Yusef Kirriem Hawkins (also spelled as Yusuf Hawkins, March 19, 1973 – August 23, 1989) was a 16-year-old black teenager from the neighborhood of East New York,[1] in the New York Cityborough of Brooklyn, who was shot to death on August 23, 1989, in Bensonhurst, a predominantly Italian-American working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn. Hawkins, his younger brother, and two friends were attacked by a crowd of 10 to 30 white youths, with at least seven of them wielding baseball bats. One, armed with a handgun, shot Hawkins twice in the chest, killing him.[2][3] In 2005, former Gambino crime family member Joseph D'Angelo admitted that the killers were present at his request, meant to serve as protection for his property from an expected racially motivated situation, which instead created the situation.[4]
Al Sharpton leading the first protest march over the murder of Yusef Hawkins in Bensonhurst, 1989.
Hawkins had gone to Bensonhurst that night with his brother and two of their friends to inquire about a used 1982 Pontiac automobile that was for sale. The group's attackers had been lying in wait for black youths that were expected to attend a party at the home of a teenage girl in the neighborhood.[5] Some say the girl had previously dated one of the killers and/or she had invited black youths to her neighborhood to taunt the neighborhood boys.[6] Hawkins and his friends walked onto the ambushers' block unaware that local residents were waiting to attack any group of black youths they saw. After the murder of Hawkins, police said that he had not in any way been involved with the neighborhood girl whom the killers believed Hawkins was dating.[2]
Hawkins' death was the third killing of a black male by white mobs in New York City during the 1980s; the other two victims were Willie Turks, who was killed on June 22, 1982, in Brooklyn, and Michael Griffith, who was killed in Queens on December 20, 1986. The incident uncorked a torrent of racial tension in New York City in the ensuing days and weeks, culminating in a series of protest marches through the neighborhood led by the Reverend Al Sharpton.[7][8]
TrialsEdit
The two teenagers who led the mob that beat and chased Hawkins were tried separately. Joseph Fama, the man who fired the shots that killed Hawkins, was convicted of second-degree murder on May 17, 1990. The other main defendant in the case, Keith Mondello, was acquitted on May 18, 1990, on murder and manslaughter charges, but convicted of 12 lesser charges including riot, menacing, discrimination, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon.[9] The acquittal of Mondello on the most serious charges led to further protest marches through Bensonhurst led by Al Sharpton.[10]
On June 11, 1990, sentences were handed down in the Hawkins case. Nineteen-year-old Fama received a sentence of 32⅓ years to life in prison. Mondello, also 19, received a sentence of 5⅓ to 16 years in prison.[11]
Other members of the gang that chased and beat Hawkins were tried as well. John Vento was convicted of unlawful imprisonment and received a sentence of 2 to 8 years in August 1990 and was released in 1998. A fourth man, Joseph Serrano, was convicted on the charge of unlawfully possessing a weapon and sentenced to 300 hours of community service on January 11, 1991. The acquittal of Vento on a murder charge, and the light sentence handed out to Serrano, sparked more protests by the African-American community in Bensonhurst.
Shortly before that march was set to begin on January 12, 1991, Al Sharpton was stabbed and seriously wounded by Michael Riccardi in a Bensonhurst schoolyard. Sharpton later recovered from his wounds.[12] Riccardi was convicted of first-degree assault and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison, despite a plea for leniency by Sharpton himself, who believed that distorted news coverage of his activities had influenced his attacker.[13]
Keith Mondello was said to be the "instigator and organizer" of the group and served 8 years in prison. In 2005, former Gambino crime family member and mob informer Joseph D'Angelo admitted that the group behind Yusuf's murder was there on his orders to attack any blacks who entered the neighborhood. He also admitted he lied to police and asked a woman who knew many details to not tell police.[14]
Release of MondelloEdit
After serving eight years in the Attica Correctional Facility, Keith Mondello was released on June 2, 1998. On January 22, 1999, Mondello and Hawkins' father, Moses Stewart, met in a NY1 television studio, where Mondello apologized for his role in the killing.[15] Stewart died at the age of 48 in 2003.[16][17] Fama was not eligible for parole until 2022, when he was just over 50 years old.[16]
Memorials and tributesEdit
ArtEdit
As of 2004, a faded mural painted soon after Hawkins' death was still visible on the side of a building on Verona Place in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.[18] It was repainted in August 2011 by street artist Gabriel Specter.[19]
Film/TVEdit
Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever (1991) is dedicated to the memory of Hawkins, and a photo of Hawkins appears at the beginning of the film.
