Sunday 9 February 2014

The Crack Epidemic Of Harlem in the 1980s


Crack is Wack Playground earned its distinctive name after artist Keith Haring (1958-1990) painted the now-famous Crack Is Wack mural in 1986 on the handball court walls. http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M208E 

Harlem before the crack epidemic was recognised internationally as the Center of music, art and literature for African Americans . In which took a turn when Crack entered the lives of African American within the ghettos. "Crack was first recognised  through the media within the Los Angles of 1984 reported that in south central cocaine sales exploded with $25 rocks, crack moved from North Miami, west from New York and Washington, D.C. And east from Los Angles." Promidomitley  targeting black communities. The crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s paid apart to the health decline within the residents in communities such as Harlem. "Crack was both a direct an indirect cause of excess morbidity and morality." The usage of cracks specifically within Harlem resulted in lost of lives and violence among young African Americans. The demand of crack led to violence being escalated into peaceful neibourhood s into some would say war zones. The pros and cons that crack provided amongst the African Americans identity within these areas is the feeling and cost it possessed. For instance crack was, cheap, and gave a good sense of feeling, a type of Confident and happiness in which was a turn around to the reality that these people where actually facing. However the cons of crack consisted of highly addition  and deadly form of cocaine. It's said that one time use can also cause addition. The Crack epidemic increased the rates of sexual transmitted diseases, in which sharing needles resulted within the spreading of HIV and AIDS. 



This image displays different types of way to use cocaine. The first showing that cocaine, can either be Injected or snorted. Whilst the other image displays crack Cocaine being smoked often through a glass pipe, although it can also be injected as well. It is commonly known that white people or rich people smokes cocaine within the substance of powder as powder deemed to be more expensive than rock, in which  rock  was more affordable for African Americans within those communities at the time, and today as well. The short term effects that cocaine provides is that it makes people feel really, great like they are basically on top of the world. For about 15-30 minutes of snorting or 5-10 minutes of smoking it. In which gave a sense of Euphoria and that feeling of confidence, power and also sexuality. 
 The term "Crack" comes from the sound that is heard when the substance is being heated up. 


Conspiracy theory of The Crack Epidemic 

Throughout the black communities and other areas within america. Came to a conclusion co that Reagan was responsible along with the CIA to flood the ghettos with crack. Within the concept that the white people keep African Americans under the influence of crack so they don't have any influence. Songs like Kanye West crack music  "how did we stop the black panthers? Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer" inferring that Ronald Reagan intentionally put drugs into the ghettos. 








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