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74-417: Wilson Building or Wilson Block may refer to: John A. Wilson Building , Washington, D.C. Wilson Building (Clinton, Iowa) Philip Wilson Building , Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Wilson Building (Fairfield, Iowa) Wilson Building (Camden, New Jersey) Wilson Building (Los Angeles) , California J. L. Wilson Building, Durant, Oklahoma, listed on

148-579: A correctional facility in Petersburg, Virginia . While serving his time, Barry was accused of letting a woman perform oral sex on him in a prison waiting room, a charge Barry denied. Barry was transferred to another federal prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania . Barry was released in April 1992. In May 2013, after Toronto mayor Rob Ford was videotaped smoking what was reported to be crack, parallels were made with

222-515: A "younger brother not as an adult". Barry wrote a letter to LeMoyne's president objecting to the comments and asking if Walter Chandler could be removed from the board. A friend of Barry's was the editor of the school newspaper, the Magician , and told Barry to run the letter in the paper. From there, the letter made it to the front page of Memphis' conservative morning paper. Barry earned an M.S. in organic chemistry from Fisk University in 1960. He

296-511: A Congressional committee exercised administrative rule over the district. Barry quit SNCC in 1967, when H. Rap Brown became chairman of the group. In 1967, Barry and Mary Treadwell co-founded Pride, Inc., a Department of Labor-funded program to provide job training to unemployed black men. The group employed hundreds of teenagers to clean littered streets and alleys in the district. Barry and Treadwell had met while students at Fisk University, and they later met again while picketing in front of

370-534: A dozen hostages inside the council chambers on the fifth floor of the District Building. Then-councilman Marion Barry was hit by a stray bullet during the commotion, which left two others dead, including DC Protective Services Police Officer Wesley Cantrell. The press room at the Wilson Building is named in memory of Maurice Williams, a 24-year-old reporter killed during the attack. In 1995, two-thirds of

444-430: A fifth straight budget surplus, but the next year struggled with a $ 110 million deficit. Much of the disparity was caused by Barry's policy of combating unemployment by creating government jobs; the city government's payrolls swelled so greatly that by 1986, nobody in the administration knew exactly how many employees it had. In his first term, Barry had made a point of insisting that any firm wishing to do business with

518-479: A historic neoclassical styled structure on Indiana Avenue, constructed 1822–1849 by George Hadfield . A competition for the design of the new District Building called for "classic design in the manner of the English Renaissance". The Philadelphia firm of Cope and Stewardson won the contract, and construction started in 1904. The building was dedicated on July 4, 1908 by Henry MacFarland , President of

592-451: A local chapter of SNCC. He was deeply involved in coordinating peaceful street demonstrations as well as a boycott to protest bus fare increases. Barry organized rides to work for those who needed them. The boycott cost the bus line thousands of dollars, and Barry proved his ability to organize. He also served as the leader of the Free D.C. Movement, strongly supporting increased home rule , as

666-659: A locally elected Mayor of the District of Columbia and Council of the District of Columbia who maintain their offices within the Wilson Building. The D.C. Council chamber, committee rooms, and legislative staff offices are also in the building. In October 2006, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities opened the City Hall Arts Collection. Art pieces from a diverse group of D.C.-area artists are on public display throughout

740-466: A middle name because it was the only one that I knew and liked." In 1958, at LeMoyne-Owens, he criticized a college trustee for remarks he felt were demeaning to African Americans, for which he was nearly expelled. While a senior and the president of the NAACP chapter, Barry heard of Walter Chandler—the only white member on LeMoyne-Owen's board of trustees—making comments that black people should be treated as

814-676: A native of the United States Virgin Islands . He was implicated in a drug investigation involving Barry and a room at Washington's Ramada Inn in December 1988. On January 18, 1990, Barry was arrested with a former girlfriend, Hazel Diane "Rasheeda" Moore, in a sting operation at the Vista International Hotel by the FBI and D.C. police for crack cocaine use and possession. Moore was an FBI informant when she invited Barry to

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888-462: A time reserved for whites, because they wanted to see the science exhibit. When they were close to the exhibit, a policeman stopped them and asked them to leave. Barry and his friends left without protest. At that time, Barry did not know much about his race, or why they were treated poorly, but he resented the incident. Barry became more active in the NAACP chapter at LeMoyne-Owens, serving as president. It

