Felix Mitchell

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Felix Wayne Mitchell Jr. (August 23, 1954 – August 21, 1986) was a drug lord from Oakland, California, and the leader of the 69 Mob, a criminal organization that operated in California and the Midwest. He was nicknamed "Felix the Cat" after the cartoon character.

Mitchell was born in Oakland and grew up in the 69th Avenue San Antonio Village housing projects. After dropping out of high school, he started a criminal group that became known as "My Other Brother," or the 6-9 Mob (MOB). Through ties with Los Angeles kingpin Tootie Reese, his operation expanded across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Detroit.

For more than a decade, Mitchell fought rivals like Mickey Moore's crime family and the Funktown USA gang to control the heroin market. Before free-basing cocaine became widespread, heroin use was more common. It is estimated that Mitchell brought in as much as $5 million a year.

Mitchell was pursued by local and federal law enforcement. He was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to life in prison at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, where he was fatally stabbed on August 21, 1986, two days before his 32nd birthday.

His funeral drew national attention as an example of the impact of drugs on youth. Thousands lined the streets as the procession moved through Oakland, with Mitchell’s body carried by a horse-drawn carriage and followed by 14 Rolls-Royce limousines. Huey P. Newton attended, and the service received international news coverage. Some civic leaders criticized allowing the funeral to proceed, though permits had been filed.

In 1987, Mitchell’s conviction was overturned because he had died before an appeal could be heard. Criminologists point to the "Felix Mitchell Paradox"—the idea that after a major police win, crime and violence can rise instead of fall. Mitchell’s control of pricing and violence in parts of Oakland created a power vacuum when he was arrested, leading to price wars and shooting wars among rival gangs.