Advertisement
| the crack era: The Crack Era Kevin Chiles, 2019-11 The Crack Era: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Kevin Chiles chronicles one of the most treacherous periods in New York City's history. As told by a man The New York Times once described as, The biggest drug lord in Harlem since Nicky Barnes, Chiles lays bare the harrowing exploits of the narcotics trade Uptown during the late '80s and early '90s - a world where the lust for freebase cocaine set off a veritable gold rush that turned ghetto boys into young millionaires almost overnight. Baseheads wreaked havoc on the black community. What's worse, upper Manhattan became the epicenter of murder and mayhem as drug related killings pushed the city's annual death toll well into the thousands. A teenager at the time, Kevin earned a rep' as a boss among bosses and, along with a handful of hustlers from his 'hood, he would directly influence the very music and fashion that ushered in the golden age of hip hop. The crack epidemic parlayed money, power, and respect for Kev but it also took his freedom as well as the lives of close friends and family. Now, this candid memoir exposes liars, dispels urban myths, and sheds light on an otherwise dark epoch that has bittersweet implications for many today. Having seen and survived it all, one of America's most iconic street figures recounts a bygone era of fast cash and high stakes hustling in Harlem. |
| the crack era: Crack David Farber, 2019-10-10 The crack cocaine years: from deviant globalization to the 'get money' culture of late twentieth-century America. |
| the crack era: S Street Rising Ruben Castaneda, 2014-07-01 During the height of the crack epidemic that decimated the streets of D.C., Ruben Castaneda covered the crime beat for the Washington Post. The first in his family to graduate from college, he had landed a job at one of the country's premier newspapers. But his apparent success masked a devastating secret: he was a crack addict. Even as he covered the drug-fueled violence that was destroying the city, he was prowling S Street, a 24/7 open-air crack market, during his off hours, looking for his next fix. Castaneda's remarkable book, S Street Rising, is more than a memoir; it's a portrait of a city in crisis. It's the adrenalin-infused story of the street where Castaneda quickly became a regular, and where a fledgling church led by a charismatic and streetwise pastorwas protected by the local drug kingpin, a dangerous man who followed an old-school code of honor. It's the story of Castaneda's friendship with an exceptional police homicide commander whose career was derailed when he ran afoul of Mayor Marion Barry and his political cronies. And it's a study of the city itself as it tried to rise above the bloody crack epidemic and the corrosive politics of the Barry era. S Street Rising is The Wire meets the Oscar-winning movie Crash. And it's all true. |
| the crack era: Crackhead Lisa Lennox, 2012-03-20 Lisa Lennox transports readers to the heart of the crack era—the South Bronx, New York City, 1989. In the late 1980s and early 90s, the crack epidemic swept through inner city communities like the plague. Mothers abandoned their children and took to the street for a hit. Fathers sold everything they owned to get a taste. The crackhead was rampant. Some neighborhoods were never the same. Enter Laci Johnson, a beautiful, smart, privileged teenage girl from across town, who teams up with The South Bronx Bitches—an infamous girl group known for chasing men and money. When the SBB becomes envious of Laci they devise a plan to destroy her life. Finding love in the most unexpected of places, Laci turns to a local drug dealer to help save her and heal the wounds of her new addiction. Through Laci and a host of entertaining characters, Crackhead vividly captures the essence of an era and the devastating, sometimes fatal, consequences of addiction. |
| the crack era: 5 Grams Dimitri A. Bogazianos, 2011-12-01 In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law repealing one of the most controversial policies in American criminal justice history: the one hundred to one sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder whereby someone convicted of “simply” possessing five grams of crack—the equivalent of a few sugar packets—had been required by law to serve no less than five years in prison. In this highly original work, Dimitri A. Bogazianos draws on various sources to examine the profound symbolic consequences of America’s reliance on this punishment structure, tracing the rich cultural linkages between America’s War on Drugs, and the creative contributions of those directly affected by its destructive effects. Focusing primarily on lyrics that emerged in 1990s New York rap, which critiqued the music industry for being corrupt, unjust, and criminal, Bogazianos shows how many rappers began drawing parallels between the “rap game” and the “crack game. He argues that the symbolism of crack in rap’s stance towards its own commercialization represents a moral debate that is far bigger than hip hop culture, highlighting the degree to which crack cocaine—although a drug long in decline—has come to represent the entire paradoxical predicament of punishment in the U.S. today. |
| the crack era: The Stickup Kids Randol Contreras, 2013 Randol Contreras came of age in the South Bronx during the 1980s, a time when the community was devastated by cuts in social services, a rise in arson and abandonment, and the rise of crack-cocaine. For this riveting book, he returns to the South Bronx with a sociological eye and provides an unprecedented insiderÕs look at the workings of a group of Dominican drug robbers. Known on the streets as ÒStickup Kids,Ó these men raided and brutally tortured drug dealers storing large amounts of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and cash. As a participant observer, Randol Contreras offers both a personal and theoretical account for the rise of the Stickup Kids and their violence. He mainly focuses on the lives of neighborhood friends, who went from being crack dealers to drug robbers once their lucrative crack market opportunities disappeared. The result is a stunning, vivid, on-the-ground ethnographic description of a drug robberyÕs violence, the drug market high life, the criminal life course, and the eventual pain and suffering experienced by the casualties of the Crack Era. Provocative and eye-opening, The Stickup Kids urges us to explore the ravages of the drug trade through weaving history, biography, social structure, and drug market forces. It offers a revelatory explanation for drug market violence by masterfully uncovering the hidden social forces that produce violent and self-destructive individuals. Part memoir, part penetrating analysis, this book is engaging, personal, deeply informed, and entirely absorbing. |