962-455: A winter blizzard struck Washington in January 1987; city crews were accused of badly mishandling the road clearing, adversely affecting local businesses. In 1987, crack use exploded in the city, as did territorial wars among drug dealers; in 1988 there were 369 homicides in the District of Columbia, the most ever in the city. That record was broken when the next year had 434 homicides, and it

1036-432: Is sometimes said that his ardent support of the civil rights movement earned him the nickname "Shep", in reference to Soviet politician Dmitri Shepilov , and then Barry began using Shepilov as his middle name. But Barry stated in his autobiography that he chose the name with regard to his middle initial S, which had initially stood for nothing, after having found Shepilov's name in newspapers: "I had picked out 'Shepilov' as

1110-626: The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) the recognized Democratic party of Mississippi in the 1964 Democratic National Convention . In a protest of their continuing disenfranchisement, African Americans had organized this party to prove that blacks wanted to vote and conducted a trial election. Barry slept on the boardwalk in Atlantic City the night after speaking to the New Jersey Legislature . After he left

1184-567: The Nashville Student Movement and then serving as the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Barry came to national prominence as mayor of the national capital, the first prominent civil rights activist to become chief executive of a major American city. He gave the presidential nomination speech for Jesse Jackson at the 1984 Democratic National Convention . His celebrity

1258-599: The National Register of Historic Places listings in Bryan County, Oklahoma A. K. Wilson Building, Dallas, Oregon, listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Polk County, Oregon Wilson Block (Dallas, Texas) Wilson Building (Dallas, Texas) Wilson Warehouse , Buchanan, Virginia Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

1332-412: The school board , running against the incumbent, Anita L. Allen. Barry said he wanted to steer the school board back to the "issues of education" and away from problems of personalities. Barry defeated Allen, with 58 percent of the vote to Allen's 34 percent. After Barry was seated in 1972, he was unanimously elected as president of the board. He served as board president for two years, reorganizing

1406-451: The "Jesse Jackson law," as it was legislated expressly to keep Jackson out of the mayoral race. As expected, Barry defeated Republican city councilwoman Carol Schwartz fairly handily in the November 4 general election. However, Schwartz managed to win 33 percent of the vote—the first time a Republican had crossed the 30-percent barrier in a general election. For the third time, Barry received

1480-538: The Board of Commissioners . While the building has continuously served as the municipal offices of the District's local government, the United States Department of War housed 200 visiting servicemen there during World War II . In 1977, twelve gunmen took about 150 people hostage at three sites around the District of Columbia. During the crisis, later known as the 1977 Hanafi Siege , two of those gunmen held about

1554-472: The Democratic primary, winning 70 percent of the vote, saying he was "not interested in being mayor", and went on to win the general election easily. Despite his earlier statements to the contrary, observers of Barry's council victory expressed beliefs that he was laying ground for a mayoral run in 1994. Indeed, Barry fulfilled expectations when he formally announced his candidacy for mayor on May 21, 1994, and

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1628-528: The District's entry into the open bond market with Wall Street's highest credit rating, and Barry's nomination speech for Jesse Jackson at the 1984 Democratic Convention. Barry sought a third term as mayor in 1986. By this time, his dominance of city politics was so absolute that he faced only token opposition in the Democratic primary in the form of former school board member Mattie Taylor, whom Barry dispatched rather easily. Barry had expected to face Jesse Jackson , who had been encouraged by colleagues to seek

1702-543: The John A. Wilson Building was a streetcar power station that a fire had destroyed in 1897. With the "Public Building Act" of 1902, the United States Congress authorized $ 550,000 for the purchase of the property and an additional $ 1.5 million (later increased to $ 2 million) for the construction of a new District municipal building. Previously, the D.C. government had been housed in the old District of Columbia City Hall ,

1776-517: The Moon landing by Apollo 11 , Barry criticized him. Barry believed that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deserved a national honor day on his birthday, which Nixon had opposed. Said Barry, "Why should blacks feel elated when we see men eating on the moon when millions of blacks and poor whites don't have enough money to buy food here on earth?" In 1971, Barry announced his candidacy for at-large member of

1850-511: The New York legislature, James Forman asked Barry to go to Washington, D.C. to manage SNCC's office. At the time, over half of the population of the District of Columbia was black; however, the District of Columbia was administered as a special federal district , not as a state, and therefore did not have voting representation in Congress. In 1965, Barry and Evans moved to Washington, D.C., to open

