On the 11th floor of the Paquin Towers in Columbia, Mo., Clarence “Dan” White surveys the landscape below him. Once a Coca-Cola bottler, White moved from St. Louis to Columbia three years ago, leaving behind a neighborhood overrun by drug dealers, and becoming a resident in a town where few people are familiar. In the afternoon, storm clouds take over the sky and his apartment darkens, with the light from the television, constantly on in the background, illuminating a small corner of the room. “It’s about to rain like crazy,” says White, lighting up a Kool 100. The rain comes and goes, and White stays at the window.