A little-publicized book about the connections between the Philadelphia Black Mafia, the City Hall probe and the city's political landscape is flying off local bookstore shelves.

Black Brothers, Inc. — The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia, written by former Philly cop Sean Patrick Griffin, debuted last July and, although it was published by an independent house with no marketing or PR machine behind it, has become a must-read in the African-American community. The book, which is extensively footnoted and relies heavily on numerous media reports and court records, is a history of the Black Mafia from the 1960s to the present. It explores how major figures in the Mafia mixed with — and took benefits from — politicians. Numerous elected officials, power brokers, developers and mob figures are featured in the book. That list includes Mayor John Street, Ron White, Mark Mendelson, Angelo Bruno and Nicky Scarfo.

According to the book, African-Americans started migrating north from the Jim Crow South in the 1960s, looking for work only to find there was none. The ensuing poverty led to crime and riots. Disorganized fury in the African-American community about what they perceived to be an unfair police system led to an opportunity for leadership. Enter Robert N.C. Nix, Sr. , Cecil B. Moore and the city's leader of the Nation of Islam, Jeremiah Shabazz, who all became integrated within the social fabric of the black-power groups that later became known as the Black Mafia. These groups, such as the Black Coalition and Nation of Islam, drew strength and influence by connecting with the city's political base.

Frank Rizzo, the then-Police Commissioner who later became mayor, assisted Black Coalition members to advance his own agenda. Arlen Specter, the District Attorney in 1968, secured funding to hire juvenile gang leaders as summer interns in his office in a desperate effort to cut back on black gang warfare.

Shamsud-din Ali figures prominently here. Like his mentor, Shabazz, Ali is a Muslim cleric well connected with celebrities, judges, politicians, famous sport figures, union leaders and organized-crime figures, according to the book. Both were accused of taking part in an extortion racket against drug dealers, both used the race card and prejudices against Islam as a defense and both learned how to exploit government funding to assist poor African-Americans.

Ali was convicted this year of racketeering and, last week, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison. Brothers describes a city political system that is rife with the good, the bad and the very bad (you all know who you are).

The book has its critics.

Carl Singley, who appears in seven pages, called the book "a racial piece of crap" and is consulting a libel lawyer. "It was a cut and paste of compilations of news reports and has no substantial narrative," said Singley. "The underlining theme was to dump on all the black men in town and that they all had ties to the Junior Black Mafia."

Is Griffin, now an associate professor at Penn State, concerned that the figures mentioned in his tome will retaliate against him?

"No," says Griffin. "They show up at my book signings, and some have asked me to write their biographies."

But Griffin says he has no plans to write any new tell-alls. His next book is tentatively called The House of Fraud about Republican Robert E. Brennan, who was convicted on federal and New Jersey state charges of fraud and money laundering.

NAACP President and Philadelphia Sunday Sun publisher J. Wyatt Mondesire was the beneficiary of a fundraiser last Thursday night at Friday's on the Parkway. Mondesire is seriously considering running against U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who represents the second congressional district. Mondesire has promised to run if Fattah seeks to be the next mayor. He is angry at what he calls Mayor Street's "cabal," consisting of the mayor and his top aides George Burrell and Shawn Fordham, and their deal to push Fattah for mayor in 2007 so Street can run for his congressional seat in 2008.

Although only about 60 people attended, the event packed some political weight. The Northwest Coalition — representing a big power base in the district — of Councilwoman Marian Tasco, state Sen. LeAnna Washington and newly elected state Rep. Cherelle Parker all attended.

Tasco said she was there to check things out but stressed she has made no commitment yet, since Mondesire has not yet announced.

However, Fattah is not a favorite of Tasco or Washington. Fattah supported his legislative assistant, Cindy Bass, when she ran against Washington in the race for the Senate seat vacated by Allyson Schwartz, who won a U.S. House seat last year.

Fattah also unsuccessfully ran his daughter, Frances Fattah, against Tasco for the Democratic seat on the Board of Directors of City Trusts.