| the crack era: The Beast Side D. Watkins, 2015-09-08 A New York Times Best Seller! Baltimore, one of our country’s quintessential urban war zones, is brought powerfully to life by literary talent, D. Watkins To many, the past 8 years under President Obama were meant to usher in a new post-racial American political era, dissolving the divisions of the past. However, when seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot by a wannabe cop in Florida; and then Ferguson, Missouri, happened; and then South Carolina hit the headlines; and then Baltimore blew up, it was hard to find any evidence of a new post-racial order. Suddenly the entire country seemed to be awakened to a stark fact: African American men are in danger in America. This has only become clearer as groups like Black Lives Matter continue to draw attention to this reality daily not only online but also in the streets of our nation’s embattled cities. D. Watkins. fought his way up on the eastside (the “beastside”) of Baltimore, Maryland—or “Bodymore, Murderland,” as his friends call it. He writes openly and unapologetically about what it took to survive life on the streets while the casualties piled up around him, including his own brother. Watkins pushed drugs to pay his way through school, staying one step ahead of murderous business rivals and equally predatory lawmen. When black residents of Baltimore finally decided they had had enough—after the brutal killing of twenty-five-year-old Freddie Gray while in police custody—Watkins was on the streets as the city erupted. He writes about his bleeding city with the razor-sharp insights of someone who bleeds along with it. Here are true dispatches from the other side of America. In this new paperback edition, the author has also added new material in a section title Bonus Tracks, responding to the rising tide of racial resentment and hate embodied by political figures like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz as well as the heartbreaking killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, and the impact this has had on issues of race in America. This book is essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of the chaos of our current political moment. |
| the crack era: Crack Mothers Drew Humphries, 1999 Humphries (sociology, anthropology, and criminal justice, Rutgers U.) analyzes reactions to crack cocaine use, particularly by women, and critiques the policies instituted to combat it. She argues that policies of zero tolerance, mandatory sentences, and interdiction have failed to reduce drug use, increased the sense of persecution among the urban poor, and contributed to court and prison overcrowding. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR |
| the crack era: Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue , 1994 A look at the embattled inhabitants of three representative troubled communities: East New York; North Philadelphia; and the Red Hook Housing Project in Brooklyn, New York.--Page 2 of cover. |
| the crack era: Sex Money Murder: A Story of Crack, Blood, and Betrayal Jonathan Green, 2018-05-15 Nominated for an Edgar Award “Exceptionally authentic.”—Jill Leovy, The New York Times Book Review In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Bronx had one of the country’s highest per capita homicide rates. As crack cocaine use surged, dealers claimed territory through intimidation and murder, while families were fractured by crime and incarceration. Chronicling the rise and fall of Sex Money Murder, one of the era’s most notorious gangs, reporter Jonathan Green creates a visceral and devastating portrait of a New York City borough and the dedicated detectives and prosecutors struggling to stem the tide of violence. Drawing on years of research and extraordinary access to gang leaders, law enforcement, and federal prosecutors, Green delivers an engrossing work of gritty urban reportage. Magisterial in its scope, Sex Money Murder offers a unique perspective on the violence raging in modern-day America and the battle to end it. |
| the crack era: Crack, Rap and Murder Seth Ferranti, 2015-04-12 In the mid-1980s when hip-hop and the crack era were jumping off street dudes like Alpo and Rich Porter were the icons in Harlem. Everyone was watching and emulating them. Their stories have been told in many different formats and forums but now the complete tale is detailed in one concise volume. Read Alpo and Rich Porter's story from beginning to tragic end in this extensively researched new volume in the Street Legends series brought to you by celebrated and noted gangster writer, Seth Ferranti and Gorilla Convict Publications. |
| the crack era: The Crack Era Kevin Chiles, Esq. Richard Ray, 2019-11 The Crack Era: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Kevin Chiles chronicles one of the most treacherous periods in New York City's history. As told by a man The New York Times once described as, The biggest drug lord in Harlem since Nicky Barnes, Chiles lays bare the harrowing exploits of the narcotics trade Uptown during the late '80s and early '90s -- a world where the lust for freebase cocaine set off a veritable gold rush that turned ghetto boys into young millionaires almost overnight. Baseheads wreaked havoc on the black community. What's worse, upper Manhattan became the epicenter of murder and mayhem as drug-related killings pushed the city's annual death toll well into the thousands. A teenager at the time, Kevin earned a rep' as a boss among bosses and, along with a handful of hustlers from his 'hood, he would directly influence the very music and fashion that ushered in the golden age of hip hop. The crack epidemic parlayed money, power, and respect for Kev but it also took his freedom as well as the lives of close friends and family. Now, this candid memoir exposes liars, dispels urban myths, and sheds light on an otherwise dark epoch that has bittersweet implications for many today. Having seen and survived it all, one of America's most iconic street figures recounts a bygone era of fast cash and high stakes hustling in Harlem. |
