Reporters, Mariah and others in “Blowin' Up the Spot”

Can you confirm that it was Luke Cage who killed your cousin? Is Harlem's hero a cold-blooded murderer? Or did he just take out the trash?

Who said that?

I did. Frank...

My cousin Cornell Stokes was a complex man. Conflicted, but underneath all the bluster was the soul of a musician. He was a true Harlem original. [stammers] But what about this stranger? That's the garbage. But in your media rush to anoint a savior after the explosion at Genghis Connie's, no one asked the crucial question. Who the hell is Luke Cage? You label Cornell Stokes a gangster, a thug. But as many people recently witnessed at Mount Olivet, Cornell was a repentant man dealing with his violent past. Making amends for his wrongs. He had every intention of cooperating with the police. Goddamn vigilantes who call themselves heroes, like Luke Cage, they are dangerous. They are a menace to the safety, the security, and the sanctity of our community. You know what? People have used a lot of words to describe my cousin, but one word they have never used is "coward." And only a coward would hide in the shadows and kill an innocent man. [stutters] That's it.