I made it a point; that I was going to be at the "Opening Statements" for the trial and I was; along with most of everyone's family members. The Fed's Opening Statement was long and what I remember most about their statement is they said; "There's a big difference in these two men; Mr. Lewis and Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Lewis; although he owns a home in the Oakland hills and probably millions of dollars worth of other real estate property and drives a Rolls Royce; you'll often see Mr. Lewis wearing Levi's. Mr. Lewis; he isn't flamboyant as Mr. Mitchell is; Mr. Mitchell is flashy and always wants to be seen." I thought to myself; "damn; these people sure do be paying attention to things when they have you under surveillance." Their Opening Statement was long and boring to me but; the jurors all seemed to be taking and making notes to what was being said.

On the heels of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party came the heroin and crack cocaine epidemics that stirred up pandemonium in Oakland, California. The streets were under seige by powerful and ruthless drug lords like Big Fee, Mick Mo, Lil D, Hollyrock, and Larry P.When other cities in California were gang banging over colors, the notorious hustlers in the Town ran sophisticated drug rings called Machines that generated millions of dollars. Using murder, mayhem, and mob tactics, these vicious drug lords carried automatic weapons and turned entire neighborhoods into fortresses that law enforcement couldn't penetrate. The residents in the communities were in awe at the spectacle of these young black millionaires parading around in their Bentleys, Rolls Royces, and Ferraries, flaunting jewelry fit for a king and wearing mink coats while still in their teens.Journey into the depths with these black godfathers and enter their territories. Witness their meteoric and oftentimes hostile takeovers of one of the United States most dangerous cities.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Ever since 'Pretty' could remember, his first love was cars. He was raised in East Oakland where Ford Falcons, Cougars, and Mustangs reigned supreme. Nothing was more exciting than seeing these cars riding the infamous Foothill Strip on gold Zeniths and Vogues, with their beat slammin' and the candy paint glistening in the sunlight. Pretty was handed the dope game on a silver platter by his older sister's boyfriend 'Pony, ' the neighborhood Baller. Life was good until Pony got murdered and the streets got real. Pretty, whose real name was Delorean, was forced to step up. All is well until Pretty reaches a fork in the road and has to make a choice between his business and his family, including a newborn daughter, Cleo

"To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is the disgrace." MALCOLM X In Harlem's tumultuous history, there are many tragedies. For those growing up in this part of New York City, a young man known simply as Fritz from West 112th Street became an urban legend in Harlem. In the 1970s, Richard "Fritz" Simmons is introduced to the drug trade, by an associate of the Lucchese crime family, one of the five families of La Cosa Nostra (the Mafia). After negotiating a deal with the Medellín Cartel, Fritz becomes New York's Cocaine Consignment King. The lucrative deal unlocks a lavish lifestyle with more money than Fritz's family and Harlem could've imagined. Now, distributing kilos of cocaine on a kingpin level to many well-known Harlem heavyweights, Fritz employs hundreds throughout the five boroughs of New York City and neighboring states. Fritz further extends his generosity in ways few from the community had ever seen. Fritz reigns supreme for over a decade in the drug game, making millions under the radar of the NYPD and he never got busted. Some look at Fritz as the Keyser Soze of the 80s. The most enigmatic drug dealer of that time. ​ HARLEM HOLIDAY brings her readers the inside scoop after almost three decades of silence, speculation, and secrecy. This biography is the in-depth story of Fritz never before told; the tale of how a lowly street hustler rises to orchestrate a one-man syndicate. It's an account of events, as told by Fritz's family and closest friends, and details gathered from newspaper clippings, magazine articles, court transcripts, and social media. Fritz's truth, joy, and despair are fully disclosed, while circumstances surrounding his death still remain a mystery.

The twelfth-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes is a major figure in European literature. His courtly romances fathered the Arthurian tradition and influenced countless other poets in England as well as on the continent. Yet because of the difficulty of capturing his swift-moving style in translation, English-speaking audiences are largely unfamiliar with the pleasures of reading his poems. Now, for the first time, an experienced translator of medieval verse who is himself a poet provides a translation of Chrétien’s major poem, Yvain, in verse that fully and satisfyingly captures the movement, the sense, and the spirit of the Old French original. Yvain is a courtly romance with a moral tenor; it is ironic and sometimes bawdy; the poetry is crisp and vivid. In addition, the psychological and the socio-historical perceptions of the poem are of profound literary and historical importance, for it evokes the emotions and the values of a flourishing, vibrant medieval past.

Hella Town reveals the profound impact of transportation improvements, systemic racism, and regional competition on Oakland’s built environment. Often overshadowed by San Francisco, its larger and more glamorous twin, Oakland has a fascinating history of its own. From serving as a major transportation hub to forging a dynamic manufacturing sector, by the mid-twentieth century Oakland had become the urban center of the East Bay. Hella Town focuses on how political deals, economic schemes, and technological innovations fueled this emergence but also seeded the city’s postwar struggles. Toward the turn of the millennium, as immigration from Latin America and East Asia increased, Oakland became one of the most diverse cities in the country. The city still grapples with the consequences of uneven class- and race-based development-amid-disruption. How do past decisions about where to locate highways or public transit, urban renewal districts or civic venues, parks or shopping centers, influence how Oaklanders live today? A history of Oakland’s buildings and landscapes, its booms and its busts, provides insight into its current conditions: an influx of new residents and businesses, skyrocketing housing costs, and a lingering chasm between the haves and have-nots.