The court on Friday heard a recorded conversation between the reputed leader of the one don Klansman Gang Andre ‘Blackman’ Bryan and a former gang member now turned state witness.
Bryan who was in police custody at the time of the recording was convinced that the police had nothing substantial on him. The witness has been sharing details of conversations he secretly recorded and shared with the police. The alleged gang leader evidently trusted the former gang member now turned crown witness, up to the very last.
The two had a phone conversation in 2019 while Bryan was in jail, trying to determine what the police had on him and what he was going to be charged for. Ironically, Bryan said to the former gang member,”yuh see if somebody a guh be a witness, dem affi guh inah di gang fi a time, fi really be a good witness,” unsuspecting of the man on the other end of the line. In the conversation that lasted over three minutes, the witness was heard telling Bryan, he suspected the lone female defendant Stephanie Christie also called Muma, had two of the defendants arrested Lamar Simpson alias Sick-head and Dwight Hall alias Jim Brown.
The witness further explained that Christie would act as an informant to a particular police, feeding information about members of the gang she wanted him to detain. The witness, testifying from a remote location, gave out “but that police is not corrupt, he was trying to dismantle the gang.”
During the recorded conversation, he accused Christie of getting disloyal members arrested, ” she a ensure seh the road clean suh when yuh come a road yuh just tek over back di ting wid ease and nuh have nuh problem.” To this Bryan responded, “jah jah dawg a me dem nuh like.”At one point, Bryan was heard saying “a 2014 the law come in, so nothing before 2014 cyaan use against mi” – referring to the anti-gang legislation.
In another recording, the witness was speaking with the mysterious defendant who is yet to be positively identified in court but goes by the name city-puss. City-puss was heard accusing Christie and others of being informers.
The witness said they thought Christie was the one identifying the members in identification parades. Upon hearing this Christie gave out in court- “Jesus.” In another recording city-puss who has been incarcerated, could be heard telling the witness to give a defendant money – which the witness said was for the purchase of a gun for one hundred and fifty-thousand dollars.
Asked about the defendants having access to phones behind bars, the witness said they would use ‘runners’ to get them in. He further disclosed that the criminal organization preferred a particular network, which they deem more secure while the police prefer the other.
The historic trial will reconvene on Monday at 10am.