| the crack era: The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander, 2020-01-07 One of the New York Times’s Best Books of the 21st Century Named one of the most important nonfiction books of the 21st century by Entertainment Weekly‚ Slate‚ Chronicle of Higher Education‚ Literary Hub, Book Riot‚ and Zora A tenth-anniversary edition of the iconic bestseller—one of the most influential books of the past 20 years, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education—with a new preface by the author It is in no small part thanks to Alexander's account that civil rights organizations such as Black Lives Matter have focused so much of their energy on the criminal justice system. —Adam Shatz, London Review of Books Seldom does a book have the impact of Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow. Since it was first published in 2010, it has been cited in judicial decisions and has been adopted in campus-wide and community-wide reads; it helped inspire the creation of the Marshall Project and the new $100 million Art for Justice Fund; it has been the winner of numerous prizes, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award; and it has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Most important of all, it has spawned a whole generation of criminal justice reform activists and organizations motivated by Michelle Alexander's unforgettable argument that we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it. As the Birmingham News proclaimed, it is undoubtedly the most important book published in this century about the U.S. Now, ten years after it was first published, The New Press is proud to issue a tenth-anniversary edition with a new preface by Michelle Alexander that discusses the impact the book has had and the state of the criminal justice reform movement today. |
| the crack era: From Staircase to Stage Raekwon, Anthony Bozza, 2022-07-19 There are rappers who everyone loves and there are rappers who every rapper loves, and Corey Woods, a.k.a. Raekwon the Chef, is one of the few who is both. His versatile flow, natural storytelling, and evocative imagery have inspired legions of fans and a new generation of rappers. Raekwon is one of the founding members of Wu-Tang Clan, and his voice and cadence are synonymous with the sound that has made the group iconic since 1991. Now, for the first time, Raekwon tells his whole story, from struggling through poverty in order to make ends meet to turning a hobby into a legacy. The Wu-Tang tale is dense, complex, and full of drama, and here nothing is off-limits: the group's origins, secrets behind songs like C.R.E.A.M. and Protect Ya Neck, and what it took to be one of the first hip-hop groups to go from the underground to the mainstream. Raekwon also delves deep into the making of his meticulous solo albums--particularly the classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx--and talks about how spirituality and fatherhood continue to inspire his unstoppable creative process. -- |
| the crack era: Kill the Messenger Nick Schou, 2009-04-28 Soon to be a major motion picture! Kill the Messenger tells the story of the tragic death of Gary Webb, the controversial newspaper reporter who committed suicide in December 2004. Webb is the former San Jose Mercury News reporter whose 1996 Dark Alliance series on the so-called CIA-crack cocaine connection created a firestorm of controversy and led to his resignation from the paper amid escalating attacks on his work by the mainstream media. Author and investigative journalist Nick Schou published numerous articles on the controversy and was the only reporter to significantly advance Webb's stories. Drawing on exhaustive research and highly personal interviews with Webb's family, colleagues, supporters and critics, this book argues convincingly that Webb's editors betrayed him, despite mounting evidence that his stories were correct. Kill the Messenger examines the Dark Alliance controversy, what it says about the current state of journalism in America, and how it led Webb to ultimately take his own life. Webb's widow, Susan Bell, remains an ardent defender of her ex-husband. By combining her story with a probing examination of the one of the most important media scandals in recent memory, this book provides a gripping view of one of the greatest tragedies in the annals of investigative journalism. |
| the crack era: Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Health Sciences Policy, Committee on Pain Management and Regulatory Strategies to Address Prescription Opioid Abuse, 2017-10-28 Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring. |
| the crack era: Crack in America Craig Reinarman, Harry Gene Levine, 1997 The editors and authors have produced an important work in the ongoing debate about the effect and efficacy of U.S. drug policy. Authoritative in its analysis and comprehensive in its embrace, this work will contribute importantly to the policy debate. A must-read for anybody concerned about developing a strategy to improve the health and well-being of our communities.--Ronald Dellums, Member of Congress Crack in America is a devastating, sad, angry, though always scholarly book about the many failures of our national drug policy. The contributors make a convincing case that America is unable to solve the problems associated with crack because it is unwilling to deal with extreme economic and racial inequality except by stigmatizing and punishing the unequal. The book is of urgent importance--a powerfully persuasive and illuminating inquiry about America. I wish it could be required reading for the White House and all the agencies responsible for the country's drug problems.