Felix Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Felix Wayne Mitchell Jr. (August 23, 1954 - August 21, 1986) was a convicted drug lord
from Oakland, California
and leader of the notorious "69 Mob" criminal organization, which operated throughout California and into the midwest. Known as "Felix the Cat" after the cartoon character
, he is credited with creating the country's first large-scale, gang-controlled drug operation.
, and lived in the 69th Ave San Antonio Village housing projects. After dropping out of high school, Mitchell created a criminal organization called "My Other Brother, or 6-9 Mob" a.k.a. "MOB". Connected with L.A. kingpin Tootie Reese, he 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 heroin market. Before 1984-1985 and the widespread practice of free-basing cocaine (the smoking of crack cocaine
), heroin use was more common. It is estimated that Mitchell brought in around $400,000 dollars in weekly business.
Mitchell was targeted by local and national law enforcement. He was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to life in prison at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary where he was fatally stabbed on August 21, 1986, a little more than a year into his sentence.
co-founder Huey P. Newton
. 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."
Rapper Too Short said Felix Mitchell was like Oakland's leader.
The service received news coverage internationally. Onlookers lined the streets to watch the procession. The procession began at Mitchell's former residence, the San Antonio Villas and ended at the Star Bethel Baptist Church at San Pablo
and Powell Streets in Emeryville
. Many civic leaders and citizens were appalled that the services were allowed to take place at all. Proper permits for the event had been filed.
Mitchell's criminal convictions were overturned by a federal judge on technicalities, a few years after his death.
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
from Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and leader of the notorious "69 Mob" criminal organization, which operated throughout California and into the midwest. Known as "Felix the Cat" after the cartoon character
Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent film era. His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combine to make Felix one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history...
, he is credited with creating the country's first large-scale, gang-controlled drug operation.
History
Mitchell was born in East OaklandEast Oakland, Oakland, California
East Oakland is the southeastern portion of Oakland, California, and takes up the largest portion of the city's land area. It stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast...
, and lived in the 69th Ave San Antonio Village housing projects. After dropping out of high school, Mitchell created a criminal organization called "My Other Brother, or 6-9 Mob" a.k.a. "MOB". Connected with L.A. kingpin Tootie Reese, he made business contacts in the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
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 heroin market. Before 1984-1985 and the widespread practice of free-basing cocaine (the smoking of crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
), heroin use was more common. It is estimated that Mitchell brought in around $400,000 dollars in weekly business.
Mitchell was targeted by local and national law enforcement. He was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to life in prison at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary where he was fatally stabbed on August 21, 1986, a little more than a year into his sentence.
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 went through Mitchell’s old Oakland neighborhood. His body was carried through crowded streets by a horse-drawn carriage trailed by 14 Rolls Royce limousines and was attended by Black Panther PartyBlack Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
co-founder Huey P. Newton
Huey P. Newton
Huey Percy Newton was an American political and urban activist who, along with Bobby Seale, co-founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.-Early life:...
. 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."
Rapper Too Short said Felix Mitchell was like Oakland's leader.
The service received news coverage internationally. Onlookers lined the streets to watch the procession. The procession began at Mitchell's former residence, the San Antonio Villas and ended at the Star Bethel Baptist Church at San Pablo
California State Route 123
State Route 123 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Named San Pablo Avenue for virtually its entire length, SR 123 is a major north–south state highway along the flats of the urban East Bay in the U.S. state of California...
and Powell Streets in Emeryville
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
. Many civic leaders and citizens were appalled that the services were allowed to take place at all. Proper permits for the event had been filed.
Mitchell's criminal convictions were overturned by a federal judge on technicalities, a few years after his death.
External links
- http://www.bet.com/shows/american-gangster.htmlMitchell at BETBetBet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
Shows - American Gangster]