n to “ . . . persuade Latin American governments to join the attack on the cocaine cartels.” Barry was forced to relinquish day-to-day duties to city manager Carol Thompson. His trial was covered in detail, by every local media organization and received substantial coverage from the national and international media as well. As more details about the mayor’s drug use became public knowledge, a bitter divide began to occur in the city. Almost entirely divided among racial ethnicity, the jury convicted Barry on only one for the fourteen charges against him. Although many believed the mayor was guilty based on the now infamous videotape and other details brought to light over the trial, many others felt the mayor had been setup by the FBI. On the whole, whites believed he was guilty, and blacks did not.Immediately after the arrest, black leaders publicly stated the skepticism towards the sting operation. As Barry’s political career was put on hold, Jesse Jackson’s name was rumored to be a possible candidate for mayor. Reverend Ernest R. Gibson of Washington’s First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church told Newsweek, “All over this country, there are attempts made to discredit our black leadership. Many people here believe the [federal government] wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble for a misdemeanor arrest for anyone except Mayor Barry. They’ve been trying for so long to get him.”Barry served his six months in federal jail, and quickly returned to District politics. Determine to win back the office he had held for twelve years, Barry would use a seat on the city council to regain attention. Jonetta Rose Barras chronicled Barry’s comeback in her book, “The Last of the Black Emperors: The Hollow Comeback of Marion Barry in the New Age of Black Leaders. Barras writes, “Despite Barry’s abysmal mayoral record of delivering services to the poor, he ...
