Before
the Chambers Brothers,
there was Young Boys Inc.
Written by Danielle Eliska Lyle
Here's a story BET's American Gangster failed to cover.
Milton David "Butch" Jones operated one of the most impactful drug gangs in America. Soon after Butch's release from jail in 1978, Y.B.I. was birthed in the "heart of Detroit", a city that has struggled since the destruction of the1967 riots. A city deemed as hopeless, especially in the urban communities, was an easy target for a thriving business that made life seem good for the low price of a short-lived high. It wasn't hard to convince people living in poverty to join forces with a corporation that didn't ask you to send in a copy of your resume or come for a second interview. The requirement was that you had to have a ruthless heart and a desire for "brotherhood". For Detroiters in the 1980's, these were the people in their neighborhood.
Communities didn't have a choice whether or not they wanted to be exposed to heroin and cocaine. Many suffered from the results of drug usage and neighborhood sells. If mamma wasn't shooting it, daddy was selling it.
Y.B.I. controlled 80%-90% of heroin sold in Detroit. By 1981, they grossed $50,000 a day. It was only a matter of time before their profits increased to $100,000 a day. That is more than the annual salary of a very well off individual in the 21st century. Y.B.I. was grossing this type of "paper" in the early 80's. Y.B.I. became untouchable because it was ran like a corporation. Detroit's central narcotics adjourned every meeting with "let's get Butch Jones". The narcotics division had invested so many man-hours in attempt to end the reign of Y.B.I. that they had exhausted their funds, resulting in layoffs for many officers. DPD was so determined to overthrow the Y.B.I. organization that central narcotics applied for a federal grant from the United States government in order to conquer Y.B.I. Nancy Reagan's memorable" just say no to drugs" created a wave of mixed feelings across the U.S. Many felt it wasn't that easy to "just say no" because they were faced with growling stomachs, unemployment and poverty. To many, selling drugs was food on the table. But the lifestyle of a drug dealer was just as addictive as the drug they were selling. It had become so bad that newspapers reported nine heroin usage deaths in a 48-hour span. Nancy Reagan heard about the conniving ways of Y.B.I. The straw that broke the camel's back was rumors that Butch Jones and Y.B.I. were selling drugs to children and using them for drug runs -Butch denies both allegations. After Nancy Reagan's visit to Detroit, she sent a task force from Washington, D.C. to shut down Y.B.I. once and for all. Although Butch Jones compares the government's tactics to terminate Y.B.I. to slavery, it is theory he created slavery for his people through organized crime.
"What the fuck was the federal government tryna' arrest me for. I hadn't broken not one federal law. All I was doin' was sellin' ten dollar packs! I hadn't done none of the things that would consist of commitin' a federal crime, but yet I was under investigation. You see, the government does shit like that. They think they can do whatever they want because they're the government. They've been doin' shit like that every since slavery" (Butch Jones, Y.B.I. 46).
Although Nancy Reagan didn't know anything about the hood, many do not criticize the aggressive advances made to take down an untouchable crime organization. People were dying everyday - either mentally or physically. If you dared to speak up against drugs in your neighborhood, you would be silenced. Innocent bystanders were subjected to possible stray bullets from shoot-outs or drive-by's, while the inner city became slaves to Butch Jones and Y.B.I.
Growing up, I recall becoming immune to gunshots, police investigations, yellow tape and chalk lines. Many people didn't know how to be free because of fear or ignorance, so they adapted. Who would join together to break the chains of drugs, gangs, and violence? People were silenced by the threat of violence or the satisfaction of a deadly substance that filled their needles and pipes.
Many consider Butch Jones more than an American gangster, he is said to have been an oppressor.
Milton David "Butch" Jones, 50, is now serving a life sentence with the possibility of the death penalty. His sentence can be reduced to 30 years by fully cooperating with authorities. He will be 80 years old the next time he may be able to truly taste freedom. Unfortunately, Butch fell prey to his own demise. Whether he realizes it or not, he voluntarily chained himself to a modern-day plantation. Butch has always been a slave of his own trade.
REFERENCES:
Canty, Raymond L., Milton Jones, and Julius Justice, The Autobiography of Butch Jones: Y.B.I., H. Publication, Detroit 1996.
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