Huron, Can I ask you a question now that we've moved past 'The Patch' Debate which was a term used obviously in both areas by people living there:
Why are you on a mission to promote The Grand Ave Crew?

What rackets are you talking about being run in the Grand Ave area besides a big poker game that happens independently. Why is it so important to you to continually try and promote something that really doesn't exist there anymore?

A few Grand Ave guys hanging out is not a full functioning Street Crew like years ago.

I Believe Skinny, the New York Poster asked this same question.

Also, why would you be afraid to name a couple of names. That's ALL WE EVER DO on these Blogs and it doesn't mean anything. Do you think by mentioning someone's name that the F.B.I. is going to hall the guy in and prosecute him because you mentioned his name on a Blog? LOL.

What young men are you talking about?
Are you saying there are a bunch of young men who are made guys in the Grand Ave Crew that are sons of other people?

uh oh here comes another argument

Lol yes, another argument NOT instigated by me.

Never have I "promoted" the gac. They were brought up by other users, questions were asked, etc. They're popular amongst younger people Because of the territory that they occupy (young yuppie Neighborhood, etc).

Fine, they're 100% inactive, control no street rackets, have no clout, are basically made up of a few old geezers & 1-2 of their shit head nephews, and the most action AV has come across over the last 20 years is jerking off in the bathroom at mart Anthony's, while Porky guards the door. Happy?

What kind of an idiotic answer is that? Myself and a couple other posters want to know what evidence you have that the Grand Ave Crew is active in the street rackets? Why are you taking it personal?
You said there were younger men who were sons of older Outfit guys in the Grand Ave crew. Well, who are they and what rackets are you talking about? It's just a question, not an argument. I say the Grand Ave Crew was basically deactivated because they retreated with Lombardo. They may be involved in some white collar stuff. There aren't very many of them left anyway. No need to take it personal.

No nose have you ever even been to Bridgeport? Just wondering

I am in Bridgeport all the time and I hate to break it to you but there are at least as many whites of Polish and Lithuanian descent as there are Italian. The stereotype is still hat it's "Irish" but they've been gone forever.

The dominant ethnicity in East Bridgeport these days is actually probably Chinese.

I'm not saying it's fully Italian there! There's obviously some Chinese there with Chinatown next door and a few Polish as well. But to say there's no Italian or Irish there is completely untrue. I was there recently and in like a 5 block span I saw at least 15 Italian and Irish flags.

Statistically the entire are is only 35 percent white. It's also 35 percent Asian. West of Halsted is mostly Mexican which for the most part means the whites and Asians are splitting the eastern side.

I wouldn't guess that overall Bridgeport east of Halsted is more than 10-20 percent people who would self identify as Italian.

But since their all third, fourth generation a lot if not most have probably intermarried anyway.

As far back as 1990 Italians made up only 10 percent:

http://www.uic.edu/orgs/LockZero/tables/T19.htm

I agree with the seperation. Overall Bridgeport isn't majority Italian but in certain areas of Bridgeport Italians are definitely majority.

There are some streets.

To me it still feels Italian because you have extended families living on the same block, social clubs, Italian flags, and statues of the Blessed Mother. Interesting to see if those Italians will stay there over time.

Question for Huron - wasn't there a Grand Ave wedding in the last 10 years or so that had like 500-700 people. Owner of the compound's family. I believe Lombardo was allowed to attend with FBI agents because he was the groom's Godfather. Were EP, Cicero, and Chinatown members invited?

In a 10% italian neighborhood? You dont get any sort of vibe like that in bensonhurst...

The really odd, hard-core, old school, inner city, ethnically homogeneous white neighborhood down there is Canaryville. 5,000 intransigent, insular Irish roughnecks who refuse to move.

Has to be one of the last neighborhoods of its kind in the country. And there is no sign of it changing.

Pal, what am I taking personally? When have I ever promoted/defended/white knighted that crew? And please copy & paste where I stated that the gac is made up of a bunch of sons of bosses/etc, whatever nonsense you were talking about? I said the southside people get their kids involved.

I'm not interested in name dropping guys in their 30s/40s that don't have records yet. Sorry.

I find it hard to believe that a crew of criminals would stop breaking laws

I don't think anybody is strong enough to tell people that they can't eat

if difronzo and company pull back that's on them

it's also on the members their respective crews to feed their family

I'm not buying that you're in Bridgeport all the time. The ONIAC is the largest club of it's kind in the Midwest. The cigar shops, social clubs, delis, etc are littered throughout that neighborhood and you still get the very distinct "Italian organized crime" vibe. Nowhere near what it was in the 70s, but nevertheless.

