The Black Mafia, a Philadelphia-based organized crime syndicate whose small beginnings started from holding up crap games and dealing in the illegal drug business, was formed in September 1968 by,Samuel Christian, who later adopted the name Suleiman Bey under the Nation of Islam, and was at its height of operation until about 1975. Additional founding members included Ronald Harvey, Henry Dabney, Richard "Pork Chops" James, Donald "Donnie" Day, Robert "Bop Daddy" Fairbanks, Walter Hudgins, Robert "Nudie" Mims amongst others.
They gained power in local neighborhoods by intimidating people to prevent anyone from reporting the group's activities to the police. Because of this, police had incredible difficulty taking any action on the gang or any of its members for years after their conception. Members participated in holding up crap games and extorting drug dealers, working as numbers men and illegitimate businessmen. Over the course of their control, the mafia was responsible for over 40 murders and countless other crimes.
Read more about Black Mafia: Overview, History, Structure, Methods, Infamous Crimes -- Many Remain Unsolved, Black Mafia Victims, Junior Black Mafia
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“... white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist society. They are products of their time and place.”
—Shirley Chisholm (b. 1924)