Dec 31, 2004 crack, the cia and black americas drug crisis. In this case, the cias activities led to the crack epidemic in americas inner cities, which caused american citizens much pain and misery. One of the most talked about conspiracy theories of the mid80s and early 90s had to do with the crack epidemic. Based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central. Jan 10, 2018 popular media coverage of the crack epidemic in the 1980s helped rile up enthusiasm for more punitive laws. Mchenry claims that the films main character, nino brown. Dark alliance how the cia created the crack epidemic in.
The emergence of crack cocaine started in the 1970s and 1980s during the boom in cocaines recreational use. The heroin epidemic resembles the days when crack cocaine became the major drug that destroyed communities across the united states and other parts of the world including the caribbean that began in the early 1980s. History of crack cocaine the recovery village ridgefield. Measuring crack cocaine and its impact harvard university. Between 1985 and 1989, the number of regular cocaine users jumped from 4. Nicaraguan drug rebels were exporting drugs for money, with the cias covert assistance. The igs report cleared the cia of complicity with the innercity crack cocaine trade. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u.
If you go see the film, there are some things you should keep in mind, as hollywood is prone to sensationalize reallife events, especially when tom cruise. Dark alliance how the cia created the crack epidemic in the. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects within the african american communities of the. Did the cia play a role in launching the crackcocaine epidemic. Freeway ricky ross, the drug kingpin who ignited crack. Congress passed laws that created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the. In his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story claimed that the cia was partly responsible for bringing crack cocaine to.
Jun 04, 2019 crack cocaine, swept throughout the us in the 1980s as an inexpensive and easily accessible drug. The crack epidemic that once ravaged black neighborhoods. According to one article, the cocaine that flooded in through blandons drug ring helped spark a crack explosion in. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. Oct 03, 2017 this past weekend, the hollywood version of what pilot and drug runner barry seal did for the cia in the 1980s, opened in movie theaters across the country. Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic. God, if we just had more kids his age asking this question in our schools.
Now, webbs bombshell expose is being explored anew in a documentary, freeway. Outraged at cia role in drug trade duke university. Cia admits tolerating contracocaine trafficking in 1980s. The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. Drug use was actually dropping in 82 when reagan kicked off his drug war. His book cocaine true, cocaine blue documents the brutal realities facing communities affected by the drug. San jose mercury news allegations of ciacontra involvement in narcotics trafficking. Virtually unheard of prior to the mid1980s, crack spread quickly across the country, particularly within black and hispanic communities bourgois 1996, chitwood, et al. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies. Crack epidemic united states history 1980s britannica. This led to the us having the highest incarceration rate in the world. Jan 20, 2020 there once was a republican president that wanted to look like a hero by getting iran to release some hostages.
Aaron dixon, the former seattle chapter captain for the black panther party, is writing a book on the impact of crack cocaine on black communities. The crack epidemic that once ravaged black neighborhoods didn. How one journalist linked the cia to the crack epidemic and. According to the series, blandon was the johnny appleseed of crack in californiadistributing thousands of kilos of colombian cocaine to black dealers like ricky ross. By 2002, the united kingdom was experiencing their own crack epidemic, with the number of crack addicts seeking help climbing nearly 50% that year. This resulted in a number of social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in american inner city neighborhoods, as well as a resulting backlash in the form of tough on crime policies. Documenting the ravages of the 1980s crack epidemic al. The crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drug. Crack cocaine, swept throughout the us in the 1980s as an inexpensive and easily accessible drug. The high amount of people in jail is a direct result of the crack epidemic, which was started by the cia. Dark alliance how the cia created the crack epidemic in the 1980s earlier one of our younger duers asked why reagan was so bad.
New jack city eats its young, the article was one of the first exposes of the effects of the crack epidemic on innercity communities. The dark alliance series recounted how ross began peddling. Follows the lives of several characters who are about cross. It has long been known that the cia has illegally toppled foreign governments. Around the same timethe early 1980sa letter between attorney general. Reagan and his administration hired staff to publicize the crack in a media blitz in 85. The crack epidemic that once ravaged black neighborhoods didnt get the same sympathy as todays opioid epidemic. Unlike powder cocaine, crack was easier to develop, more cost efficient to produce, and cheaper to buy, which made it more economically accessible. Then take a look at 37 startling photos of 1980s new york city, when crack was king. The answer is the same as it was a decade ago following a central intelligence agency cialed invasion of afghanistan. Heres how the crack epidemic brought a city to its knees. The uk reported an increase of 74% in seizures of crack cocaine in drug raids between 2000 and 2006. These claims have led to investigations by the united states government, including hearings and reports by the united states house of representatives, senate, department of justice, and the cias office of the inspector general. Usually the cias activities have harmful effects on innocent civilians in foreign countries.
As policymakers seek solutions for the ongoing epidemic of opioid overdoses, horror stories about the effects of the drugs fuel calls for more punitive law enforcement, as well as better treatment options. Snowfall is a onehour drama set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic and its ultimate radical impact on the culture as we know it. The series related to a drug ring in california and its alleged connections to the central intelligence agency ciabacked nicaraguan contra resistance of the 1980s. After reading about gary webb exposing the cias potential complicity in l. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yes. Ciacontra connection recent central american history. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. We find that our measure of crack can explain much of the rise in black youth homicides, as well as more moderate increases in a wide range of adverse birth outcomes for blacks in the 1980s. The 1980s crack epidemic crack usage began to surge in the 1980s. Gary webb and the san jose mercury news have performed a tremendous community service by publishing the excellent threepart series aug. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central l. Crack cocaine was popularized because of its affordability, its immediate euphoric effect, and its high profitability.
