleeing Chicago - and the Madison School District gains a popular, bilingual sixth-grader, Luis Lugo. Marvin Harris, 16, playfully tosses a football with friends on Allied Drive shortly after shots ring out on Oct. 15. <

Saturday: Marvin and his sister, Marissa, suffer a heartbreaking loss while struggling to succeed in Madison's schools and trying to earn full-tuition scholarships to UW-Madison. Single mother Margaret Warner works more than 60 hours a week to save for a down payment on a home that would free her of the dangers of Allied Drive. Troy and Dorene Barlow have long-time roots in Allied Drive but dream of moving their four children to a home in the country, where they won't be exposed to a barrage of drug and prostitution offers. Activist and resident Marie Joe wants to help make a difference on her street. <

Sunday: Warner, Joe, the Barlows and others propose ideas for making this a decent neighborhood once again.