Quiz Phi 3
Black Mafia and Junior Black Mafia
In 1968, Sam Christian and others founded the Black Mafia in Philadelphia, initially called Black Inc., incorporating members of the 20th and Carpenter Streets gang.
They also became the forefathers of the murderous junior Black Mafia,also founded here,in 1986.
However, the roots of the Black Mafia can be traced back into the late 1950s, gaining prominence in the mid-to-late 1960s.
Officially,the Black Mafia (as we will discuss) was started in Philadelphia
Specifically,the Black Mafias root trace back to the point breeze section of South Philadelphia (more on Point Breeze later)
(Cont’d)
Also known as: Philadelphia Black Mafia, Black Muslim Mafia, Muslin Mob, and Black Muslim Mob
It has been noted that many feel the Black mafia started out with noble intentions
They had a primary focus in mind, keep the “black dollar” in their communities and to better them as well.
The very violent Black Mafia, who had crews assigned to drugs, murders, number, and extortions, was likely responsible for roughly 50 deaths from 1968 through the late 1970s.
Later, the Black mafia would develop high-level money making schemes, extorting politicians for some of the windfall of federal funds that went into impoverished areas.
Point breeze is an important backdrop for the rise of the Black Mafia
Point Breeze is in the southern part of Philadelphia, a little bit to the west (between 18th and 25th streets) of Center City.
However,during the mid 1960s,things started to change.
Drug use (mainly heroin at the time), racial tensions, and “white flight” led to many vacant buildings,businesses closing,and the majority of those who remained were African Americans.
All of these things happening so close led to an area ripe for criminal activity.
The early years of the Black mafia are tied to the events that were happening in the USA. We see this with most organized crime groups.
In the early times, the Philadelphia Black Mafia were known for smaller crimes, including holding up craps games.
Robbing those engaging in criminal activity was sort of a safer type of crime with regard to reporting to the police.
Also started dealing drugs during this time frame
Despite being a somewhat loosely built organization, they began to consolidate power in the early 1970s.
One of the main reasons why they became so prominent was their use and enforcement of “no snitching” policies.
More on this later
Another reason why the Black mafia was abke to flourish was because law enforcement agencies were so preoccupied with other criminal organizations.
In that era,the notion of A Black Mafia did not even pass through the minds of police.
In addition, it is said that their attachment to the Nation of Islam helps further their cause and seems justifiable in the eyes of the muslim community to say it was for “the religion” and not for “self interest.”
Therefore, they were never really investigated from the beginning.
During an FBI Investigation that ran from 10/20/70-11/8/73. The following was reported as seen through a FOIA Act application
Black Inc(BI) is an organization composed of 5-75 black male members whose stated objective is to rid South Philadelphia of drugs and maintain safe and clean streets.
However, its leadership is comprised of known hoodlums
Their leadership is part of a larger known organization called the Black Mafia
BI operates mainly in South Philadelphia while BM operates all over Philadelphia
Fruit of Islam
The Fruit og Islam (FOI) was known as the “security and disciplinary wing” of the Nation of Islam (NOI)
Those who were in this group were often young males who were considered to the be the “fruit” of the Nation of Islam, hence the name.
All men registered in the nation of Islam as members are automatically a part og the FOI
All Nation of Islam mosques have a branch of the FOI led by a local captain who is appointed by the local minster.
Introduction(cont’d)
- No snitching
- Essentially, this is threat used against anyone who would cooperate with the criminal justice system
There are analogies drawn to the Blue Wall of Silence and omerta.
It was said that no snitch policies gives more power to criminals, for obvious reasons.
The threat (or even veiled) of violence instills fear in those who normally involve the criminal justice system.
(Cont’d)
Wardell and Velma Green (Wardell was shot for no reason. Velma was short and killed because she was set to give evidence on Russel Barnes, who was allegedly the shooter of her brother, Wardwell)
Robert James (Shot for no known reason)
James Henry “Bubbles
Price (Tortured and hanged in prison for testifying against the Black Mafia in the Hanafi murder case)Louis and Yetta Gruby (testified in Dubrow case)
Barry Kelly (Killed in retaliation for his father’s testimony in a robbery and kidnapping case)
Sam Christian
AKA Suleiman Bey
Was placed in the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List for allegedly killing Major Coxson and Tyrone Palmer
Became Captain in the paramilitary group of the Nation of Islam called the Fruit of Islam
Was the 321st person who was listed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List; it was a suspect in the killing of Tyrone “Fat Ty” Palmer and Major Coxson (more on that later)
For reasons that remain debated, on April 2, 1972, Tyrone (Fat Ty) Palmer was visited by five Black Mafia members while at a Billy Paul concert
Palmer was seated at a stage side table at Atlantic City’s iconic Club Harlem.
