#yellowbenji

Reposted from @joeconzo 4 years gone. You left Legacy that will never be forgotten! Yellow Benji VP Ghetto Brothers ¡Presente! ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 ・・・ You will be missed my big brother! You gave so much of your life for the people of The Bronx, Puerto Rican Independence, Peace Maker of The Gangs of NYC, father.... #GhettoBrothers #YellowBenji #YouDontHaveToFightAnymore #RIP ・・・ RIP to Yellow Benjy. Sad to hear about his passing but in light of this being Memorial Day it makes perfect sense to pay homage to a brother that fought for OUR people and OUR fight. Well over half a million Boricuas have served in the US army and fought battles against people who did nothing to us but Benji fought for our people, our identity, our struggle. He educated, united and organized for our people, Brown and black alike. Never had the honor to meet him but in him a found a kindred soul who stood for the things I stand for and I thank him for that. And that's not even taking into account the beautiful music he made with his Ghetto Brothers. Descansa en paz Benji, se que Betances y Albizu te recibirán con los brazos abiertos. Check the wonderful documentary @rubblekings by Shan Nicholson if you get a chance. It covers the story of the Ghetto Brothers and Benji amongst other souls in NY. I had the pleasure of interviewing Shan on my radio show when the doc first came out and I want to thank him again for covering that chapter of NY history. Trust me it's a must see. Video on post was hacked from my bro @christianmartir #YellowBenji #GhettoBrothers #Music #Freedom #Borinken #Boricua #nuevayork #Soul #Funk #Latino #Despierta . . @puertoricanflagsup #PrFlagsUp #puertoricanflagsup #NuyoRican https://www.instagram.com/p/CPeK6bfJJhv/?utm_medium=tumblr

RUBBLE KING -- Benjamin Melendez (born 1952?) is best known for brokering the gang truce in the Bronx and Harlem (New York City) in 1971. At that time, he was President of the Ghetto Brothers, a mainly ethnically Puerto Rican South Bronx gang, and lead guitarist of a musical group also known as the Ghetto Brothers. Melendez was heavily involved in the rise of Puerto Rican nationalist consciousness among Nuyorican youth, having forged connections with the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. Perhaps surprisingly, Melendez's family, including Melendez himself, were Marranos (Sephardic crypto-Jews), practicing their religion in secret even in the 1970s while being part of a Hispanic community. It is also well known that Bridget Bouvier was the only female member of the Ghetto Brothers and close confidant to Melendez. She eventually left for personal reasons, including a large disagreement with Benjamin's Hispanic family calling them "you people". Melendez was a subject in the 2015 documentary, Rubble Kings, which depicts events leading up to and following the Hoe Avenue peace meeting. #RIP #YellowBenjy #YellowBenji #GhettoBrothers #PeaceNotWar #RestInPower