Black Brothers, Inc. : The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia (Paperback)

~ Sean Patrick Griffin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you're a crime buff, or if you just want something fascinating to read, it's a book you can't refuse." -- bookwormsez

"We know about corruption, but this is beyond corruption. This is just amazing stuff." -- Radio host Dom Giordano on 1210AM, WPHT

"A confident chronicle." -- PHILADELPHIA MAGAZINE

"A great, sprawling epic." -- PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER

"A gripping story." -- PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

"Griffin's reporting is fascinating." -- PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY

"Searing, unrelenting and ruthlessly precise." -- Henry Schipper, producer for Black Entertainment Television's series, 'American Gangster'

Sean Griffin has delivered a richly detailed narrative of the murderous history of Philadelphia's first African-American crime syndicate -- Kitty Caparella - Daily News, Philadelphia

Product Description

In June 2005, a prominent and politically influential Muslim cleric, Imam Shamsud-din Ali, became the latest person convicted in a massive federal corruption probe in Philadelphia. As the revelations emanating from the probe continue, a critically acclaimed author and leading authority on organized crime exposes for the very first time the disturbing contemporary and historical ties between Ali, the city’s notorious Black Mafia, and the sweeping federal probe.

The Black Mafia was one of the bloodiest crime syndicates in modern US history. From its roots in Philadelphia’s ghettos in the 1960’s, it grew from a rabble of street toughs to a disciplined, ruthless organization based on fear and intimidation with links across the Eastern Seaboard. Known in its "legitimate" guise as Black Brothers, Inc., it held regular meetings, appointed investigators, treasurers and enforcers, and controlled drug dealing, loan-sharking, numbers rackets, armed robbery and extortion.

Its ferocious crews of gunmen grew around burly founder Sam Christian, the most feared man on Philly’s streets. They developed close ties with the influential Nation of Islam and soon were executing rivals, extorting bookies connected to the city’s powerful Cosa Nostra crew, and cowing local gangs. The Black Mafia was responsible for over forty killings, the most chilling being the 1973 massacre of two adults and five children in Washington, D.C. Despite the arrests that followed, they continued their rampage, exploiting their ties to prominent lawyers and civil rights leaders. A heavy round of convictions and sentences in the 1980’s shattered their strength – only for the crack-dealing Junior Black Mafia to emerge in their wake.

Researched with scores of interviews and unique access to informant logs, witness statements, wiretaps and secret FBI files, Black Brothers, Inc. is the most detailed account ever of an African-American organized crime mob, and a landmark investigation into the modern urban underworld.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Milo Books; illustrated edition edition (May 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903854369
• ISBN-13: 978-1903854365
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,923 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #26 in	Books > Nonfiction > True Accounts > Organized Crime
  #26 in	Books > History > United States > African Americans
  #35 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Ethnic Studies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uncovers a Major Missing Link in Organized American Crime, December 29, 2005

By	Blackbird (Decatur, GA) - See all my reviews

This is certainly a must-read. Like one poster wrote, Mr. Griffin did a thorough job chronicling events that were (before this book was published) often rumored of and never elaborated on. The Black Mafia/Black Brothers/Black Muslim syndicate had long tentacles extending beyond Philadelphia, but eventually crumbled because of its own ultra-violent behavior.
In so many ways, Philadelphia was the epicenter of Black America during the 1970s, and the book does a great job of exposing a number of historical events. I grew up hearing about the Hanafi massacre, the mysterious beheadings, the life and death of Major Coxson, the prison murder of Bo Price, and the rumors surrounding the Nation of Islam. If anyone is interested, this book is beyond worthy, and deserves a space in your library.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Who knew?, September 27, 2005

By	RAP - See all my reviews

I had no idea any of this happend. It's amazing so much of this was in the public eye and never connected as being related. Seeing '70s celebrities mixing with these guys, sometimes fully knowing who they were and what they were up to was mind blowing. The level of voilence is unbelievable, and the ways they manipulate the sytem and even religion to cover things up will make your head spin. You have to give props to the author for his extensive footnotes and documentation. It's hard to say its not true when you see all that!

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Philadelphia's Black Sopranos, February 4, 2007

By	C. A. Lewis (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gun violence has become so commonplace in today's Philadelphia that it is difficult to remember the days when homicide once shocked us. "Black Brothers, Inc." takes us back to those days, when gangsters presented themselves as community leaders, killing was the exception--not the norm, and murder was purposeful.

In a story as gripping as "The Sopranos," "Black Brothers, Inc." charts the rise of Philadelphia's Black mafia in the 1960s and its ultimate downfall. These brothers were excellent businessmen, holding regular meetings and carefully negotiating mergers and acquisitions of rival syndicates. They were also ruthless, killing with impunity anyone who might testify in court against them.

This book is a fun read, as Sean Patrick Griffin writes tautly and keeps the story moving. He is also adept at linking all sorts of unlikely bedfellows; he painstakingly documents the ties between the Black mafia and Philadelphia's Temple 12 in the Nation of Islam.

Unfortunately, Griffin's conspiracy theories occasionally get out of hand, and he often implies that all African-Americans involved in politics or business are somehow connected with the criminal elements. What Griffin apparently fails to realize is that Philadelphia is a small town, the black community is a small community, and in the end, only a few degrees separate any two individuals. The notion that all black success in Philadelphia is due to organized crime--or even the more prosaic corruption that regularly surfaces in the City Hall--is simply racism.

For its insights into crime, the book is a good buy; for its analysis of the City's political culture, go elsewhere.