Marion Barry

For the U.S. Representative from Arkansas with a similar name, see Marion Berry.

Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. (born March 6, 1936) served as Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1979 to 1991. He was forced to leave office during his third term as a result of his arrest and conviction on drug charges, but afterward again elected to the D.C. council and ultimately to the mayoralty, serving a fourth term from 1995 to 1999. Today, Barry serves on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward Eight, which comprises Anacostia and Congress Heights. He is also serving three years probation for misdemeanor charges of failing to pay federal and local taxes, and continues to receive drug counseling after testing positive for cocaine and marijuana in October 2005.^*

Early life and activism

Barry was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. Barry grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, is an Eagle Scout, and graduated from LeMoyne College (now LeMoyne-Owen College) in 1958. Barry also graduated with a Masters of organic chemistry from Fisk University in 1960. Afterwards he joined the American civil rights movement during a movement to eliminate racial segregation of bus passengers, and was elected the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He abandoned his doctoral chemistry studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee for his new duties. During his time leading SNCC, Barry heavily lobbied against racial segregation and discrimination.

Barry is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, a prominent Black Greek Fraternity, not Alpha Phi Alpha as was previously listed.

Washington, D.C. political career

In 1965, Barry moved to Washington, D.C. to open a local chapter of SNCC where he was heavily involved in coordinating peaceful street demonstrations. He served on the first city school board to implement school board elections, in 1971, and served as Board president during his tenure. He was elected a member of Washington's first elected city council in 1974, and while serving as a council member, he became chair of the Committee on Finance and Revenue.

While serving on the D.C. city council in 1977, Barry was shot by radical Hanafi Muslim terrorists when they overran District Building. Barry was shot near his heart during a two-day crisis in which hostages were held by the terrorists, and which was finally defused by the FBI, and Muslim ambassadors.

In 1978, Barry was elected mayor of Washington, D.C. He was only the second person elected to this position. Barry was elected to three consecutive terms as mayor and held the position for over a decade until his arrest on drug charges in 1990.

After being released from prison, Barry was successful in his 1992 bid for a city council seat, running under the slogan "He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for D.C." In 1994, Barry was elected to his fourth and final term as mayor, serving until January 1999.

From 1995 to 2001, the federally imposed Control Board deprived Barry and his successor as mayor of power to allocate and manage funds for city projects. The mayor was also involved in further scandals, eventually leading to his decision not to run for a fifth term in office. He was succeeded by Anthony A. Williams, the former Chief Financial Officer of the Control Board. After leaving office, Barry performed consulting work for an investment banking firm.

On June 12, 2004 Barry announced that he was running in the Democratic primary for the Ward 8 council seat, a position he held before becoming mayor. Barry defeated the incumbent councilmember, Sandy Allen, on September 14, 2004, by a margin of at least 60–25%, setting him up to win the Ward 8 council seat in the November general election by a margin of 96–4%.

Legal problems

1990 Trial

On January 18, 1990, Barry was arrested with a former girlfriend, Hazel "Rasheeda" Moore, in a sting operation at the Vista Hotel by the FBI and D.C. Police for crack cocaine use and possession. The incident – played over and over on television – produced what is perhaps the most memorable quote of Barry's long career: "Goddamn setup . . . I'll be goddamn . . . bitch set me up." This quote refers to Rasheeda Moore.

Barry was charged with three counts of felony perjury, 10 counts of misdemeanor drug possession, and one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to possess cocaine; however, in October 1990, he was convicted on only one charge: a single previous misdemeanor count of possessing cocaine which occurred during November of 1989. He was acquitted on one possession charge and a mistrial was declared on the 12 remaining charges.

As a result of his arrest and the ensuing trial, Barry was forced to step down from his position as mayor. In the midst of his campaign for a city council seat, Barry was sentenced to a six-month federal prison term in October 1990.

2002 Park Police drug accusations

Barry briefly used an "African" name of "Anwar Amal." He resumed using his given name shortly before his 2002 campaign for an at-large city council seat. But the bid was aborted after the U.S. Park Police alleged they had found small amounts of cocaine and marijuana in Barry's car. Barry has insisted the police planted the drugs. Barry's paranoia about being accused of drug crimes was so strong that in one instance, after a car of his was stolen and subsequently recovered by the police, Barry sold it without ever driving it again, claiming he feared police could have planted drugs in the car.

2005 Guilty Plea

On October 28, 2005, Barry plead guilty to the misdemeanor charges stemming from the IRS investigation. At the mandatory drug testing at that hearing, he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana. On March 9, 2006, he was sentenced to three years probation for misdemeanor charges of failing to pay federal and local taxes, and continues to receive drug counseling.^*^*

Health problems

In 1995, Barry was successfully treated for prostate cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Pop Culture References

Barry's crack bust, trial, and subsequent re-election to the office of mayor is mentioned in the Good Charlotte song "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," in the lyrics "and if you were caught and you were smoking crack/McDonald's wouldn't even want to take you back/you could always just run for Mayor of DC."

In the Bloodhound Gang song - "Take the Long Way Home" - the following lyric is present: "Life is like Marion Barry, It's not all that it's cracked up to be."

In Chris Rock's "Bring the Pain" he jokes about Marion's presence at the Million Man March: "Even in our finest hour, we got a crack head on the stage".

External links

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