In the 1980s, the United States witnessed a scar that shocked many Americans. The scar was the effect that crack cocaine had on Americans in the 1980s. Many Americans believe that the drug is the main cause of many social problems in society. For example, in 2004, New York Senator Charles Schumer said: "Twenty years ago, crack was heading east across the United States like an out-of-control Mack truck, and it hit New York hard because we simply didn't see the warning signs. » (sp). So crack was a serious problem in the 1980s and was also destroying society. Due to the negative impact of crack cocaine, America began creating homeless drug addicts, crack babies, an increase in gang violence, and an increase in burglaries. According to Gary Webb, "the San Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and bloodied Los Angeles street gangs and funneled millions in drug profits into a Latin American guerrilla army” (np). The crack epidemic was therefore no accident; the crack was deliberately shipped for personal gain in war materials. Because of the selfishness of this action, many people in America will suffer serious consequences. The majority of the cocaine was shipped to the infamous crack dealers known as Ricky Ross, Oscar Danilo Blandon, and Norwin Meneses. Ricky Ross was the most beneficial because he was the first man to think of transforming cocaine into the substance today known as crack. “The money Ross paid for the cocaine, according to court records, was then used to buy weapons and equipment for a guerrilla army called the Fuerza Democratica Nicaragense” (Webb np). Therefore, the actions of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force will forever have a lasting effect on Black America... middle of article...... Quoted "crack epidemic". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. WikimediaFoundation Inc., May 2, 2011. Web. May 10, 2011. .Levitt, Steven and Kevin Murphy. “How bad was crack?.” Capital ideas. University of Chicago Booth School of Business, April 12, 2006. Web. May 10, 2011. .Schumer, Charles. New York. Schumer unveils plan to combat Crystal Meth in the Watertown area before the drug becomes a local epidemic. New York: BronzeMouse Conference Management Foundation, 2004. Web. May 10, 2011. Webb, Gary. “Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the Crack Explosion.” San Jose Mercury News. Mercury News, August 18, 1996. Web. May 10 2011. .