The outfit seems like more of a suburban operation mostly involved with gambling and loansharking which to be honest isnt going to attract any competition, there sort of lucky in that sense that no other group has any large interest in gambling or loansharking otherwise there status might have been extinct a long time ago. The street gangs control most of the drug trade and big drug markets in chicago with the mexicans or whoever supplying. As far as polictical connections read this article. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2012/Gangs-and-Politicians-An-Unholy-Alliance/