1924-632: The University of Tennessee where he was awarded a graduate fellowship. Despite being located in the South, the University of Tennessee was an integrated educational institution, a new experience for Barry. He began doctoral chemistry studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville , the only African American in the program. He learned that he was prohibited from tutoring white children, and his wife Blantie Evans

1998-520: The Washington Gas Light Company. Barry and Treadwell married in 1972. They separated five years later. Barry was active in the aftermath of the 1968 Washington, D.C., riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis. He organized through Pride Inc. a program of free food distribution for poor black residents whose homes and neighborhoods had been destroyed in

2072-628: The Wilson Building was leased to the federal government for a period of 20 years due to the district's inability to pay for needed repairs; during that time, the district paid approximately $ 8 million per year to the General Services Administration to lease back the space. The district government was able to regain use of the entire building after the United States Congress approved funds for major renovations. The offices of Mayor Anthony Williams and DC Council were temporarily relocated to One Judiciary Square . The District Building

2146-456: The appointment of Barbara Sizemore as the district's superintendent, making of the District of Columbia the country's first major urban area with a woman as School Board Superintendent. When the Senate held up annual payments to the district because of debate over whether the federal government should continue to pay for holding the district's partisan elections, Barry called for public hearings on

2220-425: The black paperboys on a trip. After the paper offered the black paperboys a chance to go to St. Louis , Missouri, on a trip, because it was not a segregated city, Barry resumed his paper route. Barry attended LeMoyne–Owen College , in Memphis, graduating in 1958. In his junior year, the racial injustices he had seen started to come together. He and his friends went to a segregated fairground in Memphis, and went at

2294-668: The building. Works include a glass casting by Michael Janis of the Washington Glass School ; paintings by Felrath Hines (former chief conservator of the Hirshhorn Museum ), Sylvia Snowden , and Mark Cameron Boyd; photographs by Alexandra Silverthorne , Harlee Little, and Max Hirshfeld; and sculpture by Jae Ko . The portrait of John A. Wilson on display at the main entrance is by renowned portrait painter Simmie Knox . Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr. ; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014)

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2368-538: The city government was "unworkable" in its present state and lobbied Congress to take over the areas of its operation that were analogous to typical state government functions. Wall Street , which Barry had convinced just after his election to continue investing in municipal bonds, reduced the city's credit rating to "junk status." Instead of implementing Barry's proposals, the newly Republican Congress (who had come to power on promises of decreasing federal spending) placed several city operations into receivership and created

2442-400: The city have minority partners, and shepherding legislation requiring 35% of all contracts to go to minority-owned firms. The policy was modified in his second term such that the administration gave contracts to Barry's political connections and high-end campaign contributors to the tune of $ 856 million. The city did not exercise sufficient oversight. The cost of services such as heating oil for

2516-446: The city's nightclubs and red-light district. In 1983, Barry's ex-wife, Mary Treadwell, was convicted of fraudulently using federal funds given to Pride, Inc., a group that helped local youth find employment. In 1984, Barry's one-time lover Karen Johnson was convicted of cocaine possession and contempt of court for refusing to testify to a grand jury about Barry's drug use. Barry's second four years in office had some high points, including

2590-471: The cocaine belonged to the government informant. The criminal trial ended in August 1990 with a conviction for only one possession incident, which had occurred in November 1989, and an acquittal on another. The jury deadlocked on the remaining charges. Six or seven jurors (of whom two were white and the rest black) believed that the evidence against Barry was overwhelming and that he had displayed "arrogance" during

2664-492: The day as he was arriving to work as late as lunchtime, and nodding off to sleep at his desk. His ability to function as mayor had become so impaired that even his closest associates urged him not to run again. They tried to create an endowed professorship for him at the University of the District of Columbia . In the wake of Barry's inattention, the city declined badly. Barry was watching Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena, California when

2738-421: The district's first mayor, fell out of political favor. In the Democratic primary, the real contest in the heavily Democratic, black-majority city, Barry ran with the campaign slogan "Take a Stand" and the promise to improve the "bumbling and bungling" District of Columbia administration. He won the Democratic primary election against his main rivals Mayor Washington and council chairman Sterling Tucker . The vote