The 1998 film Blind Faith was dedicated to the memory of Hawkins.
The HBO Documentary film Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn which premiered August 12, 2020, directed by Muta'Ali Muhammad, "tells the story of how 16-year-old Yusuf was ... killed on August 23, 1989, by an Italian mob in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, sparking protests and deep racial divide. The film was released on the 30th anniversary of this tragedy and features actual footage and interviews through archival footage to highlight the systemic racism that still exists today."[20]
MusicEdit
The lyrics for the song "Keep It in the Family" by Anthrax, included on their 1990 album Persistence of Time, was inspired by this event.
The song "Intro" on the album 1990 The Devil Made Me Do It by Paris includes a sample from a news broadcast referencing the shooting; the eleventh track on that same album, "The Hate That Hate Made", is also explicitly about the case.
The song "The Gas Face (remix)" by 3rd Bass refers to Hawkins in the second verse.
The song "Slipping into Darkness" by Queen Mother Rage was dedicated to Hawkins.
Brand Nubian's "Concerto in X Minor," a song on their 1990 debut album, One for All, mentions Hawkins.
The 1991 song "Treat 'Em Right" by Chubb Rock refers to Hawkins in the first verse: "In your hearts and mind never forget Yusef Hawkins."
Tupac Shakur wrote a poem about Hawkins' death, "For Mrs. Hawkins."[22] He also mentions him in the song "Tearz of a Clown" in the fourth verse.
Double X Posse mentions Hawkins on their first album Put Ya Boots On (1992), on the album's second track "The Headcracker." The group provides a list of things that would be considered "headcrackers," or very shocking and upsetting. Among other things they mention, "Yusef Hawkins being murdered is a HEADCRACKER."
The song "Snacks and Candy" (on the 1992 album Drenched) by the band Miracle Legion was written about this event.
The song "Wrong Pot 2 Piss In" by The Goats on their 1992 debut album Tricks of the Shade, includes the line: "My man Rodney King would love a swing / and if Yusuf Hawkins was walkin' he'd say the same thing".
The song "White Nigger" by Ill Bill, released in 2008, includes the line: "Had newsmen talking as a kid about Yusef Hawkins / Same age as me when Joey Fama caught him walking through Bensonhurst"
^Danielle, Britni (June 20, 2018). "5 Things To Know About 'Storm Over Brooklyn,' A New Doc On Yusuf Hawkins". Essence. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
^ abBlumenthal, Ralph (August 25, 1989). "Black Youth Is Killed by Whites; Brooklyn Attack Is Called Racial". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
^Anderson, Lorrin; Tucker, William (June 25, 1990). . National Review. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
^Smith, Kati Cornell (August 19, 2005). "Gotti Rat: My Thugs Were Behind '89 Yusuf Race Slay". New York Post.
^"Fama v. Commissioner of Correctional Services". FindLaw.
^Horton, Adrian (August 11, 2020). "Storm Over Brooklyn: retelling the devastating murder of Yusuf Hawkins". The Guardian.
^Ravo, Nick (August 27, 1989). "Marchers and Brooklyn Youths Trade Racial Jeers". The New York Times.
^Chan, Sewell (August 21, 2009). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
^Kurtz, Howard (May 19, 1990). "Bensonhurst Ringleader Acquitted on Murder Counts". The Washington Post.
^Kifner, John (May 20, 1990). "Bensonhurst Aftermath; After 2d Bensonhurst Verdict, A March Amid Cries for Calm". The New York Times.
^Kurtz, Howard (June 12, 1992). "Bensonhurst Defendants Receive Maximum Terms". The Washington Post.
