NCJ Number
127691
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 54 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1990) Pages: 43-50
Date Published
1990
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The lack of research on the link between organized crime and racial groups, particularly black Americans, is noted.
Abstract
In 1988, New York City Police Commissioner Lee Brown explored the issue of street crime in the African-American community but made no connection between African-American criminal syndicates, drugs, and street crime. Haller, a respected historian of organized crime, has addressed the relation between blacks and organized crime, identifying a close link between vice activities and black life in cities. Other studies document black gambling syndicates and illicit narcotics activities. The Black Mafia has been reported in Philadelphia, and a kinship relation among its members is suggested that is analogous to the Cosa Nostra. The desire to establish kinship as a bonding agent among black criminal organizations represents a technique used to instill loyalty among members. What is of further interest in exploring the theme of kinship or family is the number of successful African-American racketeers who were born in the South and organized their enterprises around the family. Although there is an inexplicable relation between gambling and loansharking and legitimate businesses among African-American racketeers, there is an underlying belief among some in law enforcement and the research community that black Americans lack the necessary assets to organize crime. Further, there is a perception that African-Americans suffer the effects of criminal law disproportionately to other racial groups. When racketeers serve as role models for youth, when legitimate members of society witness the socioeconomic and political mobility of racketeers, and when government ignores the reality of organized crime, the message is clear that money buys dignity. 60 references