Here in sleepy Donalsonville, Georgia, we are home to many
greats; high unemployment, high poverty, high drug trafficking.
When probably one third of your population is involved in
drug manufacture, drug sales, drug trafficking, or drug use,
it's little wonder you will eventually see some of the activity in
broad daylight.
(My only real question is, with so many involved in the production
and sale, who's left to buy the shit? All the church folks are
hooked on the prescription drugs and booze; what need do they
have for street stuff?)
But Donalsonville boasts the proud bragging rights to open,
proud, obvious drug dealing on its main drag (and several blocks
surrounding, whichever direction you choose to go,) all day,
all night, seven days a week. With law enforcement always
never a stone's throw away.
You know it's bad when uninformed little old ladies are
figuring out what's going on!
Yes, instead of a chicken in every pot, the illustrious city of Donalsonville
seems instead dedicated to "a drug dealer on every street corner."
Well, since there are no businesses left, it's not like they'll
interrupt the local economy.
Perhaps therein lies one of the explanations; if the sale of
drugs is keeping the young men and women of small town
America employed, is the morality and legality of the business
a concern? If nothing else is available, do what you need to, right?
Evidently our police force believes that.
I'm sure there is a valid reason--or ten--behind such an
obvious, brazen drug industry operating unmolested. 'Rumor' has
it that the former sheriff of Seminole County was getting more than his
fair cut of all the dealing, and that's why no one ever went to--or
stayed long in--jail.
It's the reason, they say, why selling prospered and became a part
of the fabric.
Add to that the fact that the only entertainment in this
No-Horse-Town is drugging, drinking, hanging out, screwing,
or getting into trouble with worse crimes, it makes sense the
deputies might be inclined to overlook the dealing as a
means of deferring 'worse' crimes like robbery, violence, murder,
rape, harassment, etc.
Oh, wait; most crimes are drug related! Either acted in
the commission of drug-related offense, or under the influence of drugs!
Hmmmnnn....another solution, then?
In "Barber Town," the 'Drug Lords' (a.k.a. street punks)
think they own the streets, and they challenge you for the right to drive
your car down their sales floor. Everybody knows about the Blue House
next to the railroad tracks, and even if you're been in town 10 minutes
you know what happens around Mr. Pip's day and night.
Perhaps the police don't intervene because they know that the
D.A. won't prosecute drug crimes (he won't.)
Maybe judges in this area aren't concerned or impartial either.
Maybe there isn't enough space in the jails for everyone
guilty of dealing in this town.
Maybe, as mentioned, the economic stability of this town
is actually dependent on an uncensored drug trade.
Seems they could always offer the "Seminole Solution"
if they wanted to get rid of drug dealers; I have never read
of a place where more 'suicides' take place while
prisoners are in custody.
(Honestly... you'd think the jails here would have a
ban on all shoe strings, bed sheets, and belts by now!)
Certainly, there can be no graft or corruption amongst
local law enforcement. That notion is too preposterous
even to be mentioned, let alone entertained, no matter how
evidenced some might find the idea. This is an upstanding,
moral, Christian, small southern town, and such things
'just aren't done here.'
(If you made it through that last bit with a straight face,
I have a bridge to sell you.)
Perhaps it's as simple as hinted above; the drug activity
is considered the lesser of alternate evils. If folks are
busy drugging, they'll be more relaxed--and distracted--
and less likely to up their game? (We've established that it's
a faulty notion, given statistics of crimes, but that doesn't
mean people can't erroneously cling to it!) I can certainly
see DPD doing a legitimate, proactive tactic such as this.
I mentioned a while back, before the newspaper changed
owners, that we had rarely witnessed a black man on their cover
unless he had been arrested for drug dealing or usage.
(The agenda behind which is obvious.)
Shortly after that, a decided turn in promoting positive black
faces on their cover occurred.
Do you think that after this, we might see an article on
the hidden epidemic in this small town? An expose' on
how large and uninterrupted the drug trade is, and possibly why
it is allowed to continue? Maybe even the high likelihood
of poverty, joblessness, homelessness, and death that encompasses
the life of an active junkie? Or an in-depth study of all the
harm done by the dealing of drugs?
No, I don't think so either.
*****
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