Thelma Wright is an author and inspirational speaker from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. The Black Mafia leadership almost immediately heard in the street what they already suspected, that Williams had engineered the stick-up, using neighborhood gang members, and that Williams had driven the getaway car himself. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. The original members wore gold rings with the "JBM" initials encrusted with diamonds. [1][2] At the time, Hill was ending his stint with the BBC, and starting a 20-year relationship with Thames Television. Janitor shot during the Black Mafia's robbery of the Dubrow furniture store. Law enforcement officials had difficulties prosecuting members of the group, however, because witnesses would rarely cooperate, fearing retaliation, and cases were dropped more often than not. How that can distract them from the goals they set for themselves and veer them off on a path that can take away their freedom. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time. The couple had a child, a son they named Jackiem, in 1982. in 1950. She was Some associates joined voluntarily, hoping to maximize their drug profits. [3], The Black Mafia also had their sights on high-up drug dealers and crime leaders. Wrights background sets her apart from the typical tales of abuse and abandonment. The crazy twists and turns that ended their criminal reigns are as fascinating as they are addictive. Wenzel Tyron. A lot of money," she said. A strict set of written rules were created to govern these meetings, as well. Click or tap pins on the map to learn more. She has been the subject of television documentaries, including Bios Gangsters: Americas Most Evil and the BET+ American Gangster: The Trap Queens series. Thats what I did.. See Photos. Trulli, then investigating an insurance fraud case, was beaten with a lead pipe by Richard "Pork Chops" James apparently at the request of a third party. Coined as Phillys Gangster Queen, Thelma has been featured on the series Gangsters: Americas Most Evil. Milo. I dont know if anything was coming out because I couldnt hear anything . Leonard Patterson was most likely the person who came up with the name JBM and the idea for the rings.". It can be argued that their success drove legitimate black business and capital, such as the numerous successful African American owned banks, medical practices, stores, landlords, and other African American businesses to escape the city as segregation pressures faded. Jeremiah Shabazz owned bakeries and food stores through the first Philadelphia NOI mosque or masjid, which would later be publicly criticized by NOI leadership in Chicago for drawing too much attention to itself as a "gangster" mosque. I was facing the possibility of jail or I could be killed, Thelma said. In addition to drug trafficking, burglary, and armed robbery, the Black Mafia was also engaged in traditional organized crime activities such as extortion, racketeering, prostitution, loansharking, number running and other illegal gambling rackets. For women, we have to be careful because people are always coming at you people are going to try you, Wright says. Empires JaNeika and JaSheika James will write the shows script, as well as serve as co-executive producers. But the story of how Thelma Wright became the Queen of Philly begins about a decade earlier. The Black Mafia used formalized meetings, and legal incorporated nonprofits as cover, and imposed a hierarchy on its members in an attempt to create discipline among members. He was also the man she would later marry, who would become the love of her life and the father of her son. I think I was caught at a vulnerable time with my husbands death and that position being dropped in my lap. Looks like the famed talk show host is not done spilling tea just yet. Obituaries and death notices are paid. I just felt like a woman who had finally come into her own, and I was able to control my own life and do the things that I wanted to do. Control her life, she did -- during her reign, she orchestrated the transport of cocaine and heroin between Philadelphia and Los Angeles by utilizing her late husbands business ties. [2] Recent academic works in criminal justice are filling in the gaps using FBI, court, and police records to substantiate the long association of Shabazz (aka Jeremiah Pugh) with the growth of organized black crime in Philadelphia.[3]. Extortion was ruled out because people did not go along with that anymore. Philadelphia's Black Mafia: A Social and Political History. He had people working for him, so he had to be there to collect. Yes, simply click Add a photo located underneath the main photo of the obituary then upload the photos/videos you wish to share. STORY FILED UNDER:Consulting and Coaching | African American Interest | AP | Black Owned Business | Business | Pennsylvania Business | Philadelphia Business, Mentoring | Thelma Wright Empowerment Program, English to SpanishEnglish to GermanEnglish to FrenchEnglish to ItalianEnglish to PortugueseEnglish to JapaneseEnglish to KoreanEnglish to Chinese. The Benny Hill Show : Diana Darvey feat Benny Hill and Jackie Wright. To strengthen group resources and to broaden the base of distribution, the JBM founders began to recruit friends and associates who already As he slowed to turn, their gaze met and he fixed on her pale green