Women, Blacks Make Up Majority of Barry Jury

A jury composed primarily of women and blacks was seated Monday in the racially charged cocaine and perjury trial of Mayor Marion Barry, who was arrested after a sting operation in which the FBI allegedly videotaped him smoking crack.

Among the 18 people chosen as jurors and alternates, one said that she believed race played a role in Barry’s prosecution, and another expressed reluctance to judge a fellow human. A third woman said that she opposed all undercover operations but added that she thought Barry “might” have lied to the grand jury.

Opening statements are set for today. The trial is expected to last a month.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered the panel sequestered for the duration of the trial at an undisclosed downtown hotel, where newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts are to be rigorously censored.

In an unusual and unexplained ruling, Jackson has said that he will not designate which six of the 18 prospective jurors will be named alternates until after all evidence is presented and final summary statements are given.

During a brief session Monday morning, attorneys completed exercising their peremptory challenges, which allow each side to dismiss without cause a limited number of the 81 District of Columbia residents called as potential jurors in the case against one of the nation’s most prominent black mayors.

The seven potential jurors dismissed by the prosecution were all black. Of the 12 dismissed by the defense, 10 were white.

In the end, after all the challenges were exhausted, a dozen black women and one black man survived the final cut. Of the five whites on the panel, three are women and two are men.

Many of the prospective jurors questioned for the trial expressed strong opinions about the case, and many more expressed reluctance to serve on the jury. But all said under questioning that they would base their decisions on the evidence put before them.

“I am generally pleased at your willingness, if not enthusiasm, to serve as jurors in this case,” Judge Jackson said.

Barry is charged with 10 counts of cocaine possession, one count of conspiracy and three felony counts of lying to a federal grand jury by denying involvement with drugs.