--Herbert J. Gans, Columbia University Indispensable for understanding the real roots of hard drug abuse in America's inner cities. It shows brilliantly how our drug policies have made our drug problem worse and points the way out of the drug war morass. A passionate and ultimately hopeful book.--Kurt Schmoke, Mayor of Baltimore Crack in America accurately and forcefully examines in detail the myth and the reality of crack. It is a must-read for any American concerned about drugs in our society and for any reader valuing honesty and scholarship compellingly presented.--Robert W. Sweet, U.S. District Judge A penetrating analysis by a variety of scholars which explodes many of the government propagated myths regarding crack cocaine.--Joseph D. McNamara, Stanford University Reinarman, Levine and their colleagues bring a keen sociological sensibility to their analysis of our contemporary moral panic. These essays make clear that crack policy is more the problem than the so-called crack epidemic. And they go on to disentangle the intricate ways in which American culture and economy, and particularly our racism, classicism and sexism, are implicated both in the use of crack and its repression.--Frances Fox Piven, Dept. of Political Science, CUNY Graduate Center Scholarly, lucid, and readable. . .the most original and thoughtful analysis of the American crack panic. The contributors demonstrate compellingly the relationship between social justice and public health.--Lester Grinspoon, M.D., Harvard Medical School An immensely rich book and an extraordinary source of information. . . . Since crack is not only America's but the world's latest demon drug, and since rational alternatives to repression are at the order of the day the world over, the book is indispensable reading for concerned students, scholars, politicians, and citizens everywhere.--Henner Hess, Goethe-Universitat (Frankfurt, Germany) |
| the crack era: Game Over Azie Faison, Agyei Tyehimba, 2007-08-07 A cautionary tale about the life of former kingpin Azie Faison, who has become the fabric of street legend Faison was a ninth grade dropout who earned more than $100,000 a week selling cocaine in Harlem, New York, during the peak of America's War on Drugs between 1983 and 1990. Faison, along with two partners, was an urban prince with cars, jewels, and people -- in awe of this million-dollar phenomenon -- at his feet. His legacy has been praised by hip-hop's top names in their lyrics, and his life was the basis for the urban cult classic film Paid in Full starring Mekhi Phifer, Wood Harris, and rapper Cam'ron and produced by Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Films. In Game Over, Azie brings forth a powerful memoir of New York's perilous drug underworld and music industry, with an intellect and wisdom to empower and challenge the street culture he knows so very well. |
| the crack era: Once a Cop Corey Pegues, 2016-05-24 New York City Book Awards Hornblower Award Winner African American Literary Award Winner for Best Biography/Memoir As a youth, Corey Pegues was a criminal. As an adult, he became a high-ranking police officer. In this fascinating look at life on both sides of the law, Corey Pegues opens up about why he joined the New York Police Department after years as a drug dealer. Pegues speaks honestly about the poor choices he made while coming of age in New York City during the height of the crack epidemic. He’s equally candid about why he turned his life around, and takes you inside the NYPD, where he becomes a decorated officer despite bureaucratic pitfalls and discriminatory practices. Written with the voice and panache of someone who knows the streets, Once a Cop is a credible and informative look at the forces that lead some into a life of crime and what it means to make good on a second chance. |
| the crack era: A Brief History of Drugs Antonio Escohotado, 1999-05-01 A clear-eyed look at the instrumental role drugs have played in our cultural, social, and spiritual development. • First American publication of the surprising European bestseller. • Examines everything from the ancient use of ergot and datura to the modern phenomenon of designer drugs such as Ecstasy and crack cocaine. From remotest antiquity to the present era of designer drugs and interdiction, drugs have played a prominent role in the cultural, spiritual, and social development of civilizations. Antonio Escohotado demonstrates how the history of drugs illuminates the history of humanity as he explores the long relationship between mankind and mind-altering substances. Hemp, for example, has been used in India since time immemorial to stimulate mental agility and sexual prowess. Aristotle's disciple Theophrastus testifies to the use of datura by the ancient Greeks and further evidence links the rites at Eleusis to the ingestion of a hallucinogen. Similar examples can be found in cultures as diverse as the Celts, the ancient Egyptians, the Aztecs, and other indigenous peoples around the world. Professor Escohotado also looks at the present-day differences that exist between the more drug-tolerant societies like Holland and Switzerland and countries advocating complete repression of these substances. The author provides a comprehensive analysis of the enormous social costs of the drug war that is coming under increasing fire from all levels of society. Professor Escohotado's work demonstrates that drugs have always existed and been used by societies throughout the world and the contribution they have made to humanity's development has been enormous. The choice we face today is to teach people how to use them correctly or to continue to indiscriminately demonize them. Just say no, the author says, is not an option. Just say know is. Antonio Escohotado is a professor of philosophy and social science methodology at the National University of Distance Education in Madrid, Spain. He travels widely, offering lectures and seminars on the subject of drugs and history. |
| the crack era: Stepping on the Cracks Mary Downing Hahn, 2009 In a small Southern town in 1944, two girls secretly help a seriously ill army deserter, a decision that changes their perceptions of right and wrong. Issues of moral ambiguity and accepting consequences for actions are thoughtfully considered in this deftly crafted story. |
