Brooklyn had a ton of italians in various hoods plus you had a lot of union activity in brooklyn back in the day( water front). Back then, unions and mobsters went together like mozzerella and roasted red peppers.
Also, many little italy and lower east side italians moved to the somewhat more open feel of brooklyn. If you wanted to grow up in an awesome italian hood with the same vibe as little italy or arther ave in the bronx but WITHOUT sharing a bathroom with your neighbor or living like a peasant, Brooklyn was the place to be. Especially Bhurst.
In fact, some very wealthy gangsters thought brooklyn was the upper east side.
Very true Belmont,and as I understand it East NY in BK was not so good,i mean with the tenaments and Brownsvilles poor population also South Brooklyn(red hook) and the Navy yard were not so great too,do you agree?Maybe some other areas in BK too.