We are almost a generation removed from the worst of the District’s crack epidemic, but the city still bears scars from the violence of the 1980s and ‘90s. WAMU looks back in a five-part series that is well worth your time:
Washington, D.C. is in the midst of major change — its population is growing, new high-rise buildings can be seen across the city, and the homicide rate is at historic lows. But 25 years ago, dealers sold crack at hundreds of open-air drug markets, addiction swept across entire neighborhoods, and the city came to be known as the “Nation’s Murder Capital.” In this five-part series, WAMU 88.5 explores the legacy of that era and how D.C. continues to grapple with an epidemic that affected families, neighborhoods, politicians, policemen, and schools.
Listen to the entire series here.