| the crack era: The Crack-up Francis Scott Fitzgerald, 1993 (Autobiographical). |
| the crack era: Evidence of Being Darius Bost, 2018-12-21 Evidence of Being opens on a grim scene: Washington DC’s gay black community in the 1980s, ravaged by AIDS, the crack epidemic, and a series of unsolved murders, seemingly abandoned by the government and mainstream culture. Yet in this darkest of moments, a new vision of community and hope managed to emerge. Darius Bost’s account of the media, poetry, and performance of this time and place reveals a stunning confluence of activism and the arts. In Washington and New York during the 1980s and ’90s, gay black men banded together, using creative expression as a tool to challenge the widespread views that marked them as unworthy of grief. They created art that enriched and reimagined their lives in the face of pain and neglect, while at the same time forging a path toward bold new modes of existence. At once a corrective to the predominantly white male accounts of the AIDS crisis and an openhearted depiction of the possibilities of black gay life, Evidence of Being above all insists on the primacy of community over loneliness, and hope over despair. |
| the crack era: Youth Gangs James C. Howell, 1997 |
| the crack era: My People Are Rising Aaron Dixon, 2012-10-09 The founder of the Black Panther Party’s Seattle chapter recounts his life on the frontlines of the Black Power Revolution. Growing up in Seattle in the 1960s, Aaron Dixon dedicated himself to the Civil Rights movement at an early age. As a teenager, he joined Martin Luther King on marches to end housing discrimination and volunteered to help integrate schools. After King’s assassination in 1968, Dixon continued his activism by starting the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party at the age of nineteen. In My People Are Rising, Dixon offers a candid account of life in the Black Panther Party. Through his eyes, we see the courage of a generation that stood up to injustice, their political triumphs and tragedies, and the unforgettable legacy of Black Power. “This book is a moving memoir experience: a must read. The dramatic life cycle rise of a youthful sixties political revolutionary, my friend Aaron Dixon.” —Bobby Seale, founding chairman and national organizer of the Black Panther Party, 1966 to 1974 |
| the crack era: Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group Ian Svenonius, 2013-01-01 Washington, D.C.-based rock 'n' roll antihero Ian F. Svenonius provides an unparalleled and exquisitely provocative how-to guide for rock bands. |
| the crack era: Dreamland (YA edition) Sam Quinones, 2019-07-16 As an adult book, Sam Quinones's Dreamland took the world by storm, winning the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction and hitting at least a dozen Best Book of the Year lists. Now, adapted for the first time for a young adult audience, this compelling reporting explains the roots of the current opiate crisis. In 1929, in the blue-collar city of Portsmouth, Ohio, a company built a swimming pool the size of a football field; named Dreamland, it became the vital center of the community. Now, addiction has devastated Portsmouth, as it has hundreds of small rural towns and suburbs across America. How that happened is the riveting story of Dreamland. Quinones explains how the rise of the prescription drug OxyContin, a miraculous and extremely addictive painkiller pushed by pharmaceutical companies, paralleled the massive influx of black tar heroin--cheap, potent, and originating from one small county on Mexico's west coast, independent of any drug cartel. Introducing a memorable cast of characters--pharmaceutical pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, teens, and parents--Dreamland is a revelatory account of the massive threat facing America and its heartland. |
| the crack era: Dispatches from the Ebony Tower Manning Marable, 2000 What constitutes black studies and where does this discipline stand at the end of the twentieth century? In this wide-ranging and original volume, Manning Marable--one of the leading scholars of African American history--gathers key materials from contemporary thinkers who interrogate the richly diverse content and multiple meanings of the collective experiences of black folk. Here are numerous voices expressing very different political, cultural, and historical views, from black conservatives, to black separatists, to blacks who advocate radical democratic transformation. Here are topics ranging from race and revolution in Cuba, to the crack epidemic in Harlem, to Afrocentrism and its critics. All of these voices, however, are engaged in some aspect of what Marable sees as the essential triad of the black intellectual tradition: describing the reality of black life and experiences, critiquing racism and stereotypes, or proposing positive steps for the empowerment of black people. Highlights from Dispatches from the Ebony Tower: * Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Manning Marable debate the role of activism in black studies. * John Hope Franklin reflects on his role as chair of the President's race initiative. * Cornel West discusses topics that range from the future of the NAACP through the controversies surrounding Louis Farrakhan and black nationalism to the very question of what race means. * Amiri Baraka lays out strategies for a radical new curriculum in our schools and universities. * Marable's introduction provides a thorough overview of the history and current state of black studies in America. |
