Episode 159 - The Don's Top 20 Countdown: 7 Antonio Fernandez

A Pint With Seaniebee

In the aftermath of the death of John Hume, The Don and Seaniebee attempt to explain the history of the Northern Ireland situation and why he mattered so much to the world. And there is an amazing interview from the archives with the head of one of New York's most violent crime gangs. **************************************** Antonio Fernandez (KING TONE) has a pint with Seaniebee This is an astonishing story of redemption and by far the most controversial and polarizing guest we’ve had on the show so far. Antonio Fernandez, aka KING TONE, is the former leader of The Latin Kings, the largest Hispanic street gang in the US, with over 50,000 members worldwide. Growing up in a Brooklyn ghetto, he left school at the age of 9 to become a drug dealer and begin a life of violent crime that eventually led to crack addiction and him being incarcerated whilst still in his teens. In Riker’s Island he joined The Latin Kings, at the time a primarily prison-based gang that eventually transferred itself out onto the streets of New York, where they quickly became one of the most vicious and feared operations in the city. Antonio recounts how he set out to transform the gang away from crime and into a political movement, fighting for social justice for all Hispanics. A disbelieving NYPD called him ‘a gangster with a PR campaign’, and so began a long running feud with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani that ended with King Tone being put away for 13 years. In addition to his extraordinary story, we discuss how Donald Trump might feasibly be leading America towards another civil war, and how it is now time for all marginalized groups to come together and ACT to combat the growing divisiveness across the country. A Pint With Seaniebee Top 12 Best New Podcast Series of 2016: tinyurl.com/gps9tn5 Top 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2016: tinyurl.com/hp83rnw Release date: August 15th 2020 Runtime: 123m Recorded: Dublin (Kinsale)