I'm not going to get into how I know these things. Whatever you're thinking, you're probably right. Anything that you read in books/on the web has likely been researched by FBI folks/organized crime "specialists". These men are not in the know, they take whatever the Outfit gives them, which is barely anything at all.
I'm from the streets of South Side Chicago, I'm 100% Sicilian, I always keep an ear to the street & always have. This is how you gain real knowledge, not by going on Wikipedia.
It's the same old debate every few months. You just have to switch around the family. "The feds don't know anything. Chicago/Detroit/wherever is so secretive, so well connected..I'm from NY/Chicago/Detroit so I know things that you don't."
There's no way that the modern day Outfit is second to the Genovese in any category. Chicago is still a viable family, sure. But they don't rival any of the NY families, except for possibly the Colombos. But whatever. Everyone always sticks to their guns about how their hometown mob is enormously powerful, despite all odds. All we have to do is search for the last Chicago fight to see how this plays out.
