The Lies that Crack told...

Here's an article I wrote a few years ago (in 2001 to be exact) in the now-defunct "Crime & Community Report." It's still relevant now, so I decided to post it hear. Check it out...

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"THE LIES THAT CRACK TOLD"

by: Ken B.

It is everywhere: in the city, in the suburbs, and in the country. It dwells among the power elite, as well as the dregs of society. It entices, it invites, and it corrupts and destroys everything in the path: Crack. Crack is like The Devil in the Holy Bible. Satan doesn't MAKE you do anything; it tricks you and lies to you with fables and half-truths. Think about it: Did Satan shove the apple down Adam's throat?

No.

As the serpent in The Garden of Eden, it whispered in Eve's ear, telling her the power she and Adam would receive if they took a bite. It told Eve of the vast knowledge it would gain by having just a sample of the apple, although it was FORBIDDEN to do so by God himself. Satan never told Eve of the consequences of tasting the fruit.

Crack is the same way.

For the user, crack allows them to "take the pain away," to give them the power to forget their problems and to experience "Nirvana," in essence, the "Ultimate High." For the seller, it lulls them into a false sense of security. It affords them the ability to make piles of cash and to finally become "The Man." All lies, sort of. Crack will give you a high that few have ever experienced, for a price (and I'm not talking about the dollar value of crack, either).

Just like Adam and Eve, once they had tasted the knowledge of the forbidden fruit and were cast out of The Garden of Eden and lost their idealic way of life and their immortality, so does the "crackhead" lose all sense of morality and self-respect. The crackhead, in the insatiable need to regain their first high, will go to any (and I do mean ANY) lengths to achieve it again and fail miserably.

The crack dealer, in some ways, has it worse that the crackhead. How? Well, it's difficult but not improbable for the crackhead to overcome his/her addiction and become a productive element of society. The crack dealer, however, becomes more of an addict than the crackhead for one reason...

MONEY

Once a person gets used to the money from crack "sales," it's almost impossible to give up the lifestyle that one maintains when one is "slangin' ". Think about it: Could you go from making hundreds or even thousands of dollars a week to working at McDonald's? From wearing the tightest gear and sporting the phattest "bling-bling" to putting on a janitors' uniform for minimum wage? What do you put down on a job application, Former Occupation: Drug Dealer?

I don't think so.

Once you get a taste of "the good life," it's hard as Hell to give it up, and that's not even the worst lie that crack tells the dealer! Crack convinces the dealer that he/she is untouchable when he/she is very touchable indeed. What's going to happen when a drug deal goes bad? What will be the end result when the cops and/or Feds come busting through the windows and doors "SWAT-style?" What lie will crack tell then? What protection will a FUBU shirt and SEAN JOHN jean jacket bought with crack money do against a cop with a helmet and a bulletproof vest? What good will a 9mm handgun do against a government-trained DEA agent with an AK-47? Will crack tell you that you're invincible then?

"The Crack Lie" is hardest on "people of color," i.e. Blacks and Latinos. That's because a disproportionate number of "people of color" are poor and see slangin' as a way out. People are doing FED TIME when they are caught slangin'! That means that you're doing ALL OF YOUR TIME! No negotiating with the state anymore, you're going to do mandatory minimums for narcotic possession and/or distribution.

That's no bullsh*t!

Crack tells the dealer that it will take them out of poverty and put them in that mansion on the hill. Wrong! What crack doesn't tell you is that if you actually get that mansion (and very few do) that you had better explain to the IRS how in Hell you paid for it when you don't have a job. Trust me, if I had a choice between The Mafia chasing me or The Feds/IRS, I'd pick The Mob, because the IRS is more tenacious than they are when it comes to getting its cut of your money. Even if you put your possessions in someone else's name, such as your Mom's, how is Mama going to the tax man how she was able to afford that 2001 Lexus when she works on the line at K & W Cafeteria?

You have to understand something about the Government: It's a machine. A machine that never runs out of money, time, or resources. Don't believe me? Keep in mind that the Government, with the help of Kenneth Starr, spent more than fifty million dollars to prove that a sitting president had oral sex performed on him by an intern.

You know what the biggest lie that crack ever told the addicts and the dealers? It's, " That as long as we're together, you'll have everything that your heart desires." Well, for a short time, it does. To the addict, it gives them an unforgettable (unfortunately for them) high. To the dealer, it gives them the cash to do and to buy whatever they want. What crack doesn't tell them is the high price that they will pay, eventually. Sometimes it's the loss of self-respect, when the addict, particularly, but NOT LIMITED TO women, is offering fellatio for $5.00 to $10.00 on a street corner or alleyway.

Alternatively, for the dealer when he/she becomes the addict and gets high on his/her own supply, therefore becoming his/her best customer? Sometimes it's incarceration, when the addict is arrested for stealing from their neighbors and the dealer is nailed in an undercover sting operation. Sometimes, more often than not, the ultimate price is "Paid in Full,"

DEATH

In closing, the bottom line is that crack doesn't give a damn about you, if you're a dealer or a buyer. Still want to believe the lies that crack tells you?

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Not bad, huh?

More articles to come...