Public Enemies and Private Brothers

Delara Alviri

Dr. Dudley

UCWR 110

November 4, 2013

Public Enemies and Private Brothers

        “Liquor prohibition led to the rise of organized crime in America, and drug prohibition has led to the rise of the gang problems we have now.” Drew Carey describes the lineage between the old and the new gangsters where the lifestyles and business tactics can be linked. Underneath the hard exterior, slang, and tattoos, criminals have created a brotherhood not based on family. Scheming families and tight knit relationships have evolved a dirty business into an all-too interesting lifestyle. In the 1920s, Al Capone led the largest black market trade in Chicago and surrounding areas. Similarly, the DeCavalcante family of New Jersey originated during the same time covering the same type of commerce, but this regime of gangsters forged on until the 1990s. Their trust was not solely in the hands of their blood-related family, but in the men they brought close enough to call brothers. The DeCavalcantes have a strong influence on forming organized crime. This sway can be directly noted with developing street mafias. Incentives and organization of the old business changed throughout the decades, but the DeCavalcantes serve as the ancestry to modern gangs.

        The DeCavalcante family originated in Elizabeth, NJ. They had connections with other mob groups in the area and across New York as a part of the earliest American Mafia or Cosa Nostra (“Our Thing”) which originated in Sicily, Italy (Triplett). This specific sect of the Cosa Nostra began in the 1920s with Simone DeCavalcante transporting alcohol into New York City but was also divided among five other families. After Simone retired, he appointed John Riggi as the boss and Girolamo “Jimmy” Palermo as his underboss. Riggi ran the business operations from jail after a conviction until the ultimate downfall of the family. He selected acting bosses in his place until he ultimately created the ruling panel of three men: Girolamo Palermo, Vincent “Vinny Ocean” Palermo, and Charles Majuri, but as expected with large stakes and large sums of money, the men were not satisfied with divided power. Schemes for murder were set, but allies and information through the accomplices finally shorthanded the assassination. Mistrust between the men emanated. One mob man, Ralph Guarino cooperated with the FBI to avoid a long prison sentence. He wore recording devices and allowed the agency to listen to the mob’s plans. Before Vinny Ocean executed a gun down of Joseph Masaella, the law enforcement intervened on December 2, 1999 arresting over thirty members (Mob Money: An American Greed Special Presentation). The value of trust and integrity between the men is what allowed the family to rule over the Yankee area for the extended period of time. The illicit activities they were in charge of changed with different bosses and decades with minor changes in conduct, but their accountability for each member’s dedication remained. Doubts about a member’s loyalty concluded with murder or severe violence. This attribute is especially important in modern gangs because of exponential growth of new gangs.