White Privilege And The Underground Drug Dealers Of Suburbia

Blogger Tim Wise wrote an article titled “A New Round Of White Denial: Drugs, Race And Reality In The ‘Burbs.” In this article, he tells the story of a major suburban drug ring run by young white teenage youths. Here is an excerpt from his article:

“…the Washington Post brought us yet another story about white suburban youth, who, to the amazement of their parents, friends, and the media, turn out to be stone cold criminals. This time the headlines emanate from “nice neighborhoods,” in Northern Virginia: places where sinister crimes aren’t supposed to happen.”

Image via pixgood.com
Image via pixgood.com

As authorities have discovered, one of the most significant drug operations in the region’s history was being run from this “nice, safe” place. Furthermore, it wasn’t being run by dark skinned street hustlers preying on vulnerable teens and getting them hooked. It was being run by the former soccer-playing little leaguers who this nation grooms to run major corporations, hold political office, or merely identify as normal, all-American boys.

In this particular drama, one of the principal players named (I kid you not) Owen Merton Barber IV stands accused of murdering Daniel Petrole Jr., one of his drug-dealing colleagues at the behest of yet another fellow-dealer, Justin Michael Wolfe. Seem implausible? Surreal even? Thanks to well-worn stereotypes about drug users, dealers, and criminals in general, we’ve come to expect the bad guys to look like them – black and brown people, not those who are white like us. When we have to protect ourselves from folks with names like Owen Merton Barber IV, well, what is the world coming to?

In an article written by Elspeth Reeve, she quotes black former U.S Marshall Matthew Fogg? who says he was discouraged from pursuing drug traffickers in the white suburbs of Washington D.C.

Fogg:

“I personally witnessed racially biased enforcement procedures when I ran a joint [Drug Enforcement Administration] task force… When I requested equal enforcement of upscale suburban areas, I met internal resistance,”

Internal resistance? Now imagine that? Why on earth would law enforcement not want to investigate upscale wealthy white neighborhoods? Law enforcement has tunnel vision regarding drug crime as they focus on minority neighborhoods using their results to justify further focus. It’s not politically smart for either party to focus on where white voters actually live.

In the book Gorilla Convict: The Prison Writings of Seth Ferranti, Seth Ferranti details how he and many of his friends operated a multimillion dollar drug empire right under the nose of law enforcement for years. Here are a few excerpts from his book.

“It wasn’t long before drugs became my whole life. I bought them. I sold them. I lived them. In ’89 I graduated from Robinson High School. It was a blast but it was time to move on. I was still living at home and I’m sure my parents knew what was going on, but not to the full extent. One time I gave my mom twelve grand to hold for me. She was like “Where’d you get this?” I told her I orchestrated a couple of drug deals. “Well you better not do it anymore,” she said. I promised her I wouldn’t. But I was lying because I was already planning on getting the next load, then cashing out and re-upping. I thought I was a businessman, a professional drug dealer. It was like I had a career or something.”

Gorilla Convict: The Prison Writings of Seth Ferranti
Gorilla Convict: The Prison Writings of Seth Ferranti

Notice how his parents did not take his drug dealing very seriously? I mean your kid gives you $12,000 to “hold” for him and admits to being a drug dealer. How does his mom respond to this information? She tells him, “You better not do it anymore,” and takes it no further. I can tell you that my mom would have had a very different reaction if I told her I was selling drugs, one which would have probably involved a visit to the ER.? So many times with criminals you find parents who are in denial.

Another excerpt reminded me of an experience I had when I was a teenager.

“For a while I had this girl Kristi, running drugs with me… We did have some close calls on the road though, such as when a Virginia State Trooper pulled right up behind us on Interstate 81 when we were carrying. “You don’t think he saw the joint, do you?” Kristi asked me.

“I don’t know. Just drive normal,” I told her. “And think of white light. Only white light. It will make us seem innocent.” Kristi put the joint in the ashtray and turned down the car stereo.

“Are you thinking of white light?” I asked as the five-o flicked on his lights. Momentarily we were gripped with panic, but then the cruiser switched lanes and rocketed past us. Kristi laughed as she grabbed the joint, fired it up, and turned up the thumping bass lines of NWA’s “Fuck the Police.” I really loved Kristi, but eventually she dumped me for heroin.”

I remember when I was about 19 helping my friend, who was white,?move to Melbourne, Florida. We made the drive from New Orleans in about 11 hours. About a block or two from the base, my friend ran a red light. I immediately saw lights behind us. My friend wasn’t super happy, and he made his displeasure known to the officer, much to my dismay. As the officer approached the car, my friend shot his upper body out of his window and asked the officer why he pulled us over. I say “asked,” but it was more like he demanded an answer. I was too scared to even breath. I thought for sure we were going to go to jail, catch a beating, or both. But my friend was a young college age white male, who loved American Eagle clothing, and whose dad worked in government. Needless to say, he received a stern lecture, a ticket, and we went on our merry way.

Seth Ferratti was eventually caught by the DEA thanks to one of his clients rolling over on him. However, for years he wasn’t even on their radar. He wound up serving 21 out of a 25-year sentence, mainly because he jumped bail. Reading his story, I couldn’t help but think how many well disciplined white drug?dealers there are out there who are flying just under the radar, not even breaking a sweat when they see a police cruiser behind them. As long as people think of one or two demographics when it comes to drugs in America, I think the white privilege of suburban drug dealers will continue to thrive.