Anatomy of a Heroin Ring

February 16, 2013 5:23 PM

What turned out to be most notable about the operation, though, was how typical it was. (Chicago Reader, via longform.org)
posted by box (14 comments total)

Struck me as a short written version of the Wire. Fun read.
posted by christhelongtimelurker at 6:04 PM on February 16, 2013

There's a wonderful quote from a judge in the article:

He's like most CEOs. There's people that take the weight for him. . . .
posted by rdr at 6:16 PM on February 16, 2013 [2 favorites]

Aw man.

I've just recently re-watched The Wire and this article makes me wish I hadn't. Because if I hadn't, I'd be able to go and re-watch it again with a fresh perspective, and that'd be awesome.

Instead, I'm settling for streaming Luther over Netflix and hoping it's good. Failing that, I may have to dig up some DVDs of The Shield and go back over that particular sore spot again.
posted by Imperfect at 6:41 PM on February 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

rdr: "He's like most CEOs. There's people that take the weight for him. . . . "

Yet somehow CEOs rarely manage to end up in criminal courtrooms.
posted by wierdo at 9:00 PM on February 16, 2013 [2 favorites]

fun read?

yeah, it was real fun, how this shit spreads out even to the well-off suburbs, and my youngest brother dies of a heroin overdose (and no one gives a shit about tracking the supply chain, even when it involves poisoned or unusually strong heroin), even when its pretty clear who the supplier is, and where their supply is, etc).

stop treating this shit as fucking entertainment. I don't think even David Simon would approve.
posted by C.A.S. at 9:42 AM on February 17, 2013 [3 favorites]

Contained in that article is some of the most horrific anecdotal evidence of poverty, neglect, and abuse in the background stories of these god awful gang bangers, to further make my point.
posted by C.A.S. at 9:45 AM on February 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

That was a truly horrifying story, and a great bit of reporting. Really the kind of thing that journalists should aspire to. And it got, what, six comments here, in one of the best-informed and most intelligent and broadly interested communities on the web.
posted by alloneword at 12:15 PM on February 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

I suspect the low comment count is at least partly because this isn't really anything new. Same story, different geography. Don't take that to mean that I think it's unimportant or that it isn't well written. I think most of us here have already internalized these realities, though.

If only it were possible to convince the dopey Reagan-era young republicans that seem to have taken over large swaths of our nation. Perhaps then something could be done about it.
posted by wierdo at 1:43 PM on February 17, 2013

Convince them of what, exactly? And what exactly would you suggest be done about it? You think that inner city poverty and crime don't pre-date the Reagan era? I hold no brief for the Republican party, but they are hardly the only obstacle to a New Jerusalem.

(I wouldn't call the article particularly well written. My own mental blue pencil was getting a pretty serious workout before I stopped reading.)
posted by IndigoJones at 2:45 PM on February 17, 2013

Yet the problems haven't disappeared, even in the middle of Bostic's old neighborhood. The New Breeds' former base of operations on West Van Buren has been razed, and the street was quiet on several afternoons recently. But just a few blocks away, at Wilcox and Springfield, men were lined up waiting to help customers. In fact, the pace of drug arrests in the police beat that includes Bostic's old territory has gone up since his crew was taken down.

Yeah, no shit. So basically, the Chicago cops spent a bunch of money to bust this one guy and accomplished nothing. Welcome to Drug War mentality.
posted by DecemberBoy at 7:06 PM on February 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

IndigoJones: "Convince them of what, exactly?"

For one, that the drug war, which long predates them, is a pointless waste of resources. Then perhaps convince them that the money spent on that can be better spent helping people.
posted by wierdo at 11:21 PM on February 17, 2013

I've been to this corner on Kilpatrick, probably more than I should.

It is what it is. It is never going away. Get used to it.
posted by timsteil at 12:01 AM on February 18, 2013

But if you take the money away from cops and give it to social services for the purpose of lessening reliance on drugs, increasing safety for users, ending violence between dealers and reducing the need for impulse crimes to pay for drugs how are they going to pay for all the cool paramilitary equipment they will no longer need?

/obvious
posted by longbaugh at 12:24 AM on February 18, 2013

For one, that the drug war, which long predates them, is a pointless waste of resources.

Well, sure, but my point is that this is not a partisan issue. I recall debates between William F Buckley and Congressman Charles Rangel in which the former argued for pot legalization and Rangel was adamantly opposed - and that was just marijuana.

(Of course it won't happen and for the reason you (and Longbaugh) cite - the money spent. Whole lot of people have a whole lot of vested interest in a whole lot of status quo. But it ain't just Republicans.)
posted by IndigoJones at 6:12 AM on February 18, 2013