^McFadden, Robert D. (January 13, 1991). "Sharpton Is Stabbed at Bensonhurst Protest". The New York Times.
^Daniels, Lee A. (March 17, 1992). "Attacker Of Sharpton Is Sentenced". The New York Times.
^Preston, Julia (August 19, 2005). "Gotti Witness Tells of Role in Bias Attack in Brooklyn". The New York Times.
^"2 Sides Meet in '89 Racial Killing". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 22, 1999.
^ abFiorentino, Jen (December 10, 2012). "Twenty-three Years After a Notorious Murder, the Convicted Killer Speaks". The Brooklyn Ink. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
^"Deaths Elsewhere". The Baltimore Sun. June 10, 2003. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
^. Forgotten NY. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2006.
^Marc (September 7, 2011). "Decaying Yusuf Hawkins memorial mural renewed by Gabriel Specter". Wooster Collective.
^"Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn," HBO website. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
^Dharmic X. "Kool G Rap Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs," Complex (Jan 16, 2014).
^Edwards, Walter (February 26, 2002). "From poetry to rap: The lyrics of Tupac Shakur" (PDF). Western Journal of Black Studies; Summer ProQuest Sociology Collection. 26 (2): 61.
External linksEdit
"For the Color of His Skin: The Murder of Yusef Hawkins and the Trial of Bensonhurst". Kirkus Reviews. September 15, 1991.
Shipler, David K. (November 10, 1991). "A Gentle Young Man Who Would Be 16 Forever". The New York Times.
Goodman, Walter (May 15, 1990). "Review/Television; Examining the Bensonhurst Killing". The New York Times.
October 15, 2023
murder, yusef, hawkins, yusef, kirriem, hawkins, also, spelled, yusuf, hawkins, march, 1973, august, 1989, year, black, teenager, from, neighborhood, east, york, york, city, borough, brooklyn, shot, death, august, 1989, bensonhurst, predominantly, italian, ame. Yusef Kirriem Hawkins also spelled as Yusuf Hawkins March 19 1973 August 23 1989 was a 16 year old black teenager from the neighborhood of East New York 1 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn who was shot to death on August 23 1989 in Bensonhurst a predominantly Italian American working class neighborhood in Brooklyn Hawkins his younger brother and two friends were attacked by a crowd of 10 to 30 white youths with at least seven of them wielding baseball bats One armed with a handgun shot Hawkins twice in the chest killing him 2 3 In 2005 former Gambino crime family member Joseph D Angelo admitted that the killers were present at his request meant to serve as protection for his property from an expected racially motivated situation which instead created the situation 4 Yusef HawkinsBorn 1973 03 19 March 19 1973DiedAugust 23 1989 1989 08 24 aged 16 Bensonhurst Brooklyn New York City United StatesOccupationStudentKnown forMurder victim Contents 1 Incident 2 Trials 3 Release of Mondello 4 Memorials and tributes 4 1 Art 4 2 Film TV 4 3 Music 5 References 6 External linksIncident Edit nbsp Al Sharpton leading the first protest march over the murder of Yusef Hawkins in Bensonhurst 1989 Hawkins had gone to Bensonhurst that night with his brother and two of their friends to inquire about a used 1982 Pontiac automobile that was for sale The group s attackers had been lying in wait for black youths that were expected to attend a party at the home of a teenage girl in the neighborhood 5 Some say the girl had previously dated one of the killers and or she had invited black youths to her neighborhood to taunt the neighborhood boys 6 Hawkins and his friends walked onto the ambushers block unaware that local residents were waiting to attack any group of black youths they saw After the murder of Hawkins police said that he had not in any way been involved with the neighborhood girl whom the killers believed Hawkins was dating 2 Hawkins death was the third killing of a black male by white mobs in New York City during the 1980s the other two victims were Willie Turks who was killed on June 22 1982 in Brooklyn and Michael Griffith who was killed in Queens on December 20 1986 The incident uncorked a torrent of racial tension in New York City in the ensuing days and weeks culminating in a series of protest marches