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Herman Wrice (1939–2000) was a renowned community organizer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and inventor of the Wrice Process method of direct action, whereby neighbors directly confront street-level drug dealers in their communities.
In 1988, Herman organized Mantua Against Drugs (MAD). In a white hard-hat, provided by Mayor Wilson Goode, Herman began the demolition of crack houses and led marches against drug dealers who operated freely on street corners in Mantua. He often faced death threats. Once, he fearlessly taunted drug dealers to follow up on their threats while he worked cleaning a street park. He put up "Wanted" posters with pictures of the Dealer of the Week. Herman's methods were adopted by other communities in Philadelphia. His message: "Stand up to them and they’ll leave."
Philadelphia police took notice and began helping Herman. Soon communities saw that the police were there to help get rid of dealers. Herman observed, "Communities thought the police were the enemy — and the dealers loved it."
Wrice died of a heart attack on March 10, 2000.
References
- EAST PALO ALTO: Police hear from famous drug fighter Palo Alto Online. February 18, 1998. Don Kazak. Archived December 17, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- Latty, Yvonne (March 11, 2000). "Mantua Drug Warrior Dies Herman Wrice Stricken In Fla. Before March". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014.
- Lehman, Charles (September 21, 2022). "Herman Wrice's War on Drugs". City Journal. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024.
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