| the crack era: Money Rock Pam Kelley, 2018 An ambitious look at the cost of urban gentrification. --Atlanta-Journal Constitution Kelley could have written a fine book about Charlotte?s drug trade in the ?80s and ?90s, filled with shoot-outs and flashy jewelry. What she accomplishes with Money Rock, however, is far more laudable. --Charlotte Magazine Pam Kelley knows a good story when she sees one?and Money Rock is a hell of a story. . . like a New South version of The Wire. --Shelf Awareness Meet Money Rock?young, charismatic, and Charlotte?s flashiest coke dealer?in a riveting social history with echoes of Ghettoside and Random Family Meet Money Rock. He's young. He's charismatic. He's generous, often to a fault. He's one of Charlotte's most successful cocaine dealers, and that's what first prompted veteran reporter Pam Kelley to craft this riveting social history--by turns action-packed, uplifting, and tragic--of a striving African American family, swept up and transformed by the 1980s cocaine epidemic. The saga begins in 1963 when a budding civil rights activist named Carrie gives birth to Belton Lamont Platt, eventually known as Money Rock, in a newly integrated North Carolina hospital. Pam Kelley takes readers through a shootout that shocks the city, a botched FBI sting, and a trial with a judge known as Maximum Bob. When the story concludes more than a half century later, Belton has redeemed himself. But three of his sons have met violent deaths and his oldest, fresh from prison, struggles to make a new life in a world where the odds are stacked against him. This gripping tale, populated with characters both big-hearted and flawed, shows how social forces and public policies--racism, segregation, the War on Drugs, mass incarceration--help shape individual destinies. Money Rock is a deeply American story, one that will leave readers reflecting on the near impossibility of making lasting change, in our lives and as a society, until we reckon with the sins of our past. |
| the crack era: Cracking the PM Interview Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Jackie Bavaro, 2013 How many pizzas are delivered in Manhattan? How do you design an alarm clock for the blind? What is your favorite piece of software and why? How would you launch a video rental service in India? This book will teach you how to answer these questions and more. Cracking the PM Interview is a comprehensive book about landing a product management role in a startup or bigger tech company. Learn how the ambiguously-named PM (product manager / program manager) role varies across companies, what experience you need, how to make your existing experience translate, what a great PM resume and cover letter look like, and finally, how to master the interview: estimation questions, behavioral questions, case questions, product questions, technical questions, and the super important pitch. |
| the crack era: The Crack Era Kevin Chiles, Richard Ray, 2020-10 The Crack Era: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Kevin Chiles chronicles one of the most treacherous periods in New York City's history. As told by a man The New York Times once described as, The biggest drug lord in Harlem since Nicky Barnes, Chiles lays bare the harrowing exploits of the narcotics trade Uptown during the late '80s and early '90s - a world where the lust for freebase cocaine set off a veritable gold rush that turned ghetto boys into young millionaires almost overnight.Baseheads wreaked havoc on the black community. What's worse, upper Manhattan became the epicenter of murder and mayhem as drug-related killings pushed the city's annual death toll well into the thousands. A teenager at the time, Kevin earned a rep' as a boss among bosses and, along with a handful of hustlers from his 'hood, he would directly influence the very music and fashion that ushered in the golden age of hip hop.The crack epidemic parlayed money, power, and respect for Kev but it also took his freedom as well as the lives of close friends and family. Now, this candid memoir exposes liars, dispels urban myths, and sheds light on an otherwise dark epoch that has bittersweet implications for many today. Having seen and survived it all, one of America's most iconic street figures recounts a bygone era of fast cash and high stakes hustling in Harlem. |
| the crack era: Sentencing Law and Policy Nora V. Demleitner, Douglas A. Berman, Marc L. Miller, Ronald F. Wright, 2013 A leading text in criminal law, co-authored by leading scholars in the field, Sentencing Law and Policy draws from extensive sources to present a comprehensive overview of all aspects of criminal sentencing. Online integration with sentencing commissions, thorough treatment of current case law, and provocative notes and questions, stimulate students to consider connections between disparate institutions and examine the purposes and politics of the criminal justice system. The Third Edition has been updated to include recent developments in sentencing case law and provocative discussions of policy debates across a wide range of topics, including discretion in sentencing, race, death penalty abolition, state sentencing guidelines, second-look policies, the impact of new technologies, drug courts and much more. Features: Authors are among the leading sentencing scholars in the United States. Demleitner and Berman are editors of the leading sentencing journal, Federal Sentencing Reporter. Berman is the blog master of the leading sentencing blog, with huge readership. Intuitive organization tracks the process that occurs in every criminal sentencing. Each chapter draws on the most relevant examples from three distinct sentencing worlds: guideline-determinate, indeterminate, and capital. Wide-ranging source materials, including: U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Cases from state high courts, federal appellate courts, and foreign jurisdictions. Statutes and guidelines provisions. Reports and data from sentencing commissions and other agencies. Problems and questions in text are integrated with websites of sentencing commissions, such as the site for the U.S. Sentencing Commissions (www.ussc.gov). Challenging questions ask students to compare institutions and consider the connections between specific sentencing rules and the purposes and politics of criminal justice, emphasizing the effects of sentencing. Notes tell students directly what are the most common practices in U.S. jurisdictions. Instructorsand’ website (www.sentencingbook.net) provides the Teacherand’s Manualand—available only electronically on the siteand— with additional teaching materials to be posted as needed. Studentsand’ website (www.sentencingbook.com) features longer collections of rules and guidelines, statutes, case studies, recent articles, practice problems, sample exams, and a virtual library. Thoroughly updated, the revised Third Edition includes: New Supreme Court