Did Italians originate the mafia??

[kingblaze84]

Don't want to let this thread died out...........any other questions on the mafia?

Ignorant question but: Are La Costra Nostra (the American Italian Mafia?) really the most powerful crime organization in America, and do they control most crime in America? I've heard that a couple of times, and read and seen some evidence of that.

If it's true, what keeps the Mexican cartels (who are next door to America) and the leaders of the most powerful street gangs from cutting them out? And what about 'Ndrangheta?

It's depends on the time periods. In the 30s-70s, Costra Nostra was pretty much in power. They had their hands in politics, unions and trade in America.

RICO didn't deciamted the Costra Nostra until the 80s, but by then the cartels figure out how to bypass the mafia and go to the other ethnic gangs or street gangs ..also the Mafia was actually forbidden to go into the narc trade, but some did on the low but never really had the connections (the bosses did but not the soldiers and associates.)

Not the Bonnano family. They openly sold drugs and the other families knew it. In fact the mafia was involved in selling drugs as early as the 1940s. Also, the bosses didn't give a Damn if they're soldiers sold drugs or not. Al long as they came with the envelope nobody cared. They never asked where the money came from. Basically it was go ahead and do it but don't get caught.

Interesting, I've read contradictory stories on this subject. What you say makes sense though, considering the 1940s had hard economic times nationwide. Some Italian bosses really did hate drug dealing but many of them, if not most were killed off by their own soldiers for that

 

[themadlionsfan]

Don't want to let this thread died out...........any other questions on the mafia?

Ignorant question but: Are La Costra Nostra (the American Italian Mafia?) really the most powerful crime organization in America, and do they control most crime in America? I've heard that a couple of times, and read and seen some evidence of that.

If it's true, what keeps the Mexican cartels (who are next door to America) and the leaders of the most powerful street gangs from cutting them out? And what about 'Ndrangheta?

It's depends on the time periods. In the 30s-70s, Costra Nostra was pretty much in power. They had their hands in politics, unions and trade in America.

RICO didn't deciamted the Costra Nostra until the 80s, but by then the cartels figure out how to bypass the mafia and go to the other ethnic gangs or street gangs ..also the Mafia was actually forbidden to go into the narc trade, but some did on the low but never really had the connections (the bosses did but not the soldiers and associates.)

Not the Bonnano family. They openly sold drugs and the other families knew it. In fact the mafia was involved in selling drugs as early as the 1940s. Also, the bosses didn't give a Damn if they're soldiers sold drugs or not. Al long as they came with the envelope nobody cared. They never asked where the money came from. Basically it was go ahead and do it but don't get caught.

Interesting, I've read contradictory stories on this subject. What you say makes sense though, considering the 1940s had hard economic times nationwide. Some Italian bosses really did hate drug dealing but many of them, if not most were killed off by their own soldiers for that

Yeah, it happened. Vito Genovese pushed hard to get in the drug trade. There were detractors like Frank Costello, but it had nothing to do with any type of morality or honor. It was more because of the sentencing. Just Google "the French connection" or "the pizza connection."

 

[janklow]

@janklow‌ which you think had the better foothold in America coexisting with the Costra Nostra: Sicilians, Calabrese or Camorra?

Sicilians because the Mafia is basically Sicilian in origin. look at all the zips they brought over and had in the mix; take whatever random Mafia figure (okay, not Murray Humphreys) and see where they trace back their families.

 

[kingblaze84]

What I trip off of is where did the Jewish and Irish organized crime syndicates go? Those shits just seemed to vanish like opium and opium dens.[/b]

From what I've read, its what helped destroy the smaller Mafia families like Philadelphia's - the ethnic groups assimilated into America, gained wealth, and escaped the ghettos. They became "white". Their best and brightest minds didn't HAVE to be criminals to survive anymore, they could just become doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, politicians. Organized crime didn't have the talent pool anymore. The flip side of that is you have to increasingly scrape the bottom of the barrel for new recruits. So you wind up with a gang of stupid, disloyal, unintelligent fuckups too lazy for a real job.

Just think back to the Sopranos...how many YOUNG Italians did you ever see trying to get down w/ The Family? Like....Jackie Aprile Jr's retarded Ziggy Sobotka ass and Christopher and that was pretty much IT. Tony's hopes for the future of the family were pinned on Chris, that was the absolute best he could do for an apprentice and heir, and dude was a unholy trainwreck and junkie.

Excellent post

 

[water ur seeds]

The Italians clearly started the Mafia, but organised crime has probably been around since day 1...

It was partly to combat the corrupted police and handed out their own punishments etc and restore some kind or order...