Political Violence and Gangsters Essay

Eventually, due to many reports of violence and killings being associated with D’Andrea, he decided to withdraw from politics instead of his political ambitions being linked with blood shedding. Immediately after his withdrawal from politics, he and his friend started receiving death threats. On May 11, 1921, as D’Andrea was moving to his home with who used to be his bodyguard, they parted well and on reaching his doorsteps, he was attacked and suffered internal bleeding. Other incidences of violence which were politically oriented were witnessed in Chicago city after Merriam Charles who was a professor lost in the elections of Chicago reforms. He made it clear that Chicago was the most corrupt city in America. Until the times of Cermark, the issue of one monolithic was no more, but instead establishment of a collection of mini machines. Such machineries were controlled by prominent political factotums who dispensed their jobs in favor to their home constituents in return due to their loyalty on the material election date. An alderman’s clout purely depended on liability of political structures and schemes to have his vote delivered. In this city, the question of either winning or losing never rose to the politicians but the organizations definitely won the battles through all means because always the court was based on pluralities. (Write here Author’s name)Could you write here author’s name please? Introduction. The Chicago’s criminal reputation preceded long the wars between beer and Al Capone. Although they were born during the same year as sensationalists, American’s new and penny press fear of a masteries working class, the city was perceived even to its earliest observers as a hotbed of immorality and criminal events. Cases of theft murder, rape and crimson among other mayhems became the town’s breaking news in most of the media services. According to the cities complain that the business stealing horses had been reduced to a regular system in 1840, the tribune echoed the perception of the countless Chicagoans (Wirth 1965, p.77). Within the course of the same year, around 2,500 cities’s first hangings were reportedly and confirmed. As the time went on, observers from both beyond and within the city continued to note the existence of identifiable events of crime under ward. In the democrat ward, it was still getting to be notorious fact that pickpockets, thimble, robbers, three-shell game players and broad cases of sly tricks application to cheat become perfectly in the city. The criminal reputation in the city was enhanced by the visibility of vice (Brumer 1969, p.28). Within a half century’s period, more cases of gambling were reported in the city than the larger city of Philadelphia and more per capita than in New York. The vice was first concentrated in a certain area along the river of Chicago known as the ‘patches’ where by the tribune interpreted