Huron,

I think you are seeing it through rose colored glasses. You are seeing what you want to see. I couldn't care less. Or maybe you just hang out on one block that you assume the rest of the neighborhood is like.

The fact is that it's likley significantly less than 10 percent Italian. There are a FAIR number of Italian businesses but only someone with an agenda would drive through the neighborhood as a whole and say: 'Old Italian neighborhood.'

1) It is not the norm for any Outfit fathers to want their sons involved, it's the exception.
2) There are a few examples were sons got involved AFTER their father died so he wasn't there to stop them.
3) There are very few made guys left in the Grand Ave Crew. Some young men in their 30's hanging around are not made guys. There may be a few wanna be's who are there to serve Albie if needed for some reason
4) I know Rocky Lombardo, Joey's brother very well.
5) Grand Ave retreated SEVERAL years ago with Elmwood Park.
6) Grand Ave is not a full functioning Street Crew running bookmaking, poker machines or loan sharking. Maybe some white collar being attached to Elmwood Park.
Case closed.

Bobby Dominic operates Richard's Bar. He is the short guy with the mustache always hanging out in the back room. Dominic was sent to Vegas by Ferriola to take over for Spilotro in the mid 1980s. He came back to Chicago around 2000 and started running Richard's Bar.

Chicago...can I ask who your CURRENT sources on the Outfit are? No offense, but your info seems rather outdated.

Joe Ferriola didn't send anybody to Las Vegas because he was never the Top Boss of the Outfit. the Two Top Bosses in the mid 1980's were Carlisi & DiFronzo. You should know this by now because you used to read it on Fosco's blogs. I remember seeing your name. I think you are a boxer. Am I correct? I think you also have a grandfather who lives down in the far South Suburbs. Am I correct?

Rocky Lombardo and the F.B.I. Reports among others. Why? Who are your sources? How is the information outdated?

Please don't tell me you're another Grand Ave Fanboy who's mission in life is to prove that the Grand Ave Crew never retreated and that they are a full operating Street Crew.

Okay, I'll ask you the same fucking questions that were never answered by the other guy.

What Rackets do they run? Name all the made guys running the rackets. What is the structure of the Grand Ave crew? Did they never retreat? Why would Elmwood Park Retreat and not them?
Why are Rocky Lombardo and the F.B.I. wrong?

Lastly, Joe Ferriola was never the Top Boss of the Outfit and never sent anybody to LAS VEGAS.

Stick to Boxing.

From running Vegas to running Richard's Bar.

Boxer? No idea what you are talking about my friend...you haven't seen me on Fosco's blogs because I don't really have an interest to comment there. My grandfather has long since passed as well.

You are close to Rocco Lombardo? I have not seen him since Nucci's funeral years ago. Are you aware of who Nucci was? Where is Rocco living now?

I don't really claim to know the structure of the GAC. I'm simply a local guy who still likes to gamble and therefore have known many of these guys for decades

how about Nicky Stu Cazz , Johnny Capiccolla and Sammy Sta Minchia? You know them too ? Lol

If you knew Rocco, you would know who Nucci was (or could ask him).

Bobby Dominic may have been sent to Vegas but make no mistake he was at the beckoned call of Don Angelini who was REALLY who Carlisi/DiFronzo sent there after Spilotro. Angelini was considered to be one of the great gentlemen in the history of the Outfit and was not AT ALL muscle but was a BRILLIANT man with a mind for numbers -- quite the contrary of the man he replaced out there in Vegas.

His info is very outdated, you hit the nail on the head. Rocco Lombardo is a nobody, and no one would ever tell him anything of any significance. He might hear a few tidbits here & there, etc.

Bobby Dominic owns the casino that was made famous during the Natalie Holloway disappearance. His front is a jew by the name of Mike posner.

No one is trying to trump up the grand avenue crew, calm the fuck down.

And lastly (lol) Bridgeport definitely still gives off that vibe. I can't seem to understand why you're so deadset on refuting that. It's Not a big deal.

Case closed LOL

They wouldn't tell Rocco Lombardo anything, but THEY WOULD TELL YOU, RIGHT??? ..Yes Posner runs that Casino in Aruba where Natalie Holloway disappeared and was known in the 80's as someone who belonged to Joe Nagall.. I DO AGREE with you about Bridgeport though and it's "vibe". It may be 70% Mexicans now but to an extent Melrose Park still has that same vibe as well.