1.14.2011

THE VIOLENT YEARS AND THE MOTOR CITY MAFIA....


Whereas the Purple Gang was a predominantly Jewish group, the crime organizations covered in this volume all come from different ethnic backgrounds. Each gang covered provides insight not only into their crime organization, but also into the ethnic origins of the region.

For instance, the chapter on the Giannola/Vitale Mafia covers the origins of the war between the two gangs, which lasted from 1918 to 1921. It also covers the origins of the Italian Mafia-including the history of the dreaded "Black Hand"-and its enclave in the Detroit area. Among other famous area gangs included is the predominantly Irish "Legs" Laman mob and the "River Gang" whose leaders became the founders of Detroit's modern Mafia family.

Kavieff's first book, The Purple Gang, stayed on the Detroit bestseller list for months after its release. With this title Kavieff once again captures the flavor of the era and the region marvelously and is sure to captivate readers across the country

Declares G. Robert Blakey, a Notre Dame Law School professor who drafted the 1970 RICO law now being used so effectively against organized crime: "It's the twilight of the Mob. It's not dark yet for them, but the sun is going down." Full Story Here

The Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act Of 1970
Organized crime is defined as any group that has an organized structure of bosses, advisors, and committed working members whose key goal is to obtain money and property through illegal activities. Organized crime groups thrive on supplying goods and services that are not legally available but for which a large number of people are willing to pay. Gambling, prostitution, pornography, and dealing in illegal drugs have long been moneymakers for organized crime.


Motor City Mafia: A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit chronicles the storied and hallowed gangland history of the notorious Detroit underworld. Scott M. Burnstein takes the reader inside the belly of the beast, tracking the bloodshed, exploits, and leadership of the southeast Michigan crime syndicate as never before seen in print. Through a stunning array of rare archival photographs and images.

Motor City Mafia captures Detroit's most infamous past, from its inception in the early part of the 20th century, through the years when the iconic Purple Gang ruled the city's streets during Prohibition, through the 1930s and the formation of the local Italian mafia, and the Detroit crime family's glory days in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, all the way to the downfall of the area's mob reign in the 1980s and 1990s.

Read More on RK

2 comments:

Big Rich said...

Good Stuff

Anonymous said...

These are GREAT !!

My father actually "did time" for driving a car involved in "the trade" .... before I was born.
anyway ... now the "secret" is out .... Like me - he was "scared straight" ....

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