eyes. Tortured and hanged in prison for turning state's evidence against the Black Mafia in the Hanafi murder case. When he was getting high, he could be abusive at times, Wright says. But life in the game was not what she bargained for. Additionally, she conducts speaking engagements across the nation. [9] The leader of the JBM, Aaron Jones, is currently on death row in Pennsylvania. After Jackies death in August of the same year, she continued his supply chain, operating her business cross-country. Would I do it again? Many members were transported to and from meetings while blindfolded by more powerful members to avoid compromising the secrecy of the location. , premiering on June 25th. It was November 1977. She expanded the operations that transported cocaine and heroin between Philadelphia and Los Angeles alongside Auntie and a new boyfriend called D whom she met at a Las Vegas Fight Night. The money was goodvery good. They focused on drugs because loansharking and numbers were not big moneymakers. I had a chance to speak to the woman behind the legend and hear first-hand about her incredible journey. The best part? WebJackie Wright - @azprgal Phoenix, AZ macylanedesigns.com Owner at Macy Lane Designs - an interior design firm. Not wanting anyone to make the same mistakes, Thelma decided to share her story. What began as a loose criminal association quickly evolved into a lucrative drug network, with a total distribution estimated at 100 to 200 kilos of cocaine per month at its peak. The JBM espoused an amalgam of characteristics which purposely emulated LCN and Black Mafia control over organized crime and its fondness for symbols and ceremony. Because of this, police had incredible difficulty taking any action on the gang or any of its members for years after their conception. Shot at 19th & Carpenter Sts. "[3], Wright also appeared on the short-lived 1973 programme Whoops Baghdad starring Frankie Howerd, and had a small role in the musical comedy film Three for All in 1975. One employee was doused with gasoline and set on fire. Shot by Larris "Tank" Frazier over a territorial dispute in the Richard Allen Projects. WebWright died in his home in Belfast in 1989 after a long illness, but his legacy as one of the most famous stooges in British TV will live on for years to come. You're not going to win. Wright wanted to shelter her family from her business, and her parents moved into the house in early 1987. However, if news is cloned/scraped verbatim, then original attribution must be maintained with link back to this page as original syndication source. Resale of this content for commercial purposes is prohibited without a license. She had the support of her parents to help in the raising of her young son and money that her late husband put aside to provide for his education. She regularly tours to speak at high schools and works with juvenile justice services where she stresses education over incarceration. If she can help keep other young people from starting a criminal life, she will have achieved her purpose. Looking back on it now, I did what I did to survive, to take care of myself and my son. 2023 NAACP Image Awards: Get Familiar with Gospel Veteran Erica Campbell. It was three things that happened that were three complete major tragedies and I just felt like I had no other choice but to walk away from that life and to never look back. Leaving behind the drug game felt like an obvious choice for Thelma once the realities of the life were staring her in the face. Thelma tried to convince him to forget the debt and to start a new life in Los Angeles with his family. She didnt solicit, and only did business with people who had previously dealt with her husbandpeople she knew she could trust. [citation needed]. It was really a strange kind of a thing, says Wright. For example, each member upon entry to meetings was required to be searched by authorized members. Jerome Barnes was arrested for Williams murder on August 12, 1969. Afterall, while she had profited from trafficking, she had also lost the people closest to her. For Thelma, writing her book was part of her atonement. Wright herself agrees: I came from a two-parent household and could have done anything, she says. In 1991, she left the game behind to brave a new life for herself and her son and eventually forged a voice for herself as a motivational speaker and mentor to at-risk teens and incarcerated women. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public This list is in chronological order and is likely not complete.[8]. But two weeks later, Auntie and two other associates were found dead in a house on the Eastside, all shot execution-style. It helped, you know, that he was a well dressed, really nice and handsome guy., Wright continued to see Jackie around the neighborhood and eventually agreed to go on a date. Over the course of their control, the Black Mafia was responsible for over 40 murders and countless other crimes. Jackie is related to Sean A Wright and Saletta Wright as well as 3 additional people. Officials have reported that a relative of the late Russell Barnes who frequents Philadelphia and New York, is poised to take control, because of his close ties to Philadelphia's black mafia underworld and his ability to network and organize. If word got out that this guy beat him out of this money then other people would try and take advantage of him. Jackie was in too deep. For example, JBM advisor Michael Youngblood used LCN connections to obtain cocaine and methamphetamine for his drug trafficking operation. JACKIE WRIGHT Jackie J. Wright, age 61, of 1333 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana, 46563, passed away at 3:17 a.m., on Thursday, April 3, 2014, at her home, after losing her battle with a short term bout with cancer. In July 1991, Wright and several of her friends were caught in the crossfire of a gangland shootout at a popular late-night club called Studio West. Shot in a parking lot at 3700 Brown St. in Philadelphia for cheating Tyrone "Fat Ty" Palmer on the Richard "Red Paul" Harris narcotics deal. Get the Starz App and catch up now! We laughed a lot, Wright recalls. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. By far the most well-known act of crime that the Black Mafia carried out, the 1973 Hanafi Muslim massacre was what gained them national media attention. That probe would land the drug investigation on the desk of then-mayor John F. Street, as Dawud Bey complained that the dealers "were out here hustling" while Shamsud-din Ali requested $5,000 to be delivered to Connie Little, former Democratic Ward leader, and John Street's Executive Secretary. 20:07. It looks that way. One associate of the JBM described the roles of the three founders: "Aaron Jones was obsessed with the movie, The Godfather. Additional founding members included Ronald Harvey, Henry Dabney, Richard "Pork Chops" James, Donald "Donnie" Day, Clyde "Apples" Ross, Robert "Bop Daddy" Fairbanks, Craig "Heist" Jones, Walter Hudgins, Robert "Nudie" Mims amongst others. Samuel Christian, (also known as Richard Carter or as Sulieman Bey), formerly a high-ranking member of the Black Mafia, waged an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of the JBM after his release from prison in late 1989. I can't lay down and die, so we just resumed business as normal. He saw himself as being the 'Godfather' and Leonard Patterson as 'Sonny.' , Thelma describes that during this period of their life together, around 1979, Jackie once shot her in the leg, butsimilar to many accounts of domestic abuseher crazy love for him made her stay. Im still in disbelief, the former reality TV star says months after his murder-for-hire conviction. As the wife of Jackie Wright, a top heroin dealer in the city, He graduated from New Castle Chrysler H.S. Members often had a second-in-command for their own operation, to provide for continuity in leadership in case of arrest. With a taste of success and the lure of easy money, Wright quickly took over her husband's trade. The JBM is estimated to have approximately 100 members and about 300 street-level associates. Since 1980, in tandem with the crack epidemic, there has been a steady increase in women being incarcerated in the U.S. Today, the U.S. has thelargest population of women inmatesin the world, and the second largest, Russia, doesnt even come close. in North Philadelphia for cheating James "P.I." When her husband was murdered four years later, Thelma found herself in a position to make a bold move into her husbands role. In addition to using La Cosa Nostra (LCN) as a model for their organization, JBM members and associates have developed a number of links with LCN members and associates. Simply browse the Philadelphias obituaries listing you can find on this page or conduct a search on the web site with your loved ones name. Jackie Wright. I'm a general assignment breaking news reporter. became the Queen of Philly begins about a decade earlier. by Clarence Starks. Its a whole different beast.. For years, she stayed quiet out of the public eye and kept quiet about her past. In addition to Palmer, three women and one of Palmer's bodyguards were killed.[6]. Wright, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher at Frederick Douglass Mastery Charter School, had no idea that the daily mantra she and her 27 third graders recited would take social media by storm. Jacquelyn Wright (Jackie) See Photos. She preferred to cut people off from her network rather than embrace the bloodthirsty tactics of her counterparts. At the same time the JBM retained its resemblance to the street gangs which provided most members with their first initiation into crime. This crime was so notable that W.E.B. [citation needed]. Jackie was born on June 15, 1952, in South Bend, Indiana, to Jack L. and Joyce (Baker) McFarland. Then they confirmed her worst fear. When her husband was murdered, Wright was faced with a choice: start life over on the straight and narrow, or take over the family business. To do so, Wright says she stuck to the core tenet of Jackies business philosophy: If you brought the violence into the game, you brought heat. JBM members shared considerable knowledge of the clients and the workers of each other's networks. Nope. Now a motivational speaker, Wright formerly led one of the nations largest heroin and cocaine trafficking organizations in the 1980s and early 1990s. We basically were from the same area of south Philly but different sideslike we had what youd call the tracks. One April evening in 1976, as Thelma walked along Broad Street in south Philadelphia, she spotted a dashing man driving a red convertible. Yet shed soon discover that the violence would soon come to her instead. I ended up falling in love with