The shootout that followed resulted in the deaths of Palmer, his bodyguard, and three women in their company
Police believed Christian was the person who shot Palmer in the face, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Chrisitan avoided capture by fleeing to Chicago and Detroit, only to reappear in one of New Jersey’s most infamous crimes.
Mainly since nobody would testify against him, Christian was never convicted of killing Coxson or Palmer
Ronald Harvey
Here is a picture of Harvey being arrested for his role in the murder of Major Coxson
Major Coxson
Very flamboyant politician from New Jersey
Was also very close friends with Muhammed Ali and they lived close to each other.
Unsuccessfully ran for mayor in Camden in the early 1970s
Was a leader of the Black Mafia in the 1960s to his death in 1973
His real name was Major Benjamin Coxson, he was affectionately known as “the Maj”
On top of being a gangster, he was also active in the civil Rights Movement and an entrepreneur.
Owned a club with Stanley Branche who was another Civil Rights activist in Center City. The club was called Rolls Royce Lounge.
Was known as a conduit between the Black Mafia and the (local) Italian Mafia
During his campaign for mayor, he was quoted as saying, “Most politicians start out as officeholders and wind up getting arrested. I aim to reverse that process.”
Was killed June 8,1973, at his home in Cherry Hill along with his girlfriend, Louise Luby, and her daughter, Lita.
The two main suspects in his murder were Samuel Christian and Ronald Harvey.
It was theorized that the Black Mafia ordered Coxson killed for failing to broker a major heroin deal, but nobody knows for sure.
DubBrow’s Furniture Store
One very infamous incident occurred on January 4th, 1971.
Members of the Philadelphia Black Mafia lead by Robery AKA “Nudie” Sims went to the Dubrow Furniture store in South Philly. The owners of Dubrow had refused to pay “donations” so they went there to send them a message.
Sims and the other members broke into the store in broad daylight and began to trash the place. Employees in the store were pistol whipped, shot and them eventually hogtied
After members of the Black Mafia tied everyone up, they began pouring gasoline all over the plCE AND THE EMPLOYEES and then set everything on fire. The result was onedead with several injured.
The Philadelphia Police Commission, Frank Rizzo, was quoted as saying, “this was the most vicious crime I had ever seen.”
Police are seen here outside the furniture store in
Hanafi Massacre
Perhaps the most notorious event that the Black mafia is known for occured in Washington, DC
Event took place on January 18,1973
7 people were killed and 2 more injured
2 men and one child shot to death
4 children were drowned(ranges in ages from 9 days to 10 years old)
The 9-day old was drowned in a sink with her grandmother being forced to watch
House was bought by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and donated to the Hanafi Muslims
The target of the attack was Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, who was born Ernest Timothy McGhee.
Khaalis also formerly served as Elijah Muhammad’s national secretary in the Chicago national headquarters.
Khaalis had written and sent more than fifty letters claiming that the Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad was "guilty of 'fooling and deceiving people; robbing them of their money, and besides that dooming them to Hell.”
Three defendants were given (maximum) sentence of life:
John Clark, 31 years old;
Theodore Moody, 21 years old, and
William Christian, 29 years old
John Griffin had his conviction set aside with Judge Leonard Braman saying that as a judge and “13th juror,” he “could not fairly say that there was enough
evidence against Mr. Griffin to convict him.”
Griffin was later acquitted for his role in the Massacre (in 1977)
However, Griffin must serve a life prison term for the murder of another defendant in the Hanafi case.
That killing took place in a Philadelphia prison cell in 1974
(1977)
In 1977, hamaas Abdul Khaalis led an attack in washington, D.C. which is referred to as the 1977 Hanafi Siege
He said that the purpose of the siege was to “bring attention to the murders of his wife, two children,
and nine-day old grandchildren, and the shooting of his daughter.”
