Growing up as the daughter of a Baltimore City police officer, Joie Leigh was exposed early on in life to a world of awe-inspiring contrast. She developed a great sense of love and unity from her family and the church school she attended and took joy in being of service to others through various outreach programs. In contrast, Joie saw first hand all of the crime and poverty on the streets of Baltimore City. She saw her father, a true servant of the people become frustrated with the rise of corruption in the BCPD and quickly realized that corruption was helping to facilitate the downfall of the city she loved.

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Her decision to follow her dreams in life coupled with a no fear attitude when it came to what she really believed exposed her to a life full of scrutiny. Joie learned quickly how to persevere through the criticism while still maintaining her sense of self as she continued to follow where her soul led. Over time she got to hear the stories of others who have been struggling in the shadows under fear and scrutiny of what society may think and it inspired her to do more for her community.

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Armed with a gift to compassionately communicate and stand her ground, Joie Leigh A.K.A. GI Mary Jane has made a commitment to her community that she will work hard to raise awareness and promote the change of the archaic legislation that has made victims of the people they were written to protect. Joie Leigh launched Platoon 420 in 2019 in order to create a platform that reports the stories of the drug wars from the perspective of the victims.

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