Organized Crime Essay Research Paper Organized Crime

Organized Crime Essay, Research Paper

Organized Crime in AmericaJoanne KleinMarch 8, 1996Period 4 One morning, as Mario Luigi opens his family-owned shoe store, a small envelope on the ground catches his eye. He immediately knows what it is-another black hand letter from the Mafia. “If this goes on much longer, I will surely go out of business,” he thinks angrily. “Immigrating to America did me no good. The Mafia is everywhere.” One of the reasons immigrants came to America was to escape criminal organizations like the Mafia. The Mafia is a secret, terrorist organization that began in Naples, in southern Italy. From Naples, the Mafia spread first to the island of Sicily, off the toe of the Italian boot. After ruling there for many centuries, the Mafia spread to America in the 1870s and 1880s, when it was brought over from Italy and southeastern Europe by immigrants. The immigrants brought with them their traditions of violence, crime and secret criminal organizations. Although most immigrants were honest and hard-working, looking for a new start and a better life, some immigrants from Italy belonged to the Mafia and other criminal organizations. Like Mario Luigi, many Italian immigrants received a “Black Hand” letter. Black Handletters were a type of blackmail used by the Mafia to demand money. The letters were markedwith drawings of a dagger, pistol or other lethal weapon. If the letter was paid off, therewould be no trouble until the next letter. However, if the letter was not paid off, theimmigrant’s store or business could be wrecked, a member of their family could be assaulted,or the immigrant himself could be killed. In an actual case, a wealthy Brooklyn butchernamed Goetano Costa received a Black Hand letter in 1905 saying, “You have more money thanwe have. We know of your wealth and that you are alone in this country. We want $1,000which you are to put in a loaf of bread and hand to a man who comes in to buy meat and pullsout a red handkerchief.” Costa refused, and as a result one morning some Mafia members cameinto his store and shot him to death. Witnesses to the crime couldn’t risk their lives tosay anything about it. They were bound by the Omerta code of silence, which literally meansthe “ability to act like a man.” You might be wondering where the term “Mafia” comes from. Historians say the Mafia began in the 13th century when Italy was fighting the French Angevins. Their slogan was “Morte alla Francia, Italia Anela!” This means “Death to the French is Italy’s Cry!” The word Mafia comes from the first letter of each word in the slogan. However, the American Mafiiosi do not agree. They say the term Mafia came from when a French soldier raped a Palermo maiden on her wedding day, Easter Monday, 1282. Consequently, angry Sicilians struck back by killing an entire French troop. More Sicilians joined in, going from town to town killing the French and raping their daughters. “Mafia” became their name when hysterical mothers ran out in the streets screaming, “Ma fia, ma fia!” (”My daughter, my daughter!”). Another organization connected to organized crime is the Camorra. Like the Mafia, the Camorra originally spread from Naples to Sicily. They too ruled parts of the island for many centuries. The Camorra also enforced the Omerta code so well that no witness to a crime dared say a word for fear of being killed. In America, the police knew very little about organized crime because of the Omerta code. Police even thought the Black Hand letters came from a Black Hand Society, instead of the Mafia or the Camorra. Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino was the first American to realize that crime was organized and very dangerous. Lieutenant Petrosino was a stocky, 5′ 8″ man with a round head, slightly pock marked face, and black eyes. He was born in the coastal town of Salerno, near Naples, and later moved to America. Petrosino was also the first to become convinced that Black Hand letters were not from freelance extortionists, but from a highly organized and powerful mob. He persuaded his superiors to appoint a special Italian squad. Petrosino headed the squad, which met in the old Metropolitan Police headquarters on Mulberry Street in New York. This squad was the first to make complete records on the Mafia and its members. Petrosino risked his life every day to gather information that identified the principal Mafiosi. One of his greatest accomplishments was in 1900, when he uncovered a plot to murder Italian King Humbert. He sent the information abroad and foiled the plan. Petrosino received very little support from the police and the public. Despite all hisefforts and information, Petrosino could not make the government officials or the averageAmerican believe in the Mafia. Knowing it was up to him, in one year Petrosino personallymade 700 arrests. Among these was the arrest of Enrico Alfano (Erricone), the chief ofCamorra. Petrosino deported him back to Italy and turned him over to the Italian police.He also knew that Ignazio Lupo (Lupo Wolf) was the chief of the Mafia but Petrosino couldnot catch or arrest him. A new wave of Black Hand violence swept over New York in 1907, and again Petrosino was forced to fight it on his own. Joseph Trano, an Italian merchant, came to Petrosino with a black hand letter wanting $500 on pain of death. Petrosino gave him marked bills and set a trap. He then followed and arrested Vincenzio Abadezza (one of Lupo Wolf’s principal lieutenants) and eigh