June 4, 2007
Driver Who Hit 40 People While High Worked for Barry
Someone mentioned it in comments, but now we have confirmation. Tonya Bell, the woman who has been charged with aggravated assault after getting high on crack cocaine and driving her car at a high speed into a crowded street festival in Anacostia, hitting 40 people, had been employed by a temporary staffing agency that placed her in a position as a receptionist for former mayor and D.C. council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8).
A letter released to the press by Barry's chief of staff, Keith Andrew Perry, shows that Barry's office has today terminated its contract with NAI Personnel, located at 1725 K Street, N.W. The letter explains that while Bell was "outside of work," when the incident occurred, Barry's office will be ending their contract with the employment agency because what happened "indicates that [NAI] may not have properly investigated her background prior to placing her in our office."
The seriousness of this incident obviously should not be overshadowed by ironic subtext, but it's sure difficult to completely ignore it. But Barry has done the right thing by terminating his office's contract with NAI -- and it's not tough to imagine other clients of the company following suit.
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According to the website of the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development, NAI Personnel (National Associates, Inc.) provides "Employment Agency and Search Firm Services (Including Background Investigations and Drug Testing for Employment)."
they should end the description with "SIKE!!!!"
Pot, meet Kettle. -- Kettle, this is pot. you two should talk.
At least she didn't jump out of the car and yell "the bitch set me up!" Although according to NBC4 after she was dragged out of it she did light up her crack pipe -
"'I dragged the young lady out of the car. When I dragged her out of the car people were trying to hurt her. They were beating her, they were stomping her in the head, but she didn't feel a thing. She reached to get her pipe, a crack pipe and lit it,' the witness told News4"
A new low for this blog.
Hopefully the dreary nature of this event will mean that it won't be quite the rich fodder for late night mockery that Barry hiring a crackhead would normally amount to.
So let's see.
Illegal to smoke crack. Check.
Illegal to drive under the influence of crack. Check.
Illegal to endanger the life of a minor while under the influence of crack. Check.
Illegal to be employed by the government while actively using crack. Check.
Illegal for police to go in high-speed pursuit of crackhead under the influence. Check.
Kinda running out of things to make illegal here, but I'm sure there's some bold legislation a'brewin in the Council chambers.
Barry is casting moral judgment on agencies that don't catch users and the ones that keep catching him. Which one is it Mr. Mayor for Life? You can't have it both ways, crackhead.
shelley summed it up nicely, hah spelled out the obvious, yes it's been quite a big day for Irony
I wonder if he hooked her up with his dealer?
So this story's got rap music, drugs, and injured minors. How long until Jim Graham closes the Volvo dealership?
I heart Reid.
Although it has to be said, this is a really depressing, horrible story. I'm starting to think the government just needs to declare martial law in DC.
NAI Personnel was caught paying illegally low wages to RFK stadium employees a few years back.
Just goes to show that it's easier for a crackhead to get a temp job in DC than a white woman over a certain age.
Suffice it to say, we chatters at dcist.com pretty much loathe marionberry...
What's not to loathe? He used hate and race to divide and ruin a city. He pandered to the lowest common denominator. Ironically, his policies hurt his own followers the most.
I actually felt sorry for him a year or two back. Seemed like he was just down and out.
But now that he's back with a vengeance, denying funds to the Historical Society folks because he didn't like their take on city history, trying to change rent control laws so the even one English basement would be enough to force you into rent control, and just generally being a pain in the ass....... I'm no longer feeling sorry for him. He's still a prick.
Is it just me or is the local media ignoring an obvious angle to this.
Let me get this straight. A crack addict was working for crack head Marion Barry. And the press just assumes that is just a big ole coincidence. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but shouldn't we be, you know, finding out?
The press seems completely uninterested in the obvious question: was her crack use related to any possible use on Barry's part.
A.W.:
I wonder the same thing. It's like the Post and others are terrified of suggesting such, or even asking the question.
If it'd been any other high ranking official with a crack conviction you're damn straight they'd be asking the question.