The siege lasted three days,from March 9-11, 1977
Hamaas Abdul Khaalis led an attack in Washington, D.C. and the killer of Malcom X to
be handed over to them for execution
Maurice Williams, a local reporter was killed and Marion Barry (yes,THAT Marion Barry) was shot and wounded
Eventually, after three tense days of negotiations, the siege ended
Khaalis and the others who were involved in the hostage taking at the two sites where no one was killed were allowed to be charged and then freed on their own recognixance.
12 men in total surrendered
Khaaliz and the 12 were convicted with Khaaliz getting a sentence of 21-120 years for his role.
Khaaliz later died in prison (in 2003)
The man who shot Maurice Williams, Abdul Muzikir, was sentenced 70 years in prison and was released in 2022
Pagans are a one percenter club.
300-400 members
Pennsylvania, New York...
They have been linked to crimes like drug possessions/trafficking, murders
Jacket: arrests
Mandatory meetings/ runs (july 4th and labor day) it is mandatory to wear your uniform and to ride with the group from point A to point B
Pagans and Hells angels have rivalry
Was open to the public , meaning there were many women and children mixed in with the members.
They think it's okay basically if they kill someone it was because it was needed. ( must be willing to die for eachother)
Frederick Dutch “Burhans” responsible for forming the gang.
They created an alliance with sons of saintens
Citizen =non member of club
Jimmy D: In 1979 became Pagans cooker
Nations 4 largest club.
Jimmy D kidnapped 2 main men, shot one of them in front of police.
Sergeants at arms→ enforcer→ soldiers
Prospect = gang member in training
Do or die mentality
Argo-nunya
Colors =club jacket
3 guys sold jimmy d out to kill him and take his drug business
73 pagans were arrested and 2 hells angels
December 16 11:30(final exam)
Notes on Video:
7 people dead, 2 adults and a child shot, 4 children drowned in a bath tub
2 other women shot in the head survived.
Earnest Timothy McGee born in 1922 in indiana
He converted to islam and changed his name to Earnest 2X
In 1951 he joined the nation of islam held these religions till 1957
Then changes his name to Hams Abdul khalis
They tried to recruit kareem abdul-jabbar into their nation
1971 Abdul jabbar purchased a fieldstone mansion in the middle of washington and donated it to Hamas Abdul kalis and the hanafis
The home served as the headquarters of the hanafi movement and by the end of 1972 its membership boasted in the thousands.
Temple number 12 wanted get back for speaking out against the nation
Ron harvey and associate of temple number 12 recruited mosque black mafia memebers and made a trip to DC to do recon on the hanafi house and map out an escape plan
Jan 17 1973
Travelled in 2 cars down I-95 to washington DC
They called Kalis home posing to be Tommy jones top talk about purchasing some of khaleesis writing.
Khalesis daughter and son answered the call and told this tommy jones to stop by between 1:30 and 2pm
At 2pm Mr Tommy jones was at their front door to purchase the writing
She saw two men with their cigarettes she found this weird and told her brother to open the door
He purchased one magazine and when the son went to get change and came back he noticed a third individual
When the son tried to close the door John clark who was pretending to be Tommy jones pulled out a gun
The three men went into the home
8 men entered
They found no money in the house so they close to go with their second plan
They took the son to the prayer room made him go on his knees and shot him 3 times
Basically what was in the previous notes…
Born to be Wild (Book notes)
Born to be Wild
Born to Be Wild was written by Barry Bowe and it centered around a man born Robert Thomas Nauss, Junior.
Nauss was born in Darby, Pa in 1951.
Nauss was a Warlock, starting in the late 1960s. Nauss was known as a quiet and shy youngster
In the early 1970s, Nauss was moving up pretty quickly in the gang
Robert (BOBBY) Naus
As an outlaw biker, Nauss sort of bucked the norm as he was clean-cut looking and (relatively speaking) unassuming and private.
In his late teenage years, Nauss started to date Elizabeth Ann Lande, a slender blonde woman his age.
The Warlocks had a local chapter in the Philadelphia area, formed in 1967.
Their motto was, "one for all and all for one."
There is another group of Warlocks who are predominantly from the South, mainly Florida and Georgia. For this class, we will only be concerned with the Philadelphia gang.
The Warlocks that Nauss belonged to are sometimes called the Philly Warlocks or the Harpy Warlocks (homage to their logo)
Along with the Pagans, they became staples in the tri-state area (NJ, Pa, and Del)
Warlocks are also known for riding motorcycles they altered, to make into choppers.
Their logo is distinctive
Were allies with Hells Angels.
