I find it very interesting that the Outfit here in Chicago doesn't kill people anymore. Obviously a lot of the posters disagree with me, but I still wonder how you keep a large, clandestine criminal network under control without the use of murder.
For these guys to make a lot of money you have to have a lot of criminals kicking up and what on earth is there to stop them from making a deal if they have no fear of getting killed.
People say "well they still beat you up," well, who the f**k cares.
I think that is a pretty telling development and IMO speaks to greatly diminished activity.
I think it's possible they've become a little smarter and figured out ways to circumvent violence but at the end of the day I don't really see how a large-scale mob operation functions without murder.
My two cents.
Well, you had Jarrett in 1999, Chiaramonti in 2001, and Zizzo in 2006. I don't think the mob really has to drop the bodies like it used to. And today, it's riskier than ever with sophisticated law enforcement and, of course, the chance of a guy flipping and talking about it. It seems the mob uses it very selectively and often as a last resort.
And the gang thing -- compare the number of documented street gangs from say, 1950-1970 to the present day, and you will find an astronomical increase. It's no longer possible for a Mafia Don like an Al Capone to actually oversee and/or control crime in any one city or area; there's too many local gangs with way too many 'soldiers' to do that. And even though the LCN and your typical street gang operate on different criminal spheres, they are bound to interact and/or intersect at various times in the interest of making a dollar. Pornography, theft, hijacking, gun running -- there are many areas where the LCN's interests and those of street gangs are likely to collide. And do you honestly think an LCN capo or boss can simply waltz in and say, 'I'm part of LCN', so get out of my way because I'm in charge? All criminal activity here is controlled by me and my family!
I doubt that.
The Mafia vs. street gangs (or the newer OC groups for that matter) is a subject that the media loves to play up but the truth is, people would be surprised at how little of an issue it is. Generally speaking, while they may all be crooks, members of the LCN and those in street gangs live and operate in very different worlds. And what overlap or connections there are tend to be respecting each other's territory and/or working for mutual profit. Drugs is by and large the activity that newer OC groups and gangs (street, prison, OMG) have taken over. This is because the LCN, due to geography, was never in a position to control cocaine or marijuana. Or even heroin later on when the Colombians and Mexicans began refining their own high-grade product. But this really hasn't affected the LCN as much as some may think, as it has always been more gambling-centered anyway and the families (especially in New York) continue to be rather diversified.