cases, including Gall, Kimbrough, Padilla (6th Amendment), and Kennedy (child rape sentencing limits). Policy debates over mass incarceration, the relevance of the budget crisis, and the state-level variation in deincarceration. Shifting authority among key actors in the crack penalty/crack reform debate, including the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA). Expanded core study of discretion in sentencing and attention to race in sentencing, with a close study of the North Carolina Racial Justice Act and the emergence of and“racial impact statementsand” about existing systems and proposed legislation ina number of states. Death penalty abolition. Developments in state sentencing guidelines, noting stand-still in new states, and the relevance of the ALI MPC project. Emergence of and“second lookand” policy discussions, the troubled debate over the theory, operation and impact of parole systems, and the and“supervised releaseand” that has come to replace traditional parole. Discussion of new technologies, developm |
| the crack era: The CIA William Blum, 1986 The CIA: a forgotten history tells the remarkable story of the CIA interventions in more thatn fifty countries, from the earliest actions in China to the present day campaign against Nicaragua. Investigative writer William Blum describes the grim role played by the Agency in overthrowing governments, preventing elections, assassinating leaders, suppressing revolutions, manipulating trade unions and manufacturing 'news' -- in detail that's never before appeared in one book. Blum also shows how the mainstream media have frequently not bothered to probe, highlight or even report many of America's aggressive actions abroad. Effectively, this has helped the US Government camoflague its operations and intentions abroad ever since World War II. Washington's deception and the media's laxity combine to leave us functionally illiterate about the history of modern US foreign policy. And that, the author believes, is good neither for democracy, nor for development and world peace. This immensely readable account has been carefully pieced together from widely disparate sources and with a scrupulous eye to documentation. -- |
| the crack era: Crickle-Crack Stephen Cosgrove, 2001-07 After countless phone calls and letters from fans, we've brought back these time-honored tales. Sharing life lessons and memorable morals, the Serendipity books are a seasoned favorite with children and parents alike. So, journey to the magical, mystical land of Serendipity with these four cherished editions featuring newly revised text from the author.A sweet young squirrel named Squeakers is scampering through the forest when he comes upon a dangerous Crickle-Crack tree. He knows he should stay away, but curiosity gets the best of him. Squeakers learns the hard way that some things are best left alone. |
| the crack era: Bastards of the Reagan Era Reginald Dwayne Betts, 2015 Bastards of the Reagan Era challenges and confronts many of the difficult realities that frame America |
| the crack era: New Mexico Bouldering Owen Summerscales, 2016-03-10 The Land of Enchantment is known for its scenic natural beauty and plentiful rock climbing, with its rich geology and excellent climate. This book is the first guide to bouldering in the state and compiles over 1000 problems in central and northern NM, with 40 maps and 240 topographic photos. Areas covered include: Socorro Box Canyon, Albuquerque Sandia Mountains, Ponderosa, the Ortegas and Roy. |
| the crack era: The Cocaine Crisis David F Allen, 1987-01-01 |
| the crack era: Fentanyl, Inc Ben Westhoff, 2020-09-22 A deeply human story, Fentanyl, Inc. is the first deep-dive investigation of a hazardous and illicit industry that has created a worldwide epidemic, ravaging communities and overwhelming and confounding government agencies that are challenged to combat it. 'A whole new crop of chemicals is radically changing the recreational drug landscape, ' writes Ben Westhoff. 'These are known as Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and they include replacements for known drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana. They are synthetic, made in a laboratory, and are much more potent than traditional drugs'-and all-too-often tragically lethal. Drugs like fentanyl, K2, and Spice were all originally conceived in legitimate laboratories. Their formulas were then hijacked and manufactured by rogue chemists, largely in China, who change their molecular structures to stay ahead of the law, making the drugs' effects impossible to predict. Westhoff has infiltrated this world, tracking down the little-known scientists who invented these drugs and inadvertently killed thousands. He visits the factories in China from which these drugs emanate, providing startling and original reporting on how China's vast chemical industry operates, and how the Chinese government subsidizes it. He poignantly chronicles the lives of addicted users and dealers, families of victims, law enforcement officers, and underground drug awareness organizers in the U.S. and Europe. Together they represent the shocking and riveting full anatomy of a calamity we are just beginning to understand and the new strategies slowly emerging that may provide essential long-term solutions to the drug crisis that has affected so many-- |