through the neighborhood led by the Reverend Al Sharpton 7 8 Trials EditThe two teenagers who led the mob that beat and chased Hawkins were tried separately Joseph Fama the man who fired the shots that killed Hawkins was convicted of second degree murder on May 17 1990 The other main defendant in the case Keith Mondello was acquitted on May 18 1990 on murder and manslaughter charges but convicted of 12 lesser charges including riot menacing discrimination unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon 9 The acquittal of Mondello on the most serious charges led to further protest marches through Bensonhurst led by Al Sharpton 10 On June 11 1990 sentences were handed down in the Hawkins case Nineteen year old Fama received a sentence of 32 years to life in prison Mondello also 19 received a sentence of 5 to 16 years in prison 11 Other members of the gang that chased and beat Hawkins were tried as well John Vento was convicted of unlawful imprisonment and received a sentence of 2 to 8 years in August 1990 and was released in 1998 A fourth man Joseph Serrano was convicted on the charge of unlawfully possessing a weapon and sentenced to 300 hours of community service on January 11 1991 The acquittal of Vento on a murder charge and the light sentence handed out to Serrano sparked more protests by the African American community in Bensonhurst Shortly before that march was set to begin on January 12 1991 Al Sharpton was stabbed and seriously wounded by Michael Riccardi in a Bensonhurst schoolyard Sharpton later recovered from his wounds 12 Riccardi was convicted of first degree assault and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison despite a plea for leniency by Sharpton himself who believed that distorted news coverage of his activities had influenced his attacker 13 Keith Mondello was said to be the instigator and organizer of the group and served 8 years in prison In 2005 former Gambino crime family member and mob informer Joseph D Angelo admitted that the group behind Yusuf s murder was there on his orders to attack any blacks who entered the neighborhood He also admitted he lied to police and asked a woman who knew many details to not tell police 14 Release of Mondello EditAfter serving eight years in the Attica Correctional Facility Keith Mondello was released on June 2 1998 On January 22 1999 Mondello and Hawkins father Moses Stewart met in a NY1 television studio where Mondello apologized for his role in the killing 15 Stewart died at the age of 48 in 2003 16 17 Fama was not eligible for parole until 2022 when he was just over 50 years old 16 Memorials and tributes EditArt Edit As of 2004 a faded mural painted soon after Hawkins death was still visible on the side of a building on Verona Place in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn 18 It was repainted in August 2011 by street artist Gabriel Specter 19 Film TV Edit Spike Lee s film Jungle Fever 1991 is dedicated to the memory of Hawkins and a photo of Hawkins appears at the beginning of the film The 1998 film Blind Faith was dedicated to the memory of Hawkins The HBO Documentary film Yusuf Hawkins Storm Over Brooklyn which premiered August 12 2020 directed by Muta Ali Muhammad tells the story of how 16 year old Yusuf was killed on August 23 1989 by an Italian mob in Bensonhurst Brooklyn sparking protests and deep racial divide The film was released on the 30th anniversary of this tragedy and features actual footage and interviews through archival footage to highlight the systemic racism that still exists today 20 Music Edit The lyrics for the song Keep It in the Family by Anthrax included on their 1990 album Persistence of Time was inspired by this event The 1990 song Welcome to the Terrordome by Public Enemy includes a dedication to Hawkins The song Intro on the album 1990 The Devil Made Me Do It by Paris includes a sample from a news broadcast referencing the shooting the eleventh track on that same album The Hate That Hate Made is also explicitly about the case The song The Gas Face remix by 3rd Bass refers to Hawkins in the second verse The song Slipping into Darkness by Queen Mother Rage was dedicated to Hawkins Kool G Rap amp DJ Polo s hit single Erase Racism featuring Big Daddy Kane from the 1990 album Wanted Dead or