someone who was in the drug trade and it became my life.. The numbers are congruent with Wright's sentimentsshe was making an estimated $400,000 in profit on a monthly basis. A week before her thirtieth birthday, Thelma came back east to visit Jackie. At the time, she felt compelled to continue the life she had been accustomed to living. It was at such a fight in 1987 where Wright met D - a cocaine supplier who would also become her boyfriend. a dominant role on the board, becoming the de facto chairman. Two adults and five children, aged 9 days to 10 years, were murdered. Members participated in holding up crap games, extorting drug dealers, and working as numbers men and illegitimate businessmen. In 1982, the couple had a son named Jackiem and were married the following year. Being Black And Living Abroad In Mexico: Stories from Expats Who Say They Found Peace In An Unexpected Place. When I go around and I speak to people, I'm letting them know that you need to stay away from this game. Then about 10 days later, Wright says, police arrested one of her clients while he was picking up a package at a drop site. I try to give our young women something to think about -- consider your options. She did not come from a disadvantaged background, one of poverty, one of abuse, says former DEA Agent Mike Vigil in the documentary, I came from a two-parent household and could have done anything, she says. He had died from a gunshot wound to the head. Find your friends on Facebook. Officials have reported that a relative of the late Russell Barnes who frequents Philadelphia and New Later on I found out that they could actually smell the decomposing body, she says. Williams' corpse was found in an isolated area near the Naval Base in South Philadelphia. Once widowed and left as the young mother of a toddler son, she discreetly took over his business, running a bi-coastal drug empire, unbeknownst to family and friends around her. Born in Chicago, Illinois to the late James and Irene Cwick, Jackie Jackie Lorraine WRIGHT 11/11/1947 06/15/2018 Jack Lindbergh Wright 04/13/1928 06/03/2018 By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. Looking back, Wright doesnt think she was in her right mind when she agreed to keep Jackies business going after being approached by one of his associates. Philadelphia, PA 19146 Phone: 215-893-4050 Email: Shot to death by Samuel Christian in Atlantic City's Club Harlem for drug related reasons involving both the Harris and Smith murders. She met her husband, Jackie Wright - a drug kingpin, in the City of Brotherly Love in 1977 and found him dead in the same city in 1986. Under the guise of seeking unity and an end to factional violence, Christian sought to exploit both groups financially. On January 18, 1973, the mafia murdered seven Sunni Muslims. 2023 BET Interactive, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Black Entertainment Television LLC. He is best known for being the bald-headed sidekick of Benny Hill on his television programme for fifteen years. [citation needed]. By her own reckoning, Not all that glitters is gold. Promote Your News Dont miss the other articles about. WebJackie C. Wright 75, of Flagler Beach, Florida passed away peacefully at her home with her family by her side on August 27, 2018. the Philadelphia Metro Area), including South Jersey (especially Atlantic City and Camden), Chester, and Wilmington. Stop it. [citation needed] JBM has sought to expand its drug trafficking profits by offering independent narcotic dealers membership in the JBM. The Black Mafia, also known as the Philadelphia Black Mafia (PBM), Black Muslim Mafia and Muslim Mob, was a Philadelphia-based African-American organized crime syndicate. Police would later characterize the homicide as a "Black Mafia execution." Let us help you promote your news to print, broadcast, online and social media. As the JBM began to take shape, the fledgling organization formed a board of commissioners composed of all the original members. The activist became one of the first Black models favored by European and New York designers. It is not a cop fantasy, newspaperman's pipe dream or movie myth. It has expanded and evolved into a powerful crime cartel with chains of command, enforcers, soldiers, financiers, regular business meetings and assigned territories. One April evening in 1976, as Thelma walked along Broad Street in south Philadelphia, she spotted a dashing man driving a red convertible. 35+ years experience helping clients get real media coverage. The reformed drug lord, nicknamed Boss Lady and Queen Pen, wants women to know they possess the power to change their lives. Camden Police Department intelligence files state that James was sent to New York at the orders of Eugene "Bo" Baynes to fulfill a murder contract. The Black Mafia gained power in local neighborhoods by intimidating people to prevent anyone from reporting the group's activities to the police. : Get Familiar with Gospel Veteran Erica Campbell try to give our young something. Base in South Philadelphia on drugs because loansharking and numbers were not big moneymakers would become love! Share her story to prevent anyone from reporting the group 's activities to the head. `` and. Thelma Wright is an author and inspirational speaker from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania AZ! 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