FORMER DRUG DEALER NEEDS TO PROMOTE HIS NEW, LEGITIMATE WAYS

One of the most enduring photos from the drug wars of the late 1980s
was that of Henry Manns.

Smiling, weighed down with gold chains and wads of cash, he looked
like a guy who was pleased with himself; a black man who had grown
obscenely rich by defying an economic system that many believe offer
few legitimate channels for men like him to show off their acumen.

But when it came to defying the justice system, Manns wasn't quite as
lucky.

Whatever acumen he used, or rather wasted, to build a $10
million-a-year crack cocaine distribution empire in Jacksonville did
little for him when he was busted in 1988 at age 25 - and sent to
prison for life. A sentencing technicality and the assistance he
provided in other drug busts helped whittle his sentence to 20 years.

Still, that's an eternity to be out of the reach of gold chains,
foreign cars and all the other perks of criminality.

Last week, in various spots in Northwest Jacksonville and on the
Westside, Manns was posing again. Except this time he was posing on
fliers for a "coming home" party for him at Club Rain.

On one, he is simply clad in a long shirt, sneakers and shin-skimming
pants. On another, he shows a bit more attitude - with a cap worn to
the side, a white undershirt and a gun-pointing hand gesture.

And one gold chain.

This is the Manns to be feared. Not the drug kingpin. For him, there's
no getting his old job back; no golden parachute. The police are
watching too closely. They were probably even mingling with his party
guests last Sunday.

Still, something is terribly wrong when a party for someone like Manns
is billed as a celebration for an entire community. The fact that
Manns still has the power to inspire that kind of a celebration is
scary.

Last week, however, Manns told the Times-Union that he doesn't plan to
go back to that life. Said he's now a landscaper, and plans to open a
business. And like anyone else who serves their time, Manns deserves a
chance to start over.

But you have to wonder: How does a guy like Manns create a new image
for himself if people will still turn out for a party in memory of the
old one? How does he settle into a lifestyle that won't necessarily
make him rich, but will keep him alive and out of prison?

I suspect it won't be easy. But if Manns is sincere about starting
over, the place he ought to begin is with the truth.

First of all, he needs to tell the truth to those who see him as a
maverick who got away with something. He needs to tell them that he
didn't get away with anything; that all the wealth he had came hard.

He had to spend 20 years of his life in prison to pay for the brief
time that he enjoyed that largesse. Many of the cars that his
criminality helped him accumulate are probably are on a junk heap now
- - along with much of his life.

Manns also needs to tell those who would celebrate him that he's no
hero; that whole communities have been poisoned by the crack cocaine
that he once pumped into them, along with the accompanying violence.
Crack addicts not only ruin their own lives, but they make life
miserable for people who can't even enjoy simple niceties like potted
plants on the porch.

And when street-level dealers start warring over territory, people get
killed.

The crack cocaine trade has also turned many black neighborhoods into
virtual wastelands, economically and socially. The police are more of
a presence than jobs or opportunity, and parents who earn meager wages
at two or three jobs constantly battle for the hearts and minds of
children who see them as suckers, and the drug dealers as heroes.

People who feel marginalized in those neighborhoods feel no need to
live by society's rules. Which is why someone like Manns gets greeted
with a celebration instead of outrage.

But Manns should counteract that mentality and give people something
to really celebrate. He should walk away from anyone who sees him as a
hero for his past.

And cling to those who believe he can be a model for redemption.