Alive references Hawkins where Kane performs the second half of the song 21 Brand Nubian s Concerto in X Minor a song on their 1990 debut album One for All mentions Hawkins The 1991 song Treat Em Right by Chubb Rock refers to Hawkins in the first verse In your hearts and mind never forget Yusef Hawkins Tupac Shakur wrote a poem about Hawkins death For Mrs Hawkins 22 He also mentions him in the song Tearz of a Clown in the fourth verse Double X Posse mentions Hawkins on their first album Put Ya Boots On 1992 on the album s second track The Headcracker The group provides a list of things that would be considered headcrackers or very shocking and upsetting Among other things they mention Yusef Hawkins being murdered is a HEADCRACKER The song Snacks and Candy on the 1992 album Drenched by the band Miracle Legion was written about this event The song Wrong Pot 2 Piss In by The Goats on their 1992 debut album Tricks of the Shade includes the line My man Rodney King would love a swing and if Yusuf Hawkins was walkin he d say the same thing The song White Nigger by Ill Bill released in 2008 includes the line Had newsmen talking as a kid about Yusef Hawkins Same age as me when Joey Fama caught him walking through Bensonhurst The song Learn Truth by R A the Rugged Man released in 2013 mentions Willie Turks Michael Griffith and Yusef Hawkins References Edit Danielle Britni June 20 2018 5 Things To Know About Storm Over Brooklyn A New Doc On Yusuf Hawkins Essence Retrieved February 25 2019 a b Blumenthal Ralph August 25 1989 Black Youth Is Killed by Whites Brooklyn Attack Is Called Racial The New York Times Retrieved September 15 2007 Anderson Lorrin Tucker William June 25 1990 Cracks in the mosaic Bensonhurst incident case National Review Archived from the original on September 9 2009 Retrieved September 15 2007 Smith Kati Cornell August 19 2005 Gotti Rat My Thugs Were Behind 89 Yusuf Race Slay New York Post Fama v Commissioner of Correctional Services FindLaw Horton Adrian August 11 2020 Storm Over Brooklyn retelling the devastating murder of Yusuf Hawkins The Guardian Ravo Nick August 27 1989 Marchers and Brooklyn Youths Trade Racial Jeers The New York Times Chan Sewell August 21 2009 The Death of Yusuf Hawkins 20 Years Later The New York Times Archived from the original on July 4 2019 Retrieved March 22 2017 Kurtz Howard May 19 1990 Bensonhurst Ringleader Acquitted on Murder Counts The Washington Post Kifner John May 20 1990 Bensonhurst Aftermath After 2d Bensonhurst Verdict A March Amid Cries for Calm The New York Times Kurtz Howard June 12 1992 Bensonhurst Defendants Receive Maximum Terms The Washington Post McFadden Robert D January 13 1991 Sharpton Is Stabbed at Bensonhurst Protest The New York Times Daniels Lee A March 17 1992 Attacker Of Sharpton Is Sentenced The New York Times Preston Julia August 19 2005 Gotti Witness Tells of Role in Bias Attack in Brooklyn The New York Times 2 Sides Meet in 89 Racial Killing The New York Times Associated Press January 22 1999 a b Fiorentino Jen December 10 2012 Twenty three Years After a Notorious Murder the Convicted Killer Speaks The Brooklyn Ink Retrieved July 16 2020 Deaths Elsewhere The Baltimore Sun June 10 2003 Retrieved July 16 2020 Mural on Verona Place likely eulogizing 16 year old Yusuf Hawkins Forgotten NY Archived from the original on October 17 2006 Retrieved September 4 2006 Marc September 7 2011 Decaying Yusuf Hawkins memorial mural renewed by Gabriel Specter Wooster Collective Yusuf Hawkins Storm Over Brooklyn HBO website Retrieved May 25 2021 Dharmic X Kool G Rap Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs Complex Jan 16 2014 Edwards Walter February 26 2002 From poetry to rap The lyrics of Tupac Shakur PDF Western Journal of Black Studies Summer ProQuest Sociology Collection 26 2 61 External links Edit For the Color of His Skin The Murder of Yusef Hawkins and the Trial of Bensonhurst Kirkus Reviews September 15 1991 Shipler David K November 10 1991 A Gentle Young Man Who Would Be 16 Forever The New York Times Goodman Walter May 15 1990 Review Television Examining the Bensonhurst Killing The New York Times Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Murder of Yusef Hawkins amp oldid 1179214221, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