| the crack era: Slugg Kevin L. Reeves, Tony Lewis (Jr.), 2017-05-26 Slugg: A Boy's Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration is a blueprint for survival and a demonstration of the power of love, sacrifice, and service. The son of a Kingpin and the prince of a close-knit crime family, Tony Lewis Jr.'s life took a dramatic turn after his father's arrest in 1989. Washington D.C. stood as the murder capital of the country and Lewis was cast into the heart of the struggle, from a life of stability and riches to one of chaos and poverty. How does one make it in America, battling the breakdown of families, the plague of premature death and the hopelessness of being reviled, isolated, and forgotten? Tony Lewis' astonishing journey answers these questions and offers, for the first time, a close look at the familial residue of America's historic program of mass incarceration. Slugg is truly an incredible work. It is so beautifully written, powerful, poignant. A must read for us all. Dr. Heather Ann Thompson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Blood in the Water: the Attica Prison uprising of 1971 From School Library JournalWhen Lewis was two years old, his father was 19, a drug kingpin, and a millionaire. As a child, the author led a pampered life in a big house with cars, electronics, and the trappings of wealth, even going to private schools. At age nine, his life descended into chaos when his father was arrested and given a life sentence. Lewis's mother became increasingly paranoid, finally succumbing to mental illness. This beautiful and important book holds page after page of insight and reflection about prison, choices, fatherhood, and connection. Lewis went from seeing his father every day to seeing him three times in the 13 years he was incarcerated. The young man struggles with his own demons and what he is going to make of his life. Eventually, he goes on to win national awards for community service, and readers cheer him on as he does. This book is a must buy.Amy Cheney, Librarian and founder of In the Margins book award. Tony Lewis Jr. has a perspective like no other on the crack trade that decimated the nation's capital in the 80's and 90's. With this gripping memoir, Lewis relates an intimate history and portrays a side of Washington D.C. rarely seen. Joe Heim, The Washington Post A modern day hero, Tony Lewis Jr has all the tools to lead us to a better tomorrow. This book promotes qualities that are lost in too many of our men. Slugg is essentially the story of a whole generation-Wale, Grammy Nominated Artist Tony's story is one of incredible triumph against all odds after having his world crash down around him. He was thrust into poverty during one of the most desperate and horrific eras in the District of Columbia's history, but he rejected his father's life of crime and instead embraced community activism to improve his hometown and the lives of those around him.--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) |
| the crack era: Substance Abuse Joyce H. Lowinson, 2005 The premier text on substance abuse and addictive behaviors is now in its updated and expanded Fourth Edition, with up-to-the-minute insights from more than 150 experts at the front lines of patient management and research. This edition features expanded coverage of the neurobiology of abused substances, new pharmacologic therapies for addictions, and complete information on “club drugs” such as Ecstasy. New sections focus on addiction in children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly and women’s health issues, including pregnancy. The expanded behavioral addictions section now includes hoarding, shopping, and computer/Internet abuse. Includes access to a Companion wesbite that has fully searchable text. |
Crack cocaine - Wikipedia
Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be …
Cocaine (Crack): What It Is, Side Effects, Risks & Withdrawal
Oct 23, 2023 · What is cocaine (crack)? Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug that’s extracted and processed from coca plant …
Crack vs Cocaine: What's The Difference Between Crack & Cocai…
May 8, 2025 · Crack is the street name given to a solid form of cocaine that’s made by processing the drug into small white or off …
Crack Cocaine Addiction Signs, Effects, & Treatment - DrugAbuse.…
Sep 9, 2017 · Crack is created by processing cocaine and mixing it with baking soda into a smokable form that rapidly delivers an …
Crack Addiction: Definition, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Nov 8, 2023 · Crack addiction is a substance use disorder that involves the use of crack cocaine. It is characterized by a cycle of …
Crack cocaine - Wikipedia
Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be smoked. Crack offers a short, intense high to smokers. The Manual …
Cocaine (Crack): What It Is, Side Effects, Risks & Withdrawal
Oct 23, 2023 · What is cocaine (crack)? Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug that’s extracted and processed from coca plant leaves in South America. Healthcare providers may occasionally use …
Crack vs Cocaine: What's The Difference Between Crack & Cocaine?
May 8, 2025 · Crack is the street name given to a solid form of cocaine that’s made by processing the drug into small white or off-white rock crystals that are then smoked. 1 Individuals use crack …
Crack Cocaine Addiction Signs, Effects, & Treatment - DrugAbuse.com
Sep 9, 2017 · Crack is created by processing cocaine and mixing it with baking soda into a smokable form that rapidly delivers an intense, euphoric high. Crack is an impure form of cocaine …
Crack Addiction: Definition, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Nov 8, 2023 · Crack addiction is a substance use disorder that involves the use of crack cocaine. It is characterized by a cycle of cravings and withdrawal, as well as other severe physical and …
Crack-Cocaine: What is it & Differences from Cocaine - FHE Health
Crack is the water-insoluble form of cocaine that is mixed with water and baking powder or ammonia. Like the powder form of the drug, crack is extremely addictive– but even more so …
Crack Cocaine: Effects, addiction, and treatment - Recovered
Aug 18, 2021 · Crack cocaine is a highly addictive form of cocaine that produces a powerful but short-lived high. Crack is cheaper to purchase than powder cocaine but is believed to be even …
Crack Cocaine Addiction - Symptoms, Warning Signs, & Treatment
Sep 2, 2024 · Crack cocaine is a different substance made by mixing powdered cocaine with baking soda, ammonia, and water to form a rock. The “crack rock” is then smoked to achieve a high. …
Crack Addiction Signs, Symptoms, Treatment & Recovery
Crack cocaine is a highly potent and addictive stimulant processed from powdered cocaine and made to look like a rock crystal. Crack produces effects similar to that of powdered cocaine but …
Crack Cocaine: Effects, Withdrawal, & Treatment - Recovery.org
Nov 11, 2024 · Crack cocaine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that is made by processing cocaine with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to form small “rocks,” which make a …
