Comments | little_details: organised crime?

supercrook in little_details

organised crime?

Feb 24, 2009 20:38

Two characters are at least tangentially involved in organised crime in a major city-- probably Chicago-- in the 1920's. One is a corrupt cop, in his early 30's, Irish-American, and pretty mercenary-- no particular qualms about what he does as long as he gets ahead. Another is younger (maybe in his mid-20's), and basically a gun for hire though ( Read more... )

~organized crime

Comments 8

subluxate February 25 2009, 03:36:53 UTC

The city will matter--organized crime in New York and Chicago are different beasts.

supercrook February 25 2009, 03:39:12 UTC

Hmm. Considering what I've written before for this, and what my sources are (which are, admittedly, rather poor) probably Chicago.

subluxate February 25 2009, 20:23:45 UTC

This site should be a big help with getting a feel for Chicago organized crime.

the_jester1 February 25 2009, 15:11:49 UTC

How so? And I'm asking this because I am writing a crime novel myself, set in New York in the '40s, and all the key characters are old enough to remember the Roaring Twenties and have their lives affected by happenings from that time.

I admit that in the Chigago setting I'd be more likely to get away with the mob boss who is northern Italian and with high-ranking Irishmen in his crew, though at this stage I have him in wartime New York and the biggest thing in town outside the Five Families since Dutch Schultz is dead, Owney Madden has headed South and Lucky Luciano is in jail. Another element to consider is that in my narrative, the two biggest crims are in New York's high society, a millionaire banker and his socialite daughter.

Thread 6

gloriatempest February 25 2009, 04:33:09 UTC

If he is a dirty cop, he could run into the younger guy when he is sneaking around on the take from the younger guy's boss...

The younger guy's boss may even order him to pass information to the cop so the Big Boss isn't seen talking to the cop. It seems like there are lots of possibilities.

As far as crimes go, there is also extortion from local businesses. Gangs and organized crime also have another intriguing component to them and that is the sense of family and loyalty that is instilled within the organization. It has a deep root for using fear as a method of control but there is still a sense of belonging.

the_jester1 February 25 2009, 15:22:52 UTC

From what I have read about Chicago at that time, if your gangster is from the South Side he'll more than likely be Italian, whereas if he's from the North Side, he could be Irish, German or Polish. Having said that, The Chicago Outfit was Italian-led, but embraced multiculturalism - Murray "The Camel" Humphries (whose parents were Welsh) was a big player in the Chicago outfit for many years, and Lester Gillis a.k.a. George "Baby Face" Nelson (who I think was of Scots-Belgian descent) was an enforcer (until Capone reportedly gave him the arse for being too violent, would you believe?).