'MR. CRACK' DELIVERS A MESSAGE

There are a few things I can usually count on.

I know I'm always going to have to stop for a red light when I'm in a
hurry. And I'm going to get a lump in my throat at the end of "Forrest Gump."

I can also expect a phone call from James Brown at least once a week.

Yep, it ranks right up there with death and taxes. JB must have my number
on his speed dial.

For the record, pardon the pun, I'm not talking about the "Godfather of
Soul," who was born in either Macon or Barnwell, S.C., depending on which
version of the story you believe.

Still, this James Brown, of Macon, will be performing on stage in front of
several hundred young people at the second annual Summer Anti-Drug Festival
at Central City Park later this week.

I really don't mind James calling me. I appreciate his enthusiasm for what
he does. And his message is one that can never be emphasized enough.

"It's sad to see just how little these kids really know about the dangers
of drugs," he said. "Children are our future. If we turn a blind eye, we
won't have a future."

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly two-thirds of all
young people will experiment with drugs before they finish high school.

So James is out there in the trenches, trying to reach as many of them as
he can.

It was some street poetry James wrote called "Mr. Crack" that first led me
to tell his story three years ago. (He's been calling me ever since.)

He was one of 18 acts I saw perform during a talent show at the Douglass
Theater in September 2002. He delivered a powerful on-stage soliloquy about
crack cocaine.

His business is called Best Expression Production, and the company motto
is: "No job is too big or too small. We write it all."

Never has his writing been as important as the 304 words he penned for "Mr.
Crack." They have served as his calling card.

He certainly should have a captive audience Friday at the park. He expects
as many as 1,500 children (ages 6 to 14) to attend from the recreation
department's summer programs and local children's homes. He hopes to
attract and hold their attention with free food and entertainment from 11
a.m. to 3 p.m.

It's all part of a mobile D.I.P. (Drug Intervention Program) that includes
plans for a camp next month. Although there are other anti-drug programs
hard at work in the community, he believes you can never have too many. He
still is working to get donations and sponsors because, he admitted, "we're
on a shoestring budget."

It's also important to reach these young people during the summer, when
they are out of school and usually have way too much time on their hands.

"It's the devil's playground," he said.

He said he may eventually turn Mr. Crack into a costumed character,
somewhat of a modern-day Grim Reaper. That ought to get their attention.

"Somebody has got to warn them and save them," he said. "Sometimes you have
to scare them straight. You can't take it lightly."