2812-482: The endorsement of The Washington Post but "with far greater reservations and misgivings" than at any time in the past. By this time, Barry was openly suffering from the effects of longstanding addictions to cocaine and alcohol; he would later admit that he lost control of his drug habit soon after being sworn in for a third term. His public appearances were marked by his glassy eyes and slurred speech. His aides began scheduling all of his daily events later and later in

2886-489: The ensuing trial, Barry decided in June 1990 not to seek re-election as mayor. After his arrest and through his trial, Barry continued as mayor. He even ran as an independent for an at-large seat on the council against 74-year-old incumbent Hilda Mason . Mason, a former ally who had helped Barry recuperate after the 1977 shooting, took the challenge personally, saying, "I do feel very disappointed in my grandson Marion Barry." Mason

2960-465: The first Barry administration as "methodical, competent, and intellectually superior." However, unemployment rose dramatically during Barry's first administration, as did crime rates, in part because many of his layoffs were centered in the police department (1,500 terminations by 1981). His campaign promise to "take the boards off" public housing— i.e. , to rehabilitate dilapidated and condemned public housing units—was slow in fulfillment. The city's debt

3034-448: The hotel room and insisted that he smoke freebase cocaine before they had sex, while agents in another room watched on camera, waiting for Barry to accept her offer. During the videotaped arrest, Barry says of Moore, "Bitch set me up ... I shouldn't have come up here ... goddamn bitch". Barry was charged with three felony counts of perjury, 10 counts of drug possession, and one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to possess cocaine, even though

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3108-416: The matter. He also commented, "Since it is a known fact that the majority makeup of an elected government will be black, the conferees' agreement indicates to me that some members of Congress are saying that black people cannot be fiscally responsible, and therefore, have to have a predominantly white Congress overseeing how our monies are spent." Upon establishment of Washington's home rule in 1974, Barry

3182-405: The mayoralty, and who had been relatively popular in stark contrast to Barry's declining reputation. Barry, who knew that most of Jackson's income came from delivering speeches, used his political clout to arbitrarily disqualify Jackson by getting a law passed that said anyone who made more than a certain amount in honoraria was ineligible to run for D.C. office. Council members jokingly called this

3256-486: The members of the SNCC accordingly. Barry began doctoral studies at the University of Kansas , but soon quit the program. He contemplated law school to help with his activism, but decided against it, because the delayed admission would mean that he would have to take a year off from school. Had he taken a year off, there was a chance of his being drafted into the military, and he did not want to be drafted. He decided to go to

3330-501: The nation, carried front-page headlines in newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe . An oft-repeated Barry quote came in the aftermath of his victory in the Democratic primary election, in which he counseled those voters who opposed his mayoral campaign to "get over it." Though facing a credible challenge from Republican councilmember Carol Schwartz, who received the endorsement of The Washington Post , Barry

3404-424: The primary election held September 14, 1982, Barry won with over 58% of the vote. He won 82% of the vote in the November 11 general election against Republican candidate E. Brooke Lee. Barry's second term was more troublesome than his first. Though Washington experienced a massive real estate boom that helped alleviate the city's fiscal problems for a time, government spending skyrocketed; the administration posted

3478-601: The public schools inflated 40 percent, without any guarantee that the goods and services were being provided. City councilman John A. Wilson commented that "What started out to benefit the minority community at large has meant some politically influential blacks can move out to posh suburbs." Several of his associates were indicted for financial malfeasance, including former administration officials Ivanhoe Donaldson and Alphonse G. Hill. Barry began to be plagued by rumors and press reports of womanizing and of alcohol and drug abuse; in particular, stories abounded of his cocaine use in

3552-527: The rioting. Barry convinced the Giant Food supermarket chain to donate food, and he spent a week driving trucks and delivering food throughout the city's housing projects. He also became a board member of the city's Economic Development Committee, helping to route federal funds and venture capital to black-owned businesses that were struggling to recover from the riots. When President Richard Nixon declared July 21, 1969, National Day of Participation in honor of

3626-486: The sanitation department. Barry also instituted his signature summer jobs program, in which summer employment was made available to every school-age resident. At the same time, Barry straightened the city's chaotic finances and attacked the deficit by introducing spending controls and laying off ten percent of the city's workforce. Each year of his first term saw a budget surplus of at least US$ 13 million. District of Columbia political reporter Jonetta Rose Barras characterized

3700-441: The school system's finances and building consensus on the board. In response to the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly , Barry quickly formed a protest group named Blacks Against Narcotics and Genocide (BANG). Barry said the film was harmful to black youth, and that it glorified drug abuse. BANG called for a boycott of the film. Barry advocated for a larger budget for education and raises for teachers. Barry also supported

