and black-NYPD war, 198, 281
and Career Girls Murders, 28, 82
and criminal justice system, 394
and framing of Whitmore, 377
and gangs, 61
institutional, 65, 210, 378
and Knapp Commission hearings, 347–49
New York Times survey of attitudes about, 175
and patriotism, 198
and perceptions of urban crime, 28
and Phillips use of language, 339
and police brutality, 377
and police corruption, 347, 359
in prison, 65, 250
Whitmore case as example of institutional, 210
and Whitmore as symbol of injustice, 378
in Wildwood, 15–17
See also blacks; civil rights movement; March on Washington; race riots; specific person or organization
race riots, 198–201, 202, 203, 220
Rackley, Alex, 286, 296
Ralph (friend of Bin Wahad), 63–64
Ramparts magazine, 205–6, 246
Ratnoff, Teddy, 305–6, 308–12, 339, 369
Ray, James Earl, 217
Red Book, 278, 283
Redwine (Panther member), 300
Regan, Cyril, 10, 49
Reiben, Stanley J.
and Borrero case, 106, 130, 168, 169
and Edmonds case, 110, 138, 139, 140
and Hogan’s refusal to drop charges against Whitmore in Career Girls Murders, 128
Miller’s disagreements with, 167, 170, 192
and NAACP fundraiser for Whitmore, 127
press conference of, 110–11
prison visits with Whitmore of, 106, 112
reputation of, 106
and Robles arrest, 110
takes on Whitmore case, 106
and Whitmore case as civil rights matter, 110–11
Whitmore’s first meeting with, 106
and Whitmore’s testimony in Career Girls Murders trial, 146
Renegades (gang), 60
Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM), 182, 185, 186, 196–98, 213, 243
Riccobono, Xavier, 337
Richards, Eugene, 244
Richardson, Fred, 225, 227
Right On! newspaper, 300, 316
Rikers Island Correctional Facility: Bin Wahad in, 363
Rinaldi, Dominic, 137, 138
Riverside Church (New York City), 5
Roberts, Burton, 337
Roberts, Gene, 271–72
Robeson, Paul, 284
Robles, Richard “Ricky,” 106–10, 111, 112, 135, 141, 146–52, 336, 368, 371
Rockefeller, Nelson, 111, 145, 265–66, 350
Rogers, J. A., 66
Roper, Lee, 282
Rosario material, 361, 387
Rothblatt, Harold, 382
Rush, Bobby, 294
Rutledge, Jimmy, 200–201
Salvia, Damien, 48
Sams, George, 286
San Quentin Prison, 350
Savalas, Telly, 371
Schaap, Dick, 119, 120
Schermerhorn Street Court House (Brooklyn). See Brooklyn Criminal Court
Schmier, Benjamin, 168, 169, 194
Schoenberg Salt Company, 35, 36
Scopetta, Nicholas, 308, 351
Scorpions gang, 60
Seale, Bobby, 185, 205, 206, 214, 286, 296, 297, 350
Seedman, Albert J., 317, 332, 337, 350
September 11, 2001, 394
Serpico, Frank, 280, 281, 308, 345, 347
Seventeenth Precinct (Manhattan), 257, 304. See also specific person
Seventy-third Precinct (Brooklyn)
and arrest of Black Panthers, 239–40
and black–Puerto Rican gang fights, 190
Whitmore at, 36–42, 45–54, 78, 192
Shabazz, Betty, 205
Shakur, Afeni, 236–37, 282, 288, 296, 297, 299
Shakur, Assata. See Chesimard, JoAnne
Shakur, Lumumba, 182, 234, 282, 287, 296, 297, 313
Shakur, Mutulu, 182, 381
Shakur, Zyad, 182, 313, 381
Shapiro, Fred C., 53, 54, 231
Shecter, Leonard, 167, 369
Silvers, Cleo, 235–38, 289
Sing Sing prison
Coleman in, 44
Whitmore in, 111–12, 128, 129, 209, 210–11, 212, 219–20
Slaughter, Doc, 23
Slim Brown (dope peddler), 123
Slugs (Manhattan jazz club), 204
Smith, Jimmy, 257–58, 364–65, 366, 368, 384
Smith, John, 199
Smith, Tommy, 283
Society for the Prevention of Niggers Getting Everything (SPONGE), 173
soda bottles: and Career Girl Murders, 47, 80, 110
South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), 288
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), 113, 134
Special Investigations Unit (SIU), NYPD, 123, 304, 308
Sportsmen Disciples (gang), 60, 180, 225
Squires, Clark, 282
St. Mary’s Housing Project (Bronx), 179, 180
St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Manhattan), 120, 278
Stanford, Maxwell, 186, 196, 213
Stango, Sharon, 364, 365
Stewart, Stanley, 252
stolen car chase (Queens), 338
Straus, R. Peter, 171–72, 191
Street Stories (TV show), 383
Stride Toward Freedom (King), 3
Stronghold LTD., 298
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), 186, 207, 213, 214–15, 243
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), 196
subway system, New York City: “bombing” of, 278
Suicide Frenchmen gang, 189
Supreme Court, New York State
and Panther Twenty-one case, 288
and reopening of Borrero case, 372–73, 374–75
vacating of Whitmore conviction by, 375–76
Whitmore appeal to, 265, 325, 352, 357, 371
Supreme Court, U.S.
