Councilman seeks to rename DC university after Marion Barry
While in office, Barry was arrested while smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting.
D.C. Councilman Vincent Orange introduced a bill that would rename the University of D.C. after former mayor Marion Barry.
Barry also pled guilty to tax evasion after leaving office.
First, it’s not a strip club, it’s a university that could soon bear the name of Marion Barry.
D.C. Councilman Vincent Orange (D) introduced a bill on Tuesday that would rename the only public university in the nation’s capital Marion S. Barry Jr. University of the District of Columbia—or MBUDC for short.
According to NBC Washington, Orange called Barry UDC’s “biggest champion.”
Barry served four terms as D.C.’s mayor. During his tenure, he was arrested at a hotel in D.C. while smoking crack cocaine during an FBI sting in 1990.
Video of the sting features Barry muttering the famous phrase “bitch set me up,” referring to the woman he met at the hotel. The mayor, who was married, had an affair with the woman who worked as an informant for the FBI.
While in office, Barry was questioned about his social nighttime outings, especially as he frequented many adult clubs.
“First, it was not a strip club. It was an erotic club. And, second, what can I say? I’m a night owl,” Barry said when asked about his presence at a sex club.
In 2005, Barry pled guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges as he failed to pay most of his income taxes for five years after he left office in 1999.
Many of Barry’s key administration officials were convicted of financial crimes while he was in office as well.
Barry, also known for his work as a civil rights activist, died November 23, 2014, at 78-years-old.
A representative from Orange’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Campus Reform.
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