3774-467: The similarity to the 1990 incident. Barry denied any similarity, stating: "Unless he was entrapped by the government, it's not similar." Barry was released from prison in 1992, and two months later filed papers to run for the Ward 8 city council seat in that year's election. Barry ran under the slogan "He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for D.C." He defeated the four-term incumbent, Wilhelmina Rolark , in

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3848-460: The statue of Alexander Robey Shepherd , Governor of the District of Columbia from 1873 to 1874, was restored to its original location in front of the Wilson Building at the northwest corner. It had been removed in 1979 during the first year of Mayor Marion Barry 's administration. Following the District of Columbia Home Rule Act , the appointed Mayor-Commissioner form of government was replaced by

3922-493: The title Wilson Building . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilson_Building&oldid=1257291981 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages John A. Wilson Building The original site of

3996-421: The trial. Against these, five black jurors were convinced that the prosecution had falsified evidence and testimony as part of a racist conspiracy against Barry, and even disputed factual findings that had not been contested in court. After scolding the jurors for not following his instructions, presiding judge Thomas Penfield Jackson declared a mistrial on the remaining charges. As a result of his arrest and

4070-436: The vote. Barry was sworn into office on January 2, 1995, and was almost immediately confronted with a financial crisis. The budgetary problems of his previous administrations had only increased during Kelly's term, with city officials estimating a fiscal 1996 deficit between $ 700 million and $ 1 billion. In addition, city services remained extremely dysfunctional due to mismanagement. One month into his term, Barry declared that

4144-578: Was a constant problem as well: Barry had recalculated the Washington Administration's claim of a $ 41 million surplus and found that the city was $ 285 million in debt, a long-term accrual that his annual surpluses were unable to surmount by the end of his term. Graft and embezzlement among Barry appointees, such as Employment Services director Ivanhoe Donaldson, began late in Barry's first term, although it would not be discovered for several years. Barry

4218-520: Was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. While in graduate school at Fisk, Barry was arrested several times while participating in the Nashville sit-ins to desegregate lunch counters and other Civil Rights Movement events. After graduating from Fisk, Barry continued to work in the Civil Rights Movement, focusing on the elimination of the racial segregation of bus passengers. In 1960, Barry

4292-475: Was a paperboy in Memphis. The paper he worked for organized a contest in which any boys who gained 15 new customers could win a trip to New Orleans . Barry and a couple of the other black paperboys reached the quota of 15 new customers yet were not allowed to go on the trip to New Orleans, a segregated city. The paper said it could not afford to hire two buses to satisfy Mississippi's segregation rules. Barry decided to boycott his paper route until they agreed to send

4366-497: Was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democrat , Barry had served three tenures on the Council of the District of Columbia , representing as an at-large member from 1975 to 1979, in Ward 8 from 1993 to 1995, and again from 2005 to 2014. In the 1960s, he was involved in the civil rights movement , first as a member of

4440-531: Was born in rural Itta Bena, Mississippi , the third child of Mattie Cummings and Marion Barry. His father died when he was four years old, and a year later his mother moved the family to Memphis, Tennessee , where her employment prospects were better. His mother married David Cummings, a butcher, and together they raised eight children. Growing up on Latham Street near South Parkway , Marion Barry attended Florida Elementary and graduated from Booker T. Washington High . The first time Barry noticed racial issues

4514-608: Was broken again in 1990 with 474 homicides, making the District of Columbia's murder rate the highest in the nation. The District of Columbia government's employment and deficits grew as city services suffered; in particular, there were frequent press reports of deaths occurring because police lacked cars to get to crime scenes, and EMS services responded slowly or went to the wrong address. By late 1989, federal officials had been investigating Barry on suspicion of illegal drug possession and use; that fall, they prosecuted several of Barry's associates for cocaine use, including Charles Lewis,

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4588-753: Was designed in the American Beaux Arts classical revival style and takes up the entire block between 14th and 13 1/2th Streets NW, south of Pennsylvania Avenue across from Freedom Plaza . The base of the building is made of grey granite from Maine, while the upper four stories are constructed of white marble from New York . The main entrance to the building features an eagle with outstretched wings surrounded by two sculptures representing "Justice" and "Law." The fifth (attic) story features alternating male and female sculptures of heroic figures that represent: sculpture, painting, architecture, music, commerce, engineering, agriculture, and statesmanship. In January 2005,

4662-520: Was elected again as mayor in 1994, serving from 1995 to 1999. Despite his history of political and legal controversies, Barry was a popular and influential figure in Washington, D.C. The alternative weekly Washington City Paper nicknamed him "Mayor for life", a designation that remained long after Barry left the mayoralty. The Washington Post once stated that "to understand the District of Columbia, one must understand Marion Barry". Marion Barry

4736-521: Was elected an at-large member of Washington's first elected city council . In that position, he served as chair of the District of Columbia Committee on Finance and Revenue. He was re-elected in 1976. While serving on the D.C. City Council , Barry was shot accidentally on March 9, 1977, by radical Hanafi Muslims (a breakaway sect of the Nation of Islam ) when they overran the District Building . Barry

4810-459: Was elected as the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He helped develop an organizing project in McComb, Mississippi . The project was both a voter registration and a direct action endeavor. Barry said he and other activists lived with the local people in order to stay safe, as well as to learn what it was like to live there. They could use that information to organize

4884-459: Was endorsed by a majority of the council members and by Jesse Jackson , who was running for shadow senator . Barry was sentenced to six months in federal prison shortly before the November election, which he lost—the first and only electoral loss of his career—receiving 20 percent of the overall vote, but doing well among the voters of Ward 8. His wife and son moved out of the house later that month. In October 1991, Barry surrendered himself at

4958-403: Was immediately regarded as a serious challenge to the unpopular incumbent mayor, Sharon Pratt Kelly . Despite much opposition, including an abortive effort to recall his 1992 council election, Barry won a three-way Democratic primary contest for mayor with 48% of the vote on September 13, pushing Kelly into last place. The victory, coming after Barry's videotaped crack use and conviction shocked

5032-568: Was not allowed to work at the white school. He quit the program in favor of his new duties at SNCC. In the spring of 1964, he attended a conference in Nashville and became one of the founders of the Southern Student Organizing Committee (SSOC). As head of SNCC, Barry led protests against racial segregation and discrimination. After he left McComb, Barry lobbied the state legislatures to try to convince them to vote to make

5106-452: Was personally touched by a number of "mini-scandals". He had travels with finances he often kept secret. He was first reported to be using cocaine at downtown nightclubs. In 1982, Barry faced re-election against a challenge from fellow Democrat Patricia Roberts Harris , an African-American woman who had served in two cabinet positions under President Jimmy Carter , as well as from council members John L. Ray and Charlene Drew Jarvis . In

5180-452: Was shot near his heart during the two-day 1977 Hanafi Siege in which hostages were held by the terrorists. This was finally defused by the FBI and Muslim ambassadors. Barry recovered from his injury. Having credentials as an activist, legislator, and as a "hero" in a hostage crisis, as well as an early endorsement from The Washington Post , Barry ran for mayor in 1978 after Walter Washington ,

5254-548: Was so close that final tally was in doubt for over two weeks. Ultimately, Barry narrowly won the nomination, with Washington relegated to third place. Barry defeated his Republican opponent Arthur Fletcher and two other minor candidates in a landslide general election in November. He took office in January 1979 as the city's second popularly elected mayor since the restoration of home rule in 1973. Barry's first four years in office were characterized by increased efficiency in city administration and government services, in particular

5328-483: Was transformed into international notoriety in January 1990, when he was videotaped during a sting operation smoking crack cocaine and was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials on drug charges . The arrest and subsequent trial precluded Barry from seeking re-election, and he served six months in a federal prison . After his release, he was elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in 1992. He

5402-406: Was victorious in the general election with 56% to Schwartz's 42% of the vote. Not only was this easily the strongest showing by a Republican mayoral candidate since the restoration of home rule, but it was also the first time since then that a Democratic candidate for mayor had dropped below the 60 percent mark. It would not occur again until Muriel Bowser won the 2014 general election with 54% of

5476-520: Was when he had to walk to school while the white students were assigned a school bus to ride. The schools were segregated, as were public facilities. He had a number of jobs as a child, including picking cotton, delivering and selling newspapers, and bagging groceries. While in high school, Barry worked as a waiter at the American Legion post and, at age 17, earned the rank of Eagle Scout . Marion Barry first began his civil rights activism when he

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