Do you think that American LCN will be off with the extinction of italian american people in maybe 100 years or more less or will they always be here with members of various ethnicities (I mean particularly non italian - italian american whites).

We must also consider the fact that zips could come more numerous to swell the ranks.

It will be around for a long time. Don't know about 100 years though...

historic la cosa nostra on american soil started in the mid/late 1800s and it's still around today (to a lesser extent duh, but still dominant in certain areas) so this proves that it's going to be a very very long fade out.

It's not so much that Italian Americans are becoming "extinct," as much as that we've assimilated. There's a difference. Most Italian Americans don't NEED crime anymore, and that's a good thing.


I post this whenever this topic comes up, which seems to be about once a week. But where are these "zips" coming from? Are you remotely familiar with American immigration laws today?

Italians are at the bottom of the list today when it comes to being granted green cards. They're not Mexicans, and they can't crawl under the fence to get here. And even if they could, who says they want to?

Anthony that was a real nice photo you posted of Nicky. Do you have anymore? Thanks.

I got tired of replying to this, myself. But, I just don't understand... first,...why sicilians coming to the US involving themselves in mafia are still being called zips. Anytime something comes up about OC, and talk about sicilians coming to the US, they are called a zip. It's stupid and shows complete ignorance.
Second, what makes ANYone think any sicilian WANTS to be in this country? If they want to be involved in the mafia, they will stay where they were born and stay in their family to continue what's been going on for generations in their OWN family, in their OWN country. They don't want to be transplanted into this country, no language, no culture, no money in the mafia better than what they have in their own country.
These guys on these boards speak of sicilians like they have no control of themselves or their own minds. Like an american gangster can just snap a finger and bring some of these "zips" over anytime they want.
Lastly, like you mentioned, pizzaboy, and I've said a hundred times myself...ICE will be all over them. They'd have to be here on a visitor visa and go back every 3 months, stay in Italy for the next 6 months, then be able to return.

Stop saying ignorant things, people.

That's why I used the parentheses when I replied to the initial post: "zips."

And ditto on everything else you just posted. Carm

I agree with Carmela and Pizzaboy back in the day my father didn't even like when someone said "zip" or if they said it to his face they'd have a zipper on their face

Back in the 70's and early 80's the local papers used to call the illegal sicilians here "Greenies". At least the local papers here did. Before he was arrested on the heroin charges the local papers used to say Sal Gambino was the head of a human smuggling operation that brought in sicilians through Canada and sometimes Mexico. But in the articles they called them "Greenies". No idea why or what it's supposed to mean.

Yeah i cant believe people actually think any italians will ever come here again.First like carmela said "If they want to be involved in the mafia, they will stay where they were born and stay in their family to continue what's been going on for generations in their OWN family, in their OWN country. They don't want to be transplanted into this country, no language, no culture, no money in the mafia better than what they have in their own country"why would they want to come here when in sicily these guys do what ever the fuck they want when they want and here they would get ratted out by some colombo

Because Sicilian olive oil is green?

Italian immigration is at its peak since the 1970s.
It tops all southern European nations.
RAI 2 International news made a special report about it less than a week ago.

Yet, the USA are at the very BOTTOM of the to-move-to list of contemporary Italian emigrants.

This stands for law-abiding immigrants, of course.

OC-wise, as stated COUNTLESS times, America is the worst place to be if you're eager to make a name for yourself in the foreign branches of the LCN.

You got me PB...really no idea where that term came from and i haven't heard or read it used in a very long time. But that is what the papers called them back then. At least the ones here in SJ did.

There was definitely a pipeline bringing them here back then in the 70's and 80's.

If you read the 1985 PA OC report theres a section called Pizza parlors : Safe Houses for Drug Smugglers. In that report a INS agent is quoted as saying just between 1978 and 1983 over 8800 sicilians were caught here and deported and thats only the number that they caught so it's pretty obvious at least back then that there was a pipeline bringing them here. But again that was years ago and i have no idea what the situation is today. After 9/11 i would think it's probably alot harder to bring in illegals from anywhere. Plus after all the big dope busts there probably isn't a big demand for those guys but i'm just guessing on that.



I'm not sure if all those guys were smuggled in or if some of them came here legally and just didn't leave when they were supposed to but still thats a decent amount of guys and he said most of them were working in the pizza places and i think we all know who was behind them.

eventhough I do agree with most of what carmela wrote I gotta say that Sicily/Italy is not as mob-friendly as it used to be, especially compared to other nations beyond its borders.

Once someone has made his bones at home and he's ready to get serious and wants to make some real money for an long period of time, without fearing the DIA knocking his door down, he's best off flying away.

NOT to America, obviously, but somewhere where there is no real attention/knowledge on the mob yet.

as of 2010/11 there were approx. 2 thousand undocumented italians living in the city of NY alone.

NY-based Corriere della Sera reporter Maurizio Molinari devoted an entire article to this issue in his book "Italiani di New York".

No, it's not as mob-friendly, of course. But a made guy in Sicily is always loyal to Sicily and pledges his allegiance to Palermo. If he goes to the US or elsewhere, his loyalties are always to his home country. One of the reasons Americans don't trust the Sicilians.

And as you know very well, I'm sure, they are born into their families there. Their memories are long and grudges don't die. It's about the money, as well, but first it's about their family and their honor (whatever honor means to them). They are not going to willingly leave, to work for somebody elses family in the US. It's a family first to them, and a job second. If they come here, it's got to be because it has something to do with their blood family or a favor to someone in their family. Not for the money. And if they choose to live here, they will frequently go back to sicily to do business with their family there, and in the meantime try to become at least a resident here. But it's not easy and takes time; especially now after 9-11. When my husband came here in the 90's, all he needed was to have one relative living here legally. It was much easier. Also, marrying an american doesn't cut it anymore. He married me and is still not a citizen; just a perm resident.

People just say, "yeah bring the zips over" Oh yeah sure, bring them over, they're sheep with no mind of their own, who are dying to work for the sinking ship of an american mafia family.
People that say this are not familiar with the sicilian mentality over there.

With regard to the term "greenies", my husband has a couple american friends who call him a "greenie" jokingly, and they are referring to his green card status, and not being a citizen. He's legal though, so I'm not sure what it means with respect to illegal aliens.

yes I do know that, it's undeniable and I agree.

I was just pointing out that, given the never-seen-before and increasing crackdowns on local families in Sicily and beyond, certain nations offer a far more florid ground for "zips". US-aside.

the fact that less Sicilians come here it's another great example of their keen criminal intelligence.