Felix Mitchell

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Felix Mitchell Jr. (1954 - 1986) was a well known drug kingpin from Oakland, California and leader of the notorious "69 Mob" criminal organization, whose empire stretched throughout California and into the midwest. He is credited with creating the country's first large-scale, gang-controlled drug operation.^[1]

[edit] History

Mitchell was raised in poverty in East Oakland's crime ridden 69th Ave San Antonio Villa Housing Projects. After dropping out of high-school, Mitchell created a criminal organization called "69 Mob", connected with a drug supplier, and made business contacts in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Detroit.

For more than a decade, Mitchell battled competition from Mickey Moore’s crime family and the Funktown USA gang to gain total control of the lucrative drug market. It is estimated that Mitchell’s crew brought in nearly $1 million dollars in monthly business. Mitchell used some of his criminal proceeds to give back to the community, and he is credited with sponsoring local athletic programs for youths. He also hosted a busload of children on a field trip to Marine World Africa USA. The community respected him and spoke highly of him. When he drove down the streets of Oakland, people lined the streets just to wave at him, the reception was similar to a visiting dignitary.

The notoriety of Mitchell’s empire soon came to the attention of local and national law enforcement. Mitchell was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to life in prison. He was shipped off to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary where he was fatally stabbed during October 1986, a few months after his arrival, just days before his 32nd birthday. However, Mitchell's imprisonment did not have the crime reducing effects law enforcement had hoped for. In what would later be termed the "Felix Mitchell Paradox", drug sales continued and, with Mitchell's monopolistic pricing eliminated, competition reduced the price of crack cocaine. The main effect of Mitchell's imprisonment was to destabilize the market, lowering drug prices and increasing violence as rival gang members challenged each other for market shares with a consequent rise in drive-by shootings, street homicides and felonious assaults. Indirectly, effective law enforcement followed by incapacitation stimulated serious random violence.^[2]

[edit] Funeral and Notoriety

Mitchell's funeral gained national attention as an example of the impact drugs and drug-culture was having on the country's youth. Thousands of people lined the streets to pay their respects as the funeral procession took one last ride through Mitchell’s old Oakland neighborhood. His body was carried through crowded streets by a horse-drawn carriage trailed by 10 Rolls Royce limousines and was attended by Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton.^[3] According to an interview with Bay Area radio personality Jimmy Guy "I remember his funeral, it was like Martin Luther King had died and that coverage went out all over the country. I didn't want my city to just be known for honoring a drug dealer."

The service was attended by celebrities, and received news coverage internationally. An untold thousands of onlookers lined the streets to pay last respects to the fallen kingpin, or to simply catch a glimpse of the spectacle. The cortege began at Mitchell's home, the San Antonio Villas - better known as the "69 Village," and led all the way to Bethel Baptist Church at San Pablo and Powell Streets in West Oakland. Inside, lavish floral arrangements crowded the alter; one was a five foot dollar sign formed out of silver carnations, another was black and white roses in the shape of a smiling cat. After he had been respectfully eulogized and the coffin closed, Sade's ŒSmooth Operator' played through the church P.A.

Ironically, a few years after his death, Felix Mitchell's criminal convictions were overturned by a federal judge on technicalities. Since this time the legends surrounding Mitchell have only grown in stature: the character Nino Brown from the film New Jack City was based on his story, and he remains the subject of gangsta-rap lyrics nation wide. Second and third hand reports from his memorial service now claim that inside his casket, Mitchell was lying on a bed of crisp thousand dollar bills. Certainly, efforts will be made to downplay his influence on Oakland and ghetto culture abroad, but whatever is said about Felix Mitchell Jr. and his legacy, it is true throughout history that lesser men have been celebrated, and greater ones persecuted.

His legacy has persisted and he is often mentioned in lyrics by well known Bay Area rap artists such as Yukmouth, E-40 and others. Mitchell continues to be an inspiration for youngsters across urban America who see criminal activity as a means of economic improvement.

[edit] Notes

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