Full post after cut................
Former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry is dead. He was 78. Barry was elected four times as the city's chief executive and was a council member in the District of Columbia for 15 years. The one-time leader of the city's old Board of Education, Barry was, at one time, revered nationally as a symbol of African-American political leadership and beloved for his prowess at local politics. But his professional accomplishments were often overshadowed by bad behavior in his personal life that made for startling headlines. Barry was infamously busted in 1990 on law enforcement surveillance tape smoking crack cocaine in a drug sting involving the FBI and Washington police. That footage was televised. Barry was convicted of possession and served six months in prison. But he made a tremendous political comeback. Barry reclaimed his seat in the mayor's office in 1995. In 2002, police said they found "apparent" traces of marijuana and cocaine in Barry's car but didn't arrest him. He was re-elected to the City Council in 2004. In 2006, he was suspected in separate incidents of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. He was found not guilty of the DUI charge, and the state said a computer glitch erroneously reported that Barry's license had been suspended. In 2009, he was arrested on a charge of stalking, which prosecutors later dropped. "Who can better help our city recover than someone who himself has gone through recovery?" he once asked confidently. RIP Mayor.
No comments:
Post a Comment