The use of crack cocaine reached epidemic proportions in this country at the end of the 1980s. Due to the unique characteristics associated with crack addiction and the populations that use it, the epidemic created a host of new problems for the public health and drug treatment commu. The dark alliance series recounted how ross began peddling small quantities of cocaine in the early 1980s and rapidly grew into one of the largest cocaine dealers in southern california until he was convicted of federal drug trafficking charges in march 1996. Mchenry claims that the films main character, nino brown, was based on a composite of three people.
When ronald reagan became president soon after, he quietly began. Cooper was a journalist for the village voice, who had received acclaim for a 1987 story about the crack epidemic in detroit titled kids killing kids. During the 1980s crack epidemic, most of the blame seemed to. This resulted in a number of social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in american inner city neighborhoods, as well as a resulting backlash in the form of tough on crime. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. On august 18, 1996, the san jose mercury news published the first installment of a threepart series of articles concerning crack cocaine, the central intelligence agency cia. It refuted charges that cia officials knew that their nicaraguan allies were dealing drugs. During the 1980s crack epidemic, most of the blame seemed. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. The method is to dissolve cocaine hydrochloride into water with sodium bicarbonate baking.
Eventually, there became a glut in the market of too much cocaine and not enough profits for the drug dealers. The first article also discussed oscar danilo blandon reyes role in the drug ring. Renowned documentary photographer eugene richards bore witness to the ravages of the crack epidemic that gripped the northeast in the 1980s. May 02, 2017 the crack epidemic that once ravaged black neighborhoods didnt get the same sympathy as todays opioid epidemic.
In the interview notes with filmmaker levin, blandon confirms his support of the contras and his role in drug trafficking, but downplays his significance. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic. This past weekend, the hollywood version of what pilot and drug runner barry seal did for the cia in the 1980s, opened in movie theaters across the country. Congress passed laws that created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the possession or trafficking of crack when compared to. San jose mercury news published a threepart series of articles titled dark alliance. The american crack epidemic was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the united states between 1982 and the early 1990s. Rereading the story of the crack epidemic jstor daily. Central intelligence agency a number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. Crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the united states during the early 1980s. It doesnt help that this media blitz coincided with cia funding of drugs cartels to fund their war in nicaragua. Neighborhoods and families were severely impacted by this epidemic. The big lie is that we started it all the crack epidemic we were just a small part.
Although our crack index remains high through the 1990s, the deleterious social impact of crack fades. A steady course of africanamerican progress was essentially halted in its tracks as the crack epidemic escalated, peaked and, finally, in the late 1990s, began to subside. How an ugly cocaine controversy reignited 30 years later the hiphop community is convinced reagan oversaw a vast trafficking network during the crack epidemic. Based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central l. All the time that this crack epidemic was being unleashed by the contras, vice president bush was the man in charge of the reagan administrations central america program, overseeing all of the activities of the cia, the pentagon, and every other government intelligence agency. The crack epidemic in the united states was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the united states between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. Levine found analyzing the reaction to crack in the 1980s, sensationalist reporting can lead to troubling responses. Apr 25, 2007 it further alleged that cocaine was virtually unobtainable in black neighborhoods before members of the cias army started bringing it into south central in the 1980s at bargainbasement prices. The crack epidemic coincidently began around the same time when the irancontra scandal was being exposed. On august 18, 1996, the san jose mercury news published the first installment of a threepart series of articles concerning crack cocaine, the central intelligence agency cia, and the nicaraguan contra army.
The crack epidemic in the united states was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the united states between the early 1980s. This came at the price of webbs career and ultimately his life. Similarly, starting in 1985, media reports focused obsessively on the idea of crack babies infants permanently damaged because their mothers smoked crack while pregnant. Ciacontracrack cocaine controversy department of justice. The method is to dissolve cocaine hydrochloride into water with sodium bicarbonate baking soda, which precipitates solid masses of cocaine crystals. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. The crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drugfree. How one journalist linked the cia to the crack epidemic.
The crack epidemics impact on black communities 91. Crack, cartels and cia clash as crime drama snowfall. A commonheld belief was that the cia flooded the black community with crack so. Cia admits tolerating contracocaine trafficking in 1980s by. All the time that this crack epidemic was being unleashed by the contras, vice president bush was the man in charge of the reagan administrations central america program, overseeing all of the activities of the cia, the pentagon, and every. Crack has destroyed families and, in many ways, destroyed communities, which still suffer the effects of crime, druguse, and incarceration. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. Aug 30, 2012 one of the most talked about conspiracy theories of the mid80s and early 90s had to do with the crack epidemic. Its no wonder then that the communities hit hardest by the crack epidemic of the late 80s were americas poorest. Many commentators have attributed the spike in black youth homicide to the crack epidemics rise and ebb blumstein 1998, cook and.
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