1968: the Vietnam war … thousands of US soldiers dead, hundreds of thousands wounded, and untold numbers hooked on south-east Asia’s killer product – heroin … One man sees a golden opportunity and vows to make the most of it: Frank Lucas is the man who went around the Mafia by smuggling smack from south-east Asia straight to the streets of Harlem. American Gangster s2e5: Frank Lucas & the Coffin Connection
Lucas says he was grossing up to a million dollars a day. ibid.
‘I’m Mr Frank Lucas – I work for Bumpy Johnson.’ ibid. Frank
Lucas decided to create his own connection in the poppy-growing fields of south-east Asia’s golden triangle. ibid.
‘We came up with this idea about putting it in the coffins.’ ibid. Frank
Soon, Lucas was selling heroin to the Mafia. ibid.
His most famous rival was Leroy Nicky Barnes. ibid.
He is one of the most prolific bank robbers in American history. American Gangster s2e8: Chaz Williams
In 1971 his crew got caught. ibid.
In September of 1975 he was found guilty of armed bank robbery. ibid.
Money laundering, narcotics trafficking and two counts of murder. American Gangster s2e10: Kenneth Supreme McGriff
A criminal career that began two decades earlier on the streets of Queens when McGriff was the leader of a notorious drug crew known as the Supreme Team. ibid.
Crack was coming to town. ibid.
On May 24th 2000 50 Cent was shot 9 times ... He survived. ibid.
November 19 1986 South Bronx: the joint task-force of 27 police officers operating out of the 41st Precinct staged a night-time raid on a Fulton Street apartment building. Inside apartment 1A was Larry Davis, a 22-year-old man suspected of killing 4 South Bronx drugs dealers. American Gangster s3e1: Larry Davis: A Bronx Tale
Larry Davis’s astonishing escape triggered the most intense manhunt in New York’s City's history. ibid.
Bronx: absentee landlords burnt their vacant buildings for the insurance money. ibid.
Crack City Terminator. ibid. newspaper headline
Davis shot six police officers, three of them in the face. ibid.
Police not Davis fired the first shot. ibid.
Barnes and [Guy] Fisher had raked in millions from the drugs trade. American Gangster s3e6: Guy Fisher
Guy Fisher grew up in the Patterson Projects. ibid.
The money came from selling drugs in Harlem. ibid.
In 1977 Barnes posed for a New York Times magazine cover as Mister Untouchable. For the Feds that was the last straw. ibid.
Guy Fisher would make his mark on the streets. ibid.
Barnes began feeding information about the Council and Guy Fisher to the Feds. ibid.
‘He’s a revolution, he’s an innovator’ … ‘He taught us to be soldiers’ … ‘He represented defiance’ … ‘Five heavily armed gunmen came out shooting and two cops were killed.’ American Gangster s3e10: Mutulu Shakur
When the smoke cleared three officers lay dead, four robbers were in custody, and several more were on the run including the man officials believed was the mastermind behind it all: Mutulu Shakur. ibid.
His stepson who would grow up to become a rap legend: Tupac Shakur. ibid.
The Republic of New Africa – whose goal was to create a black nation within the United States. ibid.
A raid on a New Jersey prison to free a well-known activist – Assata Shakur. ibid.
Mister Untouchable: This Is Nicky Barnes. The Police Say He May Be Harlem’s Biggest Drug Dealer. But Can They Prove It? New York Times magazine front cover 5th June 1977
He [Barnes] takes a real pride in the fact that his heroin was the cheapest out there and the best quality as well. What Nicky Barnes is doing is creating a slew of addicts. Tom Folsom, author Mr Untouchable
Bumpy Ellsworth Johnson – the only gangster, only true gangster, ever been through Harlem. Frank Lucas
Look, I bought Harlem. I owned Harlem. I ran Harlem. Frank Lucas
Harlem in the 1970s: an urban war-zone with heroin pushers and junkies on nearly every corner. A world where street gangs control the distribution of drugs and kill in the name of commerce. Ruling these streets were two gangsters who rose from poverty and made a fortune by feeding Harlem’s drug habit … Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes. Gangland s1e1: American Gangster, History 2007
Their undoing would come from within. ibid.
To Lucas, Bumpy Johnson became a mentor. ibid.
Atkinson arranged for the heroin to be placed secretly in the coffins of dead GIs. ibid.
Open-air heroin markets flourished. ibid.
The Council was comprised of seven members; all were black Muslims. ibid.
They [Lucas & Barnes] shared their wealth with the very communities they were preying on. ibid.
Addicts found themselves overdosing on Frank’s product. ibid.
Many New York police officers were on the take. ibid.
‘When they fear you, now you got the power.’ ibid. Barnes
On the surface the New York City Latin Kings were a family. Beneath that was a violent gang that turned the city into a war zone. Their reign of terror spread inwards. Behind the scenes one criminal mastermind pulled the strings. Getting out was not an option. Gangland s1e6: Kings of New York
Throughout history the streets of New York City have been home to some of the most toughest and violent gangs in the world. ibid.
At around 5,000 strong it’s numbers surprised even the police. The gang calls itself The Nation, and adopted the battle cry of Amor de Rey, Spanish for King’s Love. ibid.
They openly taunt rival gangs. ibid.
The King’s sister gang – the Latin Queens. ibid.
Kingism: The Book of Life. ibid.
King Blood ran the gang with an iron fist. ibid.
All members are expected to carry out missions. ibid.
At ten years old King Bulldog already knew what was necessary. He soon graduated from beating with his fists to killing. ibid.
The colours black, gold and red. ibid.
The judge sentenced King Blood to Life in prison without the possibility of parole. The first forty-five years were to be served in solitary confinement. ibid.
King Tone loved the spotlight, and used the media to change public perception of the nation [ABC Nightline]. ibid.
Otherwise it was gang business as usual. ibid.
He was sentenced to twelve years in prison. ibid.
Without a leader once more at each other’s throats. ibid.
A city suddenly plagued by random violence. The police struggle to make sense of the attacks. The Bloods: one of the most vicious gangs on the East Coast of America. Inside this bloody world gang members are bound by a bloody oath. Gangland s1e12: Blood Oath, History 2008
New York City in the late 1990s. An unknown group had unleashed a reign of terror on the streets. ibid.
The UBN was an east-coast incarnation of the west coast Bloods. ibid.
The east coast Bloods are made up of many smaller groups known as Sets. ibid.
Instead of a beat, some female recruits choose a different initiation ritual known as being sexed-in. ibid.
Food = Target of Violence. ibid.
Their trademark weapon is deadly. They don’t shoot their victims, they butcher them. There are the Trinitarios, one of New York’s most lethal and fastest rising gangs. Gangland s5e3: Machete Slaughter, History 2009
Their goal is to dominate America’s largest city. ibid.
The Trinitarios unleashed a crime wave that ran through Washington Heights into the Bronx and Brooklyn. ibid.
The gang began smuggling from the Dominican Republic. ibid.
They attacked their rivals with machetes. ibid.