Miranda decision of, 170–71
Whitmore appeal to, 265, 352, 357
Tabor, Michael. See Cetewayo
Tactical Patrol Force (TPF), 72–74, 76, 86, 122
Temple University: Black Panthers meeting at, 291–92
Tenney, Charles H., 351
“Third Degree,” 43, 45
Third World Woman’s Alliance, 335
Thirty-fourth Precinct (Manhattan), 268
Thirty-second Precinct (Manhattan), 323
Time magazine, 153
Tolles, Patricia, 7, 8, 10, 78–79
Tolles, Terry, 78–79
Torres, Edwin, 126–27
TPF. See Tactical Patrol Force
Tracy, Richard “Dick,” 355
Treu, Frank, 360, 361, 362
Triple-O social club (Bronx): robbery at, 327–30, 333, 334, 336, 359, 361
truth serum injections, Whitmore’s, 69, 78
Tubman, Harriet, 66
Turner, Nat, 66, 224
Twenty-fifth Precinct (Harlem), 91–93, 222–23, 255–56, 267
United Nations
Black Panthers press conference at, 214
and Cuban-Panthers link, 279
United Nations Commission on Human Rights, 381
United Press International, 350
Universal Studios, 325, 353, 370, 371
University of California, Berkeley: Carmichael speech at, 185
University of Mississippi, 184
urban revolutionary: how to live as, 314, 328, 329
Urban Task Force, 222, 241
Valiant Crowns (gang), 60
Vickers, Robert, 338
Vietnam War, 182, 183, 196, 197, 207, 226, 255, 285, 322
Vietnamese Liberation Army, 322
Vincent, Leon, 370, 373
Viruet, Celeste, 264, 354–57, 371, 372, 375
Wagner, Robert,
76, 111, 119, 266
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (Manhattan): Phillips incident at, 88–89
Wallace, George, 240, 380
Wallace, Mike, 113, 114, 243
Walsh, Robert, 57
Walt Disney School, 129
Warren, Earl, 170–71
Washington, D.C., black protest march on, 206–7. See also March on Washington
WBAI radio station, 175
Weather Underground, 295, 368
Webb, Robert, 299–300, 313, 314, 316, 318
West, Cornel, 388
White, Eddie (window washer suspect), 45, 149–50
“White power,” 198, 240, 279, 303
White, Ralph, 244, 271
white supremacy, 30, 66, 185, 240. See also Ku Klux Klan
Whitmore, Aida Jr. (daughter), 212, 231, 233
Whitmore, Aida (wife), 187–88, 189, 191, 194–95, 212, 231, 233, 261, 275, 276, 352
Whitmore, Birdine (mother), 14–15, 16, 38, 69, 94, 102, 105, 129, 137, 172, 187, 191, 194, 195, 352, 375
Whitmore, George Jr.
Aida’s relationship with, 187–88, 189, 191, 194–95, 212, 231, 233, 261, 275, 276, 352
alibi of, 79, 106, 219
apologies to, 376
arraignment of, 54–57, 59
as assault victim, 188–89
birth of, 14
books about, 210
in Brownsville, 32, 33–34, 188
in car accident, 393
and check-cashing store robbery, 392–93
depression of, 67, 78, 129, 211, 352–53
diary of, 67–68
doubts about guilt of, 79–81
drawing abilities of, 15, 48–49, 128–29
drinking by, 275–76, 277, 392
film about, 325–26, 353, 370–72
financial affairs of, 325, 326, 370, 371, 391, 392–93
fishing business of, 392
as free man, 378
health of, 392
helicopter rides of, 374, 393
as “invisible Negro,” 13
jobs of, 13, 31, 188, 191, 231, 232–34, 275, 276, 325
and Krown robbery, 275–77
lawyers’ belief in innocence of, 167
marriage of, 191
New Jersey arrests of, 276, 392
New York arrest of, 47–48, 79
New York City move of, 31–32
as out on bail, 231
personal and family background of, 14, 15, 16–17, 38, 212, 231, 391
personality of, 13, 37, 211
police interrogation of, 35–43, 45–49, 51, 79, 138, 150–51, 371
and police views about ghettos, 347
portrayal of, 135
and race relations, 16–17, 391–92
realization of difficulties by, 52–53, 56
releases from prison of, 231, 324, 390
return to Brooklyn of, 324
role models for, 17
and shootings of policemen, 324–25
smoking of, 233, 392
as survivor, 393
as symbol of injustice, 144–45, 378
truth serum injections of, 69, 78
views about police of, 17, 40
vision problems of, 13, 49, 112, 276
wine-making by, 152, 212
See also Borrero (Elba) case; Career Girls Murders; Edmonds (Minnie) case
Whitmore, George Sr. (father), 14, 15, 16, 31, 38, 39, 69, 129, 137, 138, 172, 187, 191, 261
Whitmore, Gerald (brother), 14, 15, 31, 34, 35, 36, 54–55, 102, 187, 189, 190–91, 352, 375
Whitmore, Geraldine (sister), 14, 187
Whitmore, Shelley (brother), 14, 31, 96, 187
Whitmore Legal Defense Fund, 112, 127, 128, 167, 172, 191
whorehouse murder case, 364–66, 367–70, 382
Wildwood, New Jersey
police force in, 16–17
race relations in, 15–17
Whitmore in area around, 390–92
and Whitmore on bail, 171, 172–73
