Braddock has become the poster child for a sort of bootstrap revitalization - an attitude that Levi's wants to rub off on their jeans. In exchange for using Braddock as a brand enhancer, the company built Braddock a community center.
Willy Staley recently visited Braddock to see if the Levi's ad and myriad of other articles on Braddock have gotten the story right:
"Walking down the Braddock's main street, Braddock Avenue, two weeks back, there was hardly a person in sight. Most buildings had their addresses spraypainted on in florescent orange, as is often done to condemned structures. Embracing the decay, my trusty photographer and I wandered into an abandoned dentist's office on the forlorn strip. The building's roof had collapsed in on itself, as had most of the floor."
Staley talks with Braddock's mayor and poster child John Fetterman, who he says "is a bit of a bad-ass" and "a fierce fighter" for his city's survival.
Thanks to Ryan Sloan
Read the full story: The Braddock Story
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