Dark alliance how the cia created the crack epidemic in the 1980s earlier one of our younger duers asked why reagan was so bad. Racist ideas distorted drug policies in reagans america. Mar 21, 2015 the cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb in 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia. Was the war on drugs a strike against black communities. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Messenger movie rekindles interest and outrage over central intelligence agency ties to drug trafficking and the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic. By 2002, the united kingdom was experiencing their own crack epidemic, with the number of crack addicts seeking help climbing nearly 50% that year. Usually the cia s activities have harmful effects on innocent civilians in foreign countries. The invention of crack represented a technological innovation that dramatically widened the availability and use of cocaine in inner cities.
While some were proven the infamous lsd mindcontrol experiments of the. In this case, the cia s activities led to the crack epidemic in americas inner cities, which caused american citizens much pain and misery. The reagan administration and the cia also collaborated with nicaraguan cocaine traffickers to support the contras led to the crack epidemic. Western intelligence services were most commonly tasked with gathering information, but their soviet bloc counterparts placed much greater emphasis on decep. Did the cia really introduce cocaine crack to the u. The newspaper articles suggested that the united states government had protected blandon and meneses from prosecution and either knowingly permitted them to peddle massive quantities of cocaine to the black residents. Nicaraguans had limited role in bringing drug to u. That is declassified information and fairly easy to obtain. The actions by the cia and reagan administration are credited with sparking the crack epidemic by flooding the drug market with an unprecedented amount of highquality cocaine at a low cost. We remember ronald reagan, the father of crack and a supporter of apartheid by davey d. The drugs the cia let into the country contributed to the deaths of many africanamericans in the ghetto, these drugs were part of the crack epidemic. So yesterday governor arnold schwarzenegger strolled into simi valley and with the stroke of a pen he made february 6th ronald reagan day.
Others however argued that this is not true and that its some sort of liberal agenda to demonize reagans term. Aug 22, 2018 long before facebook, the kgb spread fake news about aids in the 1980s, the soviet union and allies participated in a widespread disinformation campaign. A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb in 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia. This is a stunning revelation into the crack epidemic perpitrated in part by the reagan administration era. The contra rebels were in full flow in nicaragua, and reportedly the cia turned a blind eye to the rebels exporting significant amounts of. The cia was consequently not only involved in and ultimately responsible for the innercity crack epidemic. Jul 03, 2017 fxs snowfall sets stage for 80s crack epidemic. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects. Long before facebook, the kgb spread fake news about aids. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. How gary webb linked the cia to the crack epidemic and paid the ultimate price gary webbs dark alliance series boldly claimed the cia knew about a u.
Black urban legends, black conspiracy theories hiv aids. Crack cocaine was popularized because of its affordability, its immediate euphoric effect, and its high profitability. No matter what you think of the cia, theres no putting the crack epidemic genie back in the bottle. The cia and aids conspiracy theories printout time. Did the cia play a role in launching the crack cocaine epidemic. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward. Jay z, blue magic america is fascinated by tales of the exploits of gangsters, hustlers, dealers, and killers, but america is very rarely equipped, prepared, or inclined to deal with the fallout of these elements in real life. According to one article, the cocaine that flooded in through blandons drug ring helped spark a crack explosion in. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. The crack epidemic had particularly devastating effects within the african american communities of the inner cities by causing the increase of addictions, deaths, and drugrelated crimes. Allegations of a cia connection to crack cocaine epidemic.
Since its creation in 1947 under president harry truman, the cia has been credited with a number of farfetched operations. It has long been known that the cia has illegally toppled foreign governments. Still, the fantastic story of the cia injecting crack into ghettos. Fallout from the crack epidemic included a huge surge in addiction, homelessness, murder, theft, robbery, gang warfare, and longterm imprisonment. The crack cocaine epidemic manufactured a criminal enterprise at the cost of the minority population order to fund the central intelligence agency cia army contras.
A media frenzy around the crack epidemic created a hysteria that meant support for his law. How one journalist linked the cia to the crack epidemic. Operation infektion soviet bloc intelligence and its aids. The ciacontra story can only feed longstanding rumors in black communities that the u. Crack epidemic united states history 1980s britannica. From the time hivaids hit the mainstream news, many blacks believed that it was created in a laboratory and spread by the cia with the goal of killing blacks. Congress passed laws that created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for the possession or trafficking of crack when compared to. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. 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.
Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of which found evidence of any conspiracy by the cia or its employees to bring drugs into the united states. On march 2, 1995, ricky donnell ross, a paroled crack dealer, thought. Did the cia create the crack epidemic by planting the drug. The high amount of people in jail is a direct result of the crack epidemic, which was started by the cia. Measuring crack cocaine and its impact harvard university. A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose mercury news says the answer may be yesand the charge. In october 1998, the cia released a declassified version of hitzs twovolume report, and the cia was cleared of its alleged complicity in the spread of crackcocaine in to the innercities. This led to a drugfuelled disaster in the innercities of america. Aug 25, 20 freeway rick ross on how he introduced crack to the u.
