Crack addiction is out of control in Brazil. Alford laments the lack of political power for blacks in Brazil. “This nation tries to hide its Blackness ... Blacks are 52 percent of the population but, in a nation where voting is mandatory, Blacks have less than 10 percent of the elected officials. They have no economic base.” He suggests that drug dealing – which disproportionately victimizes black Brazilians – flourishes due to official corruption and complicity by the police and legal communities.
