The mob is alive and well all over the place.
In Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon 2 he mentions the Mafia getting invovled in the film industry unions.
Recall one time being at the base commissary with my dad at Randolph AFB to go grocery shopping. He started talking to the vendor stocking cheese.I think my dad made a comment about the price of cheese and the mob getting their cut,and both he and the guy stocking cheese just laughed.The Mafia is invovled in a lot of unions and things.My grandfather was president of the meat cutters union in Milwaukee,and never thought to ask my dad if the mob ever tried to get invovled in the union.Grandpa was a man who would not back down from a fight, and certainly wouldn't be above giving some good fella a lead present if you know what I mean.
An example: Back in Hot Springs my grandparents lived on a farm owned by the family.They had an old horse that used to deliver the mail.Grandpa bought it from someone.It was a gentle horse,good for riding,but The horse had the habit of stopping at all the mail boxes.
Anyhow,grandpa sold the horse to a guy we'll call Mr.Jones.Jones came to the house and tried to get his money back for the horse,because of the horse stopping for the mail.Grandpa told him sell it to one of the riding stables in town.Jones said no,he wanted his money back.
They got into a heated arguement,and grandpa told daddy to go into the house. Well daddy said he came back out and slipped grandpa his gun. Jones noticed nothing.Finally Mr.Jones said will you take the horse back,and grandpa said no.I told you what you can do with the horse.So Jones said to grandpa,Well I'm Choctaw and I don't get mad I get even.And grandpa said,well I'm German and I'll blow your head off,and with that Mr.Jones was staring down the barrel of a gun.
Daddy said that Boy was he surprised ,and his tune changed.Mr.Jones
said to grandpa,Mr.Hilpert I believe,you would.Now what where you saying about selling the horse to a riding stable?
Well all ended well.No one got shot,and in fact Jones later saw grandpa one day in town and told him he sold "Ben" the horse.He got $150 or so for it,and was glad now that he had taken grandpa's advice.I guess grandpa figured there'd be trouble,hence the gun.My great grandmother had a reputation around town as a woman you didn't mess with.Have to tell you the story of the day she shot Woodhall the dairyman's cows sometime.
Prisonchef,you sound like my grandfather.And you let these guys know that you meant business,and if they tried something,they were the ones going down,not you.The word has gotten around about you,which explains no one else so far has tried to shake you down.In a weird way,those types respect you for your boldness and guts.
Anround here we have the mexican mafia.As far as I know they are mainly in the drug racket around here,not shaking down restaurants and bodegas.
Here's a gangster story from the 1920s for you. Guys like Al Capone,Nick the Greek and others used to come to Hot Springs Ark. on vacation. Well one day they held the Garland County Fair.The family was busy enjoying the sights.My dad was over by one of the crane machines,where you use a crane to get a prize.Well,he watched this gangster drop some coins in to try to get a watch.The guy kept dropping in money and trying to grab the watch with the crane,but no luck.So instead of giving up and walking away,he took out his gun,and used the butt end to break the glass.Daddy said he saw the
guy then reach in and take the watch and walk away.Of course no one stopped him,and this guy figured since he'd been dropping in enough change for it,it was his.
