Over the last three months, living in a chilly tent on the roof of a vacant South Side Chicago motel, there were several times when the Rev. Corey Brooks questioned whether his vigil against gun violence was worth it.
He was often jolted awake by gunshots. He missed his son’s birthday. He missed Christmas.
But on Friday, Brooks was triumphant after a pledge of $98,000 from movie mogul Tyler Perry provided the final push for reaching the pastor’s goal of raising $450,000 to buy and demolish the decrepit motel, a haven for drugs and prostitution.
The donation, pledged by Perry on the Tom Joyner morning show, comes on the day Perry’s new film Good Deeds premiers in movie theaters nationwide.
(WATCH the video from CBS, or READ the story in the Chicago Tribune)