In addition to its history and founding principles, the mob’s structure created a sense of family among the members that fostered complete loyalty to the mob bosses and a brutal efficiency in extending their power. The power structure of the mob was organized in a strict hierarchy to insure a strong chain of command. A father, or boss, governed the family with unquestioned authority, with a sottocapo, or underboss, as his second in command (Raab 29). The rest of the family was organized into crews of fifteen to thirty “made men,” or full, all Italian members protected by the family, with each crew led by a caporegime, or captain (See Appendix 1) (Raab 29). “Being made” meant that no one could have the member killed without direct permission
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The ethnic unity of the mob created tight ties that ran into the Italian neighborhoods within the cities. Carmen Polutro has lived on 8th and Wilder Street, an all-Italian neighborhood in South Philadelphia and part of the Philadelphia Mob’s stronghold within the city, for all 74 years of his life. When asked about what he remembered about the mob’s behavior, he said "We liked them. They weren't thugs you know? They wore suits. You'd invite them to your kids christening” (Polutro). This feeling reflects how the Italian communities felt that the mob’s members were “one of them.” They would “wear suits,” and behave like any other Italian in the city. To the citizens of an Italian neighborhood in South Philadelphia, a member was another Italian, someone who they would want to go out with, or want at their “kid’s christening.” Similarly, movies such as Goodfellas further spread this message of the mob being “one of us.” In Goodfellas, Henry Hill, the main character and narrator, talked about associates of the mob, saying, “You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, ‘You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a good fella. He's one of us.’ You understand? We were good fellas. Wiseguys” (Goodfellas). The “goodfella” or “wiseguy” …show more content…
When asked about the people’s view on the mob’s operations, Polutro said, "For the average guy in the neighborhood, the mob hardly ever effected them negatively. They ran it like a corporation, everything was business. It was only done in the sense of business. And as long as we stayed out of their way, their business didn't affect us" (Polutro). The mob, especially by putting any destructive actions in terms of “business,” largely was perceived as a helpful or protective force for the community. Polutro went on to say, “We were more afraid of cops than those guys. They ran numbers for us, the cops locked us up for playing hockey in the street” (Polutro). “Running numbers,” or taking bets, was a service that many in community wanted, just as many in the community wanted alcohol during Capone’s time, and “we were more afraid of cops,” illustrates how despite their brutal nature, many saw the mob as protective, while they saw the police as destructive. This characterization of the mob as better for the people than the government is again reflected and publicized in popular mafia movies such as The Godfather. In The Godfather, Michael, son of the family’s boss, tells his wife, Kay Adams, “My
The ethnic unity of the mob created tight ties that ran into the Italian neighborhoods within the cities. Carmen Polutro has lived on 8th and Wilder Street, an all-Italian neighborhood in South Philadelphia and part of the Philadelphia Mob’s stronghold within the city, for all 74 years of his life. When asked about what he remembered about the mob’s behavior, he said "We liked them. They weren't thugs you know? They wore suits. You'd invite them to your kids christening” (Polutro). This feeling reflects how the Italian communities felt that the mob’s members were “one of them.” They would “wear suits,” and behave like any other Italian in the city. To the citizens of an Italian neighborhood in South Philadelphia, a member was another Italian, someone who they would want to go out with, or want at their “kid’s christening.” Similarly, movies such as Goodfellas further spread this message of the mob being “one of us.” In Goodfellas, Henry Hill, the main character and narrator, talked about associates of the mob, saying, “You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, ‘You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a good fella. He's one of us.’ You understand? We were good fellas. Wiseguys” (Goodfellas). The “goodfella” or “wiseguy” …show more content…
When asked about the people’s view on the mob’s operations, Polutro said, "For the average guy in the neighborhood, the mob hardly ever effected them negatively. They ran it like a corporation, everything was business. It was only done in the sense of business. And as long as we stayed out of their way, their business didn't affect us" (Polutro). The mob, especially by putting any destructive actions in terms of “business,” largely was perceived as a helpful or protective force for the community. Polutro went on to say, “We were more afraid of cops than those guys. They ran numbers for us, the cops locked us up for playing hockey in the street” (Polutro). “Running numbers,” or taking bets, was a service that many in community wanted, just as many in the community wanted alcohol during Capone’s time, and “we were more afraid of cops,” illustrates how despite their brutal nature, many saw the mob as protective, while they saw the police as destructive. This characterization of the mob as better for the people than the government is again reflected and publicized in popular mafia movies such as The Godfather. In The Godfather, Michael, son of the family’s boss, tells his wife, Kay Adams, “My