Born to Be Wild
On the evening of Saturday, December 11, 1971, with her parents out of town on a week-long cruise, Liz Lande and two of her girlfriends spent the evening talking and watching television.
At around midnight, Liz received a phone call from her boyfriend, Bobby Nauss, a member of the Warlocks Motorcycle Club. Nauss asked Liz to spend the weekend with him.
Concerned about the late hour and Nauss's bad reputation, Liz's friends tried to talk her out of going to see Nauss
However, this was to no avail. The friends left and they never saw Liz alive again.
Shortly after midnight, on Sunday December 12, 1971, the neighbor across the street from Liz Lande saw her leave the house and get into a loud Gold Toronado.
At the time of the book, Nauss rose to VP of Warlocks Close to 200 Warlocks in 1970s
Robbery, rape, drug offenses, and murder were the crimes Nauss was charged with and convicted of.
The crime itself allegedly started when Lande playfully kicked Nauss while at a friend's house in Folcroft Pa. The friend was also a biker.
Nauss became enraged and with what was likely a drug-fueled response, he choked her until she lost consciousness.
However, some how she came back from death
She locked herself into a bathroom
Nauss pled for her to come out
They made up briefly, then she told him she was leaving him Sent him over the edge again by saying that and then he killed her
Nauss then hung her, leaving no doubt that she was no longer alive.
Several hours later, Nauss asked Bill Standen, a neighbor, to help dispose her
A mutual friend who owned a body shop, John Weir, testified they burned her clothes and purse
They drove to the Williamstown area and buried her in the woods
Liz Lande's body never found
Nauss was known to have been violent toward Liz Lande, striking her early on in their relationship
Nauss was a frequent user and abuser of drugs, often methamphetamine, which often led to his violent nature.
Nauss long maintained his innocence and it took 6 years for him to be convicted.
Nauss was convicted 12/9/1977, almost 6 years to the day from the time Liz disappeared.
Nauss was quoted as saying to his neighbor, Bill Standen, "I killed her, Thung her. Now she won't bother me anymore."
A week after the death, he got a Christmas card from Lande that she mailed before he killed her.
Nauss also allegedly reburied her after he removed her teeth and cut off her hands so she could not be identified.
He was convicted without a body or an eyewitness to the murder Being convicted of murder lacking corpus delicti had never happened before in Pa.
During the trial, experts for the defense testified that Liz Lande was suicidal and in fact took her own life.
Nauss did in fact testify and said that after they made love the night she disappeared, he dropped her off at her home.
Upon getting the verdict, it took close to 2 years to officially sentence Nauss.
After all of his appeals were exhausted, it became clear the Nauss would be spending his entire life behind bars.
However, that was not exactly what happened.
As we will see, Nauss escaped prison, and went on the lam for about 7 years.
Went to Graterford Prison which is a maximum-security prison a little northwest of Philadelphia,
Worked in woodshop and befriended another inmate named Hans
Vorhauer
11/17/83 he and Vorhauer escaped in a wooden cabinet they had built.
The cabinet was built out of a lightweight pine and stained to look like it was heavy oak.
Vorhauer and Nauss had another inmate nail them into the base of the cabinet, hidden from sight.
(Side note: Robert Hart, a supervisor in the prison for the woodshop was questioned about this incident)
Vorhauer was caught because he kept coming back to and staying in the area.
Stored in warehouse and after checking in for the work duty, they went missing.
A "Mr. and Mrs. Thompson" bought the furniture, inside was Nauss and Vorhauer.
The Thompsons were in on the escape, and it is unclear how criminally culpable they were, but prevailing wisdom was they they played a vital role in the escape.
However, the Thompsons have been identified not charged.
After Nauss escaped prison, he remarried and has three children.
He lived in a place called Luna Pier, Michigan which is about an hour south of Detroit.
He was eventually caught on the second running of America's Most Wanted in 1990.
The Nauss (and to a different extent) Vorhauer escapes also led to a rise in forensic sculpting
Living a second life in Michigan, Nauss went by the name Richard Ferrer
There, he led a second life as a law-abiding family man.
Nauss was finally arrested while driving home with his wife and three kids.
Nauss was returned to prison where he is still located today.
Forensic sculpting is an investigation tool used to help show how people may look when they age.
The tool is used often for those who are missing and/or wanted for a crime.
Similar to what we have today in Al with how to predict what someone will look like based on their pattern of growth, sizes, and measurements of their face, head, and neck.