02134cam a2200325 i 4500 890696926 TxGeo 20230706120000.0 220929s2023||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2022043879 9780525511809 hbk. 0525511806 hbk. (OCoLC)1348634347 TxGeo rda Ramsey, Donovan X, author. When crack was king : a people's history of a misunderstood era / Donovan X. Ramsey. First edition. New York, NY : One World, [2023] xi, 427 pages ; 25 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references and index. "The crack epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s is arguably the least examined crisis in American history. Beginning with the myths inspired by Reagan's war on drugs, journalist Donovan X. Ramsey's exacting work exposes the undeniable links between the last triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement and the consequences we live with today-a racist criminal justice system, continued mass incarceration and gentrification, and increased police brutality. When Crack Was King follows four individuals to give us a startling portrait of crack's destruction and devastating legacy. Elgin Swift, an archetype of American industry and ambition and son of a crack-addicted father who turned their home into a 'crack house'; Lennie Woodley, a former crack addict and a sex worker; Kurt Schmoke, former mayor of Baltimore and an early advocate of decriminalization; and lastly, Shawn McCray, community activist, basketball prodigy, and a founding member of the Zoo Crew, Newark's most legendary group of drug traffickers"-- Provided by publisher. 20230714. Crack (Drug) United States History 20th century. Cocaine United States History 20th century. Drug control United States History 20th century. QS5