NCJ Number
131230
Date Published
1991
Length
302 pages
Annotation
This book chronicles one woman's efforts to rid her Harlem, New York, community of drug dealers.
Abstract
The author rose from a welfare background to become a college graduate and social worker. She persevered in her community to challenge and change residents' hopelessness and was honored by both Ronald Reagan and Ed Koch for her efforts. Her action plan calls for a change in public policy to rid urban centers and slums of drug pushers. The action plan is based on the premise that the entire community must participate in a drug cleanup effort. A group movement must accomplish the following: help residents overcome their fears; encourage people to negotiate with the system; get the system to respond to specific needs; focus on a rehabilitation plan for deteriorated buildings, parks, or dumps; develop a strategy to assist drug abusers in acquiring help; engage local organizations and churches in the drug fight; bring attention to community efforts in newspapers; and put worthy tenants into renovated housing with the help of local, State, or Federal agencies. The author emphasizes that understanding elements of drug dealing is essential to getting rid of drug sellers and buyers. Much of the book is written as a biography; details of the author's personal history are interfaced with her efforts in Harlem.