31 years ago, Sunday, Yusuf Hawkins was murdered. Three blasts to the chest (one lodged in his heart) and the teenager was gone. His parents were left to reconcile how he and three other friends went to buy a car in Bensonhurst and it led to their ultimate demise.
They were ambushed by another group of teens who were angered by the vile pit of racial hate bred only from a false sense of white superiority. One of those teens, not the one that pulled the trigger taking Hawkins’ life, was former Hot 97 producer, Pasquale Raucci aka Paddy Duke.
According to a new HBO documentary called Storm Over Brooklyn, Raucci was one of those in question — arraigned the same day in the state supreme court with lead troublemaker, Keith Mondello.
Raucci, according to the Associated Press, recorded a 15-minute confession to participating in the mob scene hate crime.
Somehow, Raucci was not hit with an elephant size punishment for his role in the attack and subsequent murder and went on to start working for Hot 97 in 1994, never disclosing his association to the murder that almost shut down Brooklyn for weeks and was at the core of jagged race relations throughout all of New York City.
He was fired on Sunday when the station (through the power of social media) made them aware.
“All of my years at @HOT97 I had no idea until this recent documentary came out that Paddy Duke had anything to do with the murder of #YusufHawkins This is so sickening and sad!”
Radio personality Ed Lover took to Twitter aghast!
All of my years at @HOT97 I had no idea until this recent documentary came out that Paddy Duke had anything to do with the murder of #YusufHawkins This is so sickening and sad!
— Mr C'mon Son!!!! (@MrEdLover) August 23, 2020
Ebro from the Ebro in The Morning apologized, though fans assured him that it was not his fault for the station’s ignorance concerning Duke’s past transgressions.
If you just tuned in…
Paddy Duke has been fired.Were all surprised, angry and very sad that our station had ties to this racist event 30yrs ago.
I apologize for this pain today.
— Kojo Ebro (@oldmanebro) August 24, 2020
“If you just tuned in… Paddy Duke has been fired. Were all surprised, angry, and very sad that our station had ties to this racist event 30yrs ago. I apologize for this pain today.”
Some were not so forgiving. Since background checks were a thing, always has been a thing for Black folk, at least one commenter argues that there is no way that Hot 97 (or their parent company) would not have run his record, especially since AP News and New York Times named him.
“You arrived after. I can see how you didn’t know. But background checks were happening in 1994, ca. when Paddy Duke (Pasquale Raucci) was hired by Hot 97. He ADMITTED his involvement and was CONVICTED of lesser charges. Hot 97 knew!”
You arrived after. I can see how you didn’t know. But background checks were happening in 1994, ca. when Paddy Duke (Pasquale Raucci) was hired by Hot 97. He ADMITTED his involvement and was CONVICTED of lesser charges. Hot 97 knew!https://t.co/P8hSJcERQNhttps://t.co/s11tYmt26b pic.twitter.com/J3scd9qmN4
— Said (@amirsaid) August 24, 2020
There is no word from Funk Flex, basically the godfather of the station, or Angie Martinez, the personality that worked closely with him until her departure a few years ago.
