Something from Andari

The face of the Nations Capitol 

As we all know that they have been some substantial changes to that face of DC. With all the gentrification and the moving and shuffling of its occupants the murder rate in DC has indeed dropped. Simultaneously the murder rate in PG county has been upped almost 100 % in recent years to like 190 murders for last year .

I was watching “Pay” the New York documentary about DC drug kingpin  “Rayful Edmound “and I was drawn back in time almost instantly. Not because of a wanton for murder and mayhem but because as I looked in the backdrop of many of the scenes I saw OLD DC. One scene in particular really got my attention …it was shot of Pennsylvania avenue circa 87-90. What I saw was a complete 180 from what you see now when you go towards the capitol. Then a question came to me……it was as if George bush wanted to use the “crack era” as an excuse to remove certain groups from DC populace. Surely the first majority black city in American history was not the reason for the crack surge that took control of the nation’s capitol and America…Surely DC was not the only place in America were you could drugs in any part of the city….surely DC was not host to creation of these drugs…so why was their such a focus on what was going on at that time?

POLITICS

DC was the first majority black city on the east coast becoming so in the early part of the 1950’s how could this be ?...the nation’s capitol is by large Black?.....in the 1950’s. I believe the government was not going to allow this type of face for the nation’s capitol. Although this was becoming a problem, because of the racial instability, the government had other issues to handle. After the riots drugs became the main focus but not an issue because it was tearing apart the moral fiber of every black community in every city in America. That was the answer to their problem……..let them destroy themselves……however the issue went into epidemic proportions…and now drugs were a “problem”….especially in the first primarily black city in history. Drug laws are stiffened and seemingly the only “ones” affected where those that dealt with the cheaper hardened form of cocaine “crack” and not for the powder, which was usually dealt at higher levels and by a variety of nationalities. Over the next 10-15 years crews were busted and given ridiculous sentencing for relatively small amounts of crack. After which neighborhoods were seized  or bought out. An easy task for the government as DC residents cannot own their own land in most cases…..DC is not a state …it is a district …so Virginia owns land in DC. Resident can own their house…BUT NOT THE LAND THAT IT SITS ON. Residents tired of being profiled for years or dealing with “conveniently un-policed areas” are more than willing to sell their homes, and of course public housing is easy to steal.  Which of course results in those very high priced condos that you see all over the city. Which brings me to this……if it was that easy to do for someone else, so that they are safer and can have property in the city that isn’t run down of dilapidated….then why not for the populace that was already there.

I don’t know how anyone else feels about this but as a DC resident now, a metropolitan area resident my entire life it disgusts me to see such a travesty. But then again…remember the native Americans?  

 

Just a thought  man……………..just a thought.