Released nationally March 8, 1991 it grossed $7,039,622 during its opening weekend. The highest grossing independent film of 1992 grossing a total of $47,624,253 domestically
The popular culture of the name Nino Brown is used in a multitude of rap lyrics
The movie New Jack City is based on the ChambersBrothers whoovertook the 4-story, 52-unit Broadmoor Apartments on West Grand Boulevard and Ferry Street in Detroit and turned it into a Crack Den. Custos bought, smoked and bartered sex, VCRs or cars for crack...a highly addictive drug that makes you a fiend
"When the world tastes this, you're going to have a lot of trouble" said a dying crack addict from the Caribbean where the smokable cocaine commenced. Crack ensnared Detroit in 1983
One of the largest drug rings in Detroit history. A reputation surpassed only by their predecessors Young Boys Incorporated (link provided). The chambers moved in quickly to claim the crown
So poor, Larry waited outside the homes of white neighbors with a bucket to get food from them when they were finished eating; they'd give what was left to the Chambers
Realizing their own American dream, the Chambers learned what the drug trade in Detroit could do for them
Born in Marianna, Arkansas, in Lee County, the 6th poorest counties in the U.S. The four Chambers brothers—Larry, Billy Joe, Willie Lee, and Otis—came from a family of 12 siblings. Their parents were struggling sharecroppers, who often hustled their neighbors in order to put food on the table
The high unemployment rate, compounded by poverty and racism, forced the brothers to look in other places for jobs. In the early 1970s the Chambers brothers, along with thousands of other Southern blacks, migrated north to Detroit, Michigan, with the hope of finding jobs in the auto industry. But by the time the Chambers brothers had arrived, Detroit had already fallen in decline. Jobs and housing were scarce, and after the 1967 race riots, many well-to-do citizens had already fled to other cities for new employment opportunities
Undaunted, Billy Joe and Willy Chambers decided to open a small business—party store started with money that Willy had earned from his job as a mail carrier. The store sold mainly wine and spirits but, as their clientele grew, the brothers also began selling marijuana to their customers
In 1984, as the auto industry began laying-off their workers, the Chambers brothers developed a plan to employ inner-city youths. Billy Joe's girlfriend put him in contact with her uncle, who claimed he could turn $2,500 of cocaine into $10,000 worth of profit within 48 hours. Billy Joe provided a loan for the venture, which proved successful. Using the auto industry's business structure as the blueprint for their own business, they hired underage workers—knowing they were harder to arrest and prosecute in the U.S. court system—and began running their own drug assembly line
Within a few months, Billy Joe and Willy Chambers had turned completely to the crack trade. By the time their brother Larry moved to town, Billy Joe and Willy had developed 30 crack houses, employed more than 150 workers, and turned more than $200,000 a week in profits
With the support of police officers, ministers, bankers, insurance companies, and many other high-level officials, the brothers pushed their business to a new level. To minimize the flow of customers on the streets, the Chambers brothers developed apartment buildings to house their clients all around Detroit. Their "one-stop shops" included prostitution, smoking rooms, and products priced by floo.
In May of 1986, Otis Chambers joined his brothers in Detroit. He also recruited friends and acquaintances in the South to join him in the business. The wild success of their trade finally hit the mainstream, catching the attention of the Department of Justice. By August of 1986, the Detroit Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration developed the "No Crack Task Force" and began raiding the brothers' houses
Larry's ego got the best of him and he began videotaping drug deals
During their raids, law enforcement agents began finding videotapes of the Chambers brothers' exploits. As more tapes were unearthed, the DEA discovered a family tree of crack dealers that had been documented on camera
I watched on Detroit News television stations the video(s) the Chambers made of themselves having laundry baskets filled with $500,000. They were boasting money, money, money. William Jackson holding the basket asked what to do with the one dollar bills, Larry answered "we can give them to the poor"; the one dollar bills were a nuisance. The videos were very incriminating and used against them
On October 28, 1988, the Chambers brothers and five associates were convicted on conspiracy and drug charges. Larry Chambers received a life sentence for his role in the drug ring, while Billy Joe and Otis received 27-year sentences, and Willie received 21 years. Billy Joe and Larry no longer speak, but both have written books about their experiences
Vacation property