Whitmore in, 12–17, 31, 128–29, 187–88, 191–92, 231, 261
Wilkins, Roy, 160, 197, 214
Williams, Gertrude, 156–57, 158
Williams, John Carlos, 283
Williams, Ray H., 110, 112, 127, 135
Williams, Westley, 127, 156–57
window washer suspect (Eddie White) (Career Girls Murders), 45, 149–50
WLIB radio station, 321, 322, 335, 336
WMCA radio station, 172
Woodbury, Gene, 370–71
World Telegram & Sun, 103, 104, 210
World War II, 27, 63, 143, 198
Wylie, Janice
discovery of body of, 7–11
and March on Washington, 25
as Newsweek employee, 12, 25
personal life of, 12, 18, 25, 26
reporting of murder of, 7–8
See also Career Girl Murders
Wylie, Max, 8–9, 10, 25, 26–27, 79
Wylie, Philip, 25
Yale University: Black Panther rally at, 298–99
Young, Whitney M., 197, 214
Zinkand, Martin J., 7–10, 53, 55, 56, 108
Zion, Sidney, 174
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE EMOTIONAL CONTENT of this era in New York City history is still raw for those who lived through it. I owe a special debt of gratitude to those people on both sides of the divide who agreed to dredge up old and sometimes unpleasant or even traumatic memories. Their stories are now part of history. Many people were helpful in leading me to important sources or pieces of information; I am eternally grateful for their assistance.
Special thanks to Thomas Kelly, who first acquainted me with the Wylie-Hoffert murders; Dred-Scott Keyes of WBAI Radio; Jazz Hayden (the Mayor of Harlem); Judith Regan, who remains a supporter; Myron Beldock; Stephen J. Fearon; Dhoruba Bin Wahad; Robert Boyle; Tom Folsom; Bob Leuci; Sonny Grosso; Cleo Silvers; Shermika Williams, who transcribed many tapes; Kate O’Callaghan; Patrick Farrelly; George Whitmore; Judge Edwin Torres; Willie Rashbaum; Sean Gardiner; Graham Rayman; Carl Ginsburg; Joel Millman; Stacy Leigh; Roger Guenveur Smith, who told me Huey P. Newton stories; Chris Napolitano at Playboy; Steven Fishman; Len Levitt; Gerald Lefcourt; Randy Jurgensen; and John M. Murtagh.
Putting this book together required an obsessive attention to detail, which—as always—can be a strain on personal relationships. I would like to thank those friends and family members who helped lighten the load and remained patient over the course of another long journey. Special thanks to Richard Stratton; Sophia Banda, who kept me strong; Ned Sublette, my literary compañero; the barmaids at the Distinguished Wakamba Cocktail Lounge; Tom Caldarola; Suzanne and Chris Damore; Maureen English; Margi English; Mike English; Ed English; Philip Rotter; Dino Malcolm; Gh’ail Rhodes-Benjamin; Sandra Maria English; Peter Quinn; Ashley Davis; Ryan Schafer; Michael Patrick MacDonald; Kevin Corrigan; and Matt Dillon.
My agents, Nat Sobel and Judith Weber, were invaluable in helping to shape this project at all stages of development. Lisa Gallagher, formerly of William Morrow, saw value in the subject matter immediately and was instrumental in getting things off the ground. Cal Morgan, my editor, brought good taste and a sharp eye to the proceedings; he guided The Savage City through the publishing process with a steady hand.
About the Author
T.J. ENGLISH is a noted journalist, screenwriter, and author of the New York Times bestsellers Havana Nocturne and Paddy Whacked , as well as The Westies , a national bestseller, and Born to Kill , which was nominated for an Edgar Award. He has written for Esquire, Playboy , and New York magazine, among other publications. His screenwriting credits include episodes for the television crime dramas NYPD Blue and Homicide , for which he was awarded the Humanitas Prize. He lives in New York City.
www.tj-english.com
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Other Books by T.J. En
glish
Havana Nocturne
Paddy Whacked
Born to Kill
The Westies
Credits
Jacket design by Richard L. Aquan
Jacket photograph by Kim Steele/Getty Images
Copyright
Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint the following:
“The Payback,” words and music by James Brown, Fred Wesley, and John Starks, © 1973 (renewed) Dynatone Publishing Company. All rights administered by Unichappell Music, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc.
THE SAVAGE CITY. Copyright © 2011 by T.J. English. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.