America’s racism (including medical) towards Blacks and perpetuating stereotypes allowed crack to turn the country every which way but loose. The research was very digestible, and its main points were driven home by personal recollections from some affected by the era: Elgin (son of a crackhead), Lennie (former crackhead), Kurt (former Baltimore mayor), Shawn (former dealer). Hanging on to a connection between drugs and crime, the “War on Drugs” spurred severe crime bills while simultaneously ignoring the despair and root causes within the ravaged Black community that viewed crack as both an escape and a come-up.