Felix Mitchell
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Felix Wayne Mitchell Jr. (August 23, 1954 - August 21, 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. Known as " Felix The Cat" after the popular cartoon character, he is credited with creating the country's first large-scale, gang-controlled drug operation.[1]
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[edit] History
Mitchell was raised in poverty in East Oakland's 69th Ave San Antonio Village Housing Projects. After dropping out of high-school, Mitchell created a criminal organization called "6-9 Mob", connected with L.A. kingpin Tootie Reese, 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 around $400,000 dollars in weekly 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 on August 21st 1986, a little more than a year into his sentence, 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 heroin. 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. 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 Star Bethel Baptist Church at San Pablo and Powell Streets in West Oakland. Inside, lavish floral arrangements crowded the altar; 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 Smooth Operator' played through the church P.A.
Some civic leaders and a substantial amount of citizens were appalled that the services were allowed to take place at all. All the proper permits were filed, though, and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.
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 and he remains the subject of American gangsta-rap lyrics. His legacy has persisted and he is often mentioned in the music of well known Bay Area rap artists Richie Rich (rapper), Yukmouth, E-40 and others. Mitchell continues to be a respected figure within the criminal underworld.
Felix Mitchell Jr is buried at Rolling Hills Memorial Park in Richmond, CA.
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[edit] Notes
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