NCJ Number
136350
Journal
Social Justice Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1991) Pages: 166-178
Date Published
1991
Length
13 pages
Annotation
In this interview, Hardy Frye, author of "Changing the Inner City: Black Urban Reorganization," a paper that focused on self-help projects in black inner cities, discusses ways in which residents of inner cities are organizing themselves to combat drug dealers and the influence of drug abuse in their communities.
Abstract
An incident involving a drug dealer in his own neighborhood convinced Frye that letting a harmful situation persist was undesirable. He began examining community activities against drug-related problems in other areas and found the early stages of a general social movement. This movement involves community residents who are taking the initiative to address the problems in their communities through awareness and action. This action may focus initially on drug abuse and then move on to other issues, as has happened in several communities. Frye favors legalizing drugs to remove the profit from drug dealing, recognizing that it would increase drug-taking temporarily and that many black people oppose this view due to their moral and religious views. He also believes that a compromise should be negotiated between civil liberties and the African American community's desire to control anti-social behavior, even if vigilantism is sometimes used.