Soviet bloc intelligence and its aids disinformation campaign thomas boghardt the practice of intelligence differed considerably between east and west during the cold war. Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of. Since the centers for disease control and prevention first reported the hivaids epidemic in 1981, rumors have persisted that the deadly virus was created by the cia to wipe out homosexuals and african americans. God, if we just had more kids his age asking this question in our schools. Crack epidemic spurns opiod comparisons free press of. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. The reagan administration and the cia also collaborated with nicaraguan cocaine traffickers to support the contras led to the crack epidemic of the 1980s. This is a must read for every person searching for answers to why crack cocain flooded our country seemingly unbridled, into our country. He also vetoed a bill that would allow farm workers to be paid overtime. Even today, the conspiracy theory has a number of highprofile believers. The criticism of the criticism usually fails to come to grips with the salient point. Outraged at cia role in drug trade duke university. 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. The story of hiphop and the crack generation, which aired on.
A powerful series by investigative reporter gary webb of the san jose. In 1996 the agency was accused of being a crack dealer. How the cia helped create the crack epidemic youtube. The charges of cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking were revived in 1996, when a newspaper series by reporter gary webb in the san jose mercury news claimed that the trafficking had played an important role in the creation of the crack cocaine drug problem in the united states. Webbs sources and his findings, especially regarding the introduction of crack into america, the targetting by contra dealers of africanamerican communities and the involvement of the cia. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. The contra rebels were in full flow in nicaragua, and reportedly the cia turned a blind eye to the rebels exporting significant amounts of cocaine for funding. Dark alliance, gary webbs landmark 1996 newspaper series alleging cia involvement in the crack cocaine epidemic, created a firestorm of controversy that ultimately drove webb out of. The findings will be required reading for anyone concerned by the rise of crack, but given the cias habit of burying its own past, undoubtedly not the final word. Dark alliance how the cia created the crack epidemic in the.
Americans and the crack cocaine epidemic that has swept across america at a rapid pace. A commonheld belief was that the cia flooded the black community with crack so. Thirty years of americas drug war drug wars frontline. Crack has destroyed families and, in many ways, destroyed communities, which still suffer the effects of crime, druguse, and incarceration. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u. The response by legislation to the crack epidemic was stiffer federal sentencing guidelines and the creation of the war on drugs agenda. Weekly has a fascinating piece concerning the late gary webb. The crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drug. Aug 30, 2012 one of the most talked about conspiracy theories of the mid80s and early 90s had to do with the crack epidemic. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. The subject of todays hearings involves the allegations of cia in volvement in the u. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum rt. As the land border became more tightly controlled, cocaine would be shipped via the caribbean and the bahamas and end up in miami. Back in 1996, gary webb of the san jose mercury news broke a story stating not only that the nicaraguan contras supported by the united states in a rebellion against their leftleaning government were involved in the us crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, but also that the cia knew and turned a blind eye to the operation.
Senate hearing on allegations of a cia connection to the crack cocaine epidemic. 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. Did the cia really introduce cocainecrack to the u. The cia were funding the contra rebels via the sale of vast quantities of cocaine at a time when certain people had learnt how to produce crackcocaine, the highly addictive and most evil form of the narcotic. Yes, the cia did sow the seeds of the crack epidemic. As policymakers seek solutions for the ongoing opioid epidemic, its worth remembering how sensationalist reporting can lead to troubling responses. The secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the crack epidemic that devastated californias most vulnerable african american neighborhoods. 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. He announces the creation of the special action office for drug abuse. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies. Mcintire haltingly explained to the nations first africanamerican commander in chief the highly classified origin of crack cocaine and the resultant epidemic that swept across u.
The true story of the 1980s crack epidemic is still untold. Cia director john deutch, meanwhile, has ordered his inspector general to file a report on the subject within 60 days. 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. Washingtonin his first meeting with president barack obama, cia crime and counternarcotics analyst timothy r. The crack epidemic coincidentally began around the same time when the irancontra scandal was being exposed. Your worst fears are true the cia did help to smuggle drugs into american ghettos, says an investigative reporter, webb was asked whether his story had confirmed the suspicion within the black community that the crack cocaine epidemic might be part of a. Long before facebook, the kgb spread fake news about aids in the 1980s, the soviet union and allies participated in a widespread disinformation campaign. However, the mercury news series contained or at least many readers interpreted it to contain a new sensational claim. These stories are nothing new to those living in the 80s and it played as the backdrop to the vh1documentary, planet rock.
Did the cia play a role in launching the crackcocaine epidemic. The crack epidemic refers to the surge of crack houses and crack cocaine use in major cities in the united states between 1984 and 1990. I found it interesting but not all that surprising that we would have that sort of coupling. Hello reddit, i was doing a little research on the crack epidemic of the 1980s and from what i read the cia introduce crack cocaine to the u. The crack epidemic the history of crack cocaine drugfree. Crack epidemic, the significant increase in the use of crack cocaine, or crack, in the united states during the early 1980s. Well, you see, sirthing is, we needed money to help those contras back in 85, and.
Rereading the story of the crack epidemic jstor daily. This is the true story about the cia contra relationship. A number of writers have alleged that the united states central intelligence agency cia was involved in cocaine trafficking during the 1980s. Americas crack epidemic examined in new book thu, 10032019 lawrence when david farber lived in philadelphia, he met a crack dealer who sold the drug to a mostly homeless clientele outside the professors apartment. A complete history of crack cocaine drug rehab options. Cia awkwardly debriefs obama on creation of crack cocaine. The uk reported an increase of 74% in seizures of crack cocaine in drug raids between 2000 and 2006.
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