During the War on Drugs, the federal government cut down on the presence of drugs by taking money out of other federal spending to militarize police and build strong law enforcement. As a result, throughout the War on Drugs in America, black communities all across the country were devastated, specifically in Baltimore. The Other Wes Moore, which takes place in Baltimore, focuses on two boys who share the same name but have vastly different life stories and covers the environment of Black America during the 1980s. In the text, one of the protagonists' childhoods is influenced by the War on Drugs and concurrent events, while the other protagonist, Wes, is dragged into the Crack Epidemic. The War on Drugs and Concurrent Events during the 1980s contributed to and drove Wes’ connection to the crack epidemic by creating a lack of opportunities and by developing an environment …show more content…
During the 1980s and 1990s, the federal government applied many methods of responding to the crack epidemic in minority neighborhoods. For instance, as a result of the War on Drugs, “drug arrests in Baltimore jumped 72 percent, compared to 99,561 arrests in the 1980s and 171,348 in the 1990s.” (Miller). The War on Drugs in Baltimore drives and contributes to the rampant drug arrests by creating an environment where drugs and drug use are widespread. Additionally, “homicides peaked at a city record of 353 in 1995.” (Metropole). The War on Drugs in Baltimore drives and contributes to the number of homicides by possibly influencing the formation of illegal drug markets, which often operate within marginalized communities like West Baltimore. In these quotes, the drug arrests and homicides in Baltimore serve as a testament to the violence created by the War on