On January 10; 1966; Klansmen murdered civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer in Forrest County; Mississippi. Despite the FBI’s growing conflict against the Klan; recent civil rights legislation; and progressive court rulings; the Imperial Wizard promised his men: “no jury in Mississippi would convict a white man for killing a nigger.†Yet this murder inspired change. Since the onset of the civil rights movement; local authorities had mitigated federal intervention by using subtle but insidious methods to suppress activism in public arenas. They perpetuated a myth of Forrest County as a bastion of moderation in a state notorious for extremism. To sustain that fiction; officials emphasized that Dahmer’s killers hailed from neighboring Jones County and pursued convictions vigorously. Although the Dahmer case became a watershed in the long struggle for racial justice; it also obscured Forrest County’s brutal racial history.Patricia Michelle Boyett debunks the myth of moderation by exploring the mob lynchings; police brutality; malicious prosecutions; and Klan terrorism that linked Forrest and Jones Counties since their founding. She traces how racial atrocities during World War II and the Cold War inspired local blacks to transform their counties into revolutionary battlefields of the movement. Their electrifying campaigns captured global attention; forced federal intervention; produced landmark trials; and chartered a significant post–civil rights crusade. By examining the interactions of black and white locals; state and federal actors; and visiting activists from settlement to contemporary times; Boyett presents a comprehensive portrait of one of the South’s most tortured and transformative landscapes.
#32075 in Books Ingramcontent 2016-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.89 x .72 x 5.95l; .0 #File Name: 1493026666320 pagesAmerican Pain How a Young Felon and His Ring of Doctors Unleashed America S Deadliest Drug Epidemic
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A look at how the opium epidemic got its startBy Emilio Corsetti IIII was aware that there was an opium epidemic; but I didn't know the specifics of how; when; and where it all started. This book was an eye opener.My ill-informed view of the opium problem was that people who were addicted to pain medication were buying the drugs illegally and duping the system by going to multiple pharmacies to have a prescription filled. I was not aware of the extent to which big pharma has become more like drug kingpins.I had no idea that a pain pill like Oxycontin was essentially legalized heroin. It's easy to see how so many Americans have become addicted. It starts with a prescription for pain medication. Maybe the pain is a result of an injury or surgery. Whatever the cause; the patient becomes dependent on the drugs. From that point on it is a downward spiral that affects all aspects of that person's life.The book American Pain takes readers to the epicenter of the opium epidemic. Two characters right out of Breaking Bad get the ball rolling. Chris George and Derik Nolan are the Walter White and Jesse Pinkman real life counterparts. They start their fledgling enterprise in Florida; a state that had no regulations covering pain clinics. Advertising for doctors on Craigslist; Chris and his cohorts amass a fortune of more than forty million dollars in just over two years.How did they do it? It starts with a clueless state government and a lack of oversight. With no one minding the store; Chris; and his employees are allowed to open multiple pill mills. They cater exclusively to addicts. It's legal drug dealing. Even after Broward County Florida becomes the epicenter of the Opium epidemic and the reality of what is happening becomes apparent; the newly elected Governor; Rick Scott; decides to shut down all efforts to get control over the situation. Too much regulation is his defense. Well; guess what Governor Scott? It was the lack of regulations that made your state responsible for thousands of overdose deaths and countless people turning into drug addicts. Only after pressure from all sides does Scott relent and regulators finally put a stop to the flow of pills.Rather than going after the pill mills; wholesalers; and pharmaceutical industries; the cops and DEA focus on the addicts. They tear families apart by imprisoning addicts whose only crime is purchasing a legal pill outside of a pill mill. Pharmaceutical CEOs meanwhile become millionaires pushing addictive drugs; all the while denying that the drugs are addictive.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. This book is a call for action; READ IT.By Nidia HendersonThis is an extremely important book. If you are interested in the role of profiteering and the fostering of addictions by the pharmaceutical (legal and not) and health care industries; get this book. Living in West Virginia; I am seeing first hand the disaster this has caused; as people of all ages and classes are turned into opiate addicts. They have lost their children; their homes and self worth. They are physically and psychologically shadows of their former selves; while the behavioral health system struggles to deal with the avalanche of addicts.From a public policy perspective; Temple calls for greater controls on the supply of opiates; something that can yet be addressed. Told in a page turning style; this is a sobering look (no pun intended) that is causing many of us to discuss how we can create more effective approaches that limit access while providing treatment to those in need.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Best True Crime Book EverBy Terry CunninghamAmerican Pain is one of the best true crime books I ever read. The Pill Mills in Florida seriously contributed to the opiate epidemic we have in this country. I am from WV and have the highest rate of overdose death in the country.The book is like reading a suspense novel however; it is all true. Temple's research was thorough and his description of the characters made them come alive. He is nominated for an Edgar Award for best true crime and deserves to win.
