I thought this piece from a Chicago tribune article might be interesting: One of the more revealing stories about the now-imprisoned Fort and his gang, for long considered the most violent on Chicago`s streets, was told by Henry Harris, a former Rukn general who testified for the prosecution as it crafted its case.

Harris, built like a nose tackle and wearing thick reading glasses, described from the witness stand a 1981 meeting between Fort and convicted Milwaukee mob chieftain Frank Balistrieri.

In the back room of a smoky bar, Balistrieri leaned over the table and calmly suggested to Fort that if the Rukn organization was in need of cash, it should consider selling heroin, Harris said.

Harris said that the remark infuriated Fort, who is black, and that Fort shouted this warning to his white counterpart:

``If you ever bring heroin to the South Side of Chicago, around my people, I will come down on you so hard your forefathers in Italy will hear your bones rattling.``

Despite his alleged outburst, events would demonstrate that Fort had taken the don`s advice to heart.