A college drop-out abandons a lucrative tech career for a life of inner-city poverty – and hopes to save an urban school district from oblivion

Almost six years ago, Turner moved from Florida to Brookside to chair the Cookingham Institute of Urban Affairs at UMKC. When West was working on the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Plan, he sent out a plea for area officials to lend their expertise to the neighborhood's efforts. West says nobody replied except Turner.

At first, he was skeptical about an ivory-tower professor dictating knowledge to the lowly citizens. But Turner was anything but overbearing. The two found they had similar interests and sarcastic senses of humor.

And the idea of living together in the neighborhood seemed mutually convenient.

Their meeting of minds spawned a new activist endeavor. One afternoon last March, West and Turner were having lunch, wondering what they should do about double-digit unemployment in the 3rd District.

"At that point, the hypocrisy of it all really struck home," West recalls. "We were sitting at a restaurant in the 4th District complaining about high unemployment in the 3rd."

He'd been working to get city leaders to direct more funds to the 3rd District, but he wasn't even spending his own money there.

That was the start of a project West and Turner called Viable Third. For the past year, the two have spent their money almost exclusively in the area bound by Independence Avenue on the north, Brush Creek Boulevard on the south, Troost Avenue on the west and Interstate 435 on the east.

It's been a revealing effort. Aside from catching Spider-Man at the I-70 Drive-In, West hasn't seen any movies on the big screen in the past year — there aren't any theaters in the 3rd District. He misses the days when he could buy syrup and peanut butter in bulk; there aren't any Costcos, either.

If he has to head to the suburbs, he makes sure he has enough gas and food before leaving home. When he needs to withdraw money or make a grocery run, he goes to the Central Bank of Kansas City or the Apple Market on Independence Avenue.

West says he's not trying to be a hero. He's just made a personal choice that works for him and may prove useful or inspirational to others.

The effort has generated some buzz, including hundreds of hits on the Viable Third Web site and segments about it on local radio. Missouri Rep. Mike Talboy and a handful of other community leaders have pledged a portion of their own dollars. West didn't grow up here, and he doesn't have to live like this. He could have just stayed in Johnson County, making money in the computer industry.