It is truly sad to hear that Marion “Christopher” Barry is in trouble with the law — and that the trouble he’s in is drug-related.
Christopher’s father is Marion Barry, the legendary four-time-mayor of D.C. who, during his third term in office, was caught on videotape using crack cocaine with mistress-turned-informant Rashida Jones. (Yes, you read that right — the people of D.C. voted their beloved mayor in for a fourth term after the proverbial smoke cleared).
Christopher Barry was 10 years old in 1990 when those images of his father’s drug use and extramarital tryst were broadcast into every living room in America. The mayor’s arrest, trial and eventual incarceration in a federal prison remained a hot topic of discussion for months, and everyone, from the office water cooler to the middle school playground, seemed to have an opinion about his fall from grace. The catch phrase “B—h Set Me Up” (words Barry could be heard saying on tape to his arresting officers) made its way onto T-shirts, bumper stickers and coffee mugs.
I can’t begin to imagine the effect all of that had on the heart and mind of 10-year-old Christopher, but if “sins of the father are visited on the son” could ever be applied to a situation — it might be applicable to this one.
On May 28, 2011, police showed up at Christopher Barry’s apartment in response to neighbors’ complaints of yelling and fighting. Christopher refused to let the officers in, and instead escaped through his first-floor apartment window, leaving blood on the floor. Police said they found marijuana and a vial of PCP. Christopher Barry was arrested when he returned to the apartment, and was charged with one count of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. A warrant was issued for his arrest July 12 when he didn’t show up in court to face those charges. The warrant was later rescinded when authorities realized Barry was being drug tested at the time of the hearing.
He is said to be in negotiations with the district attorney for a plea arrangement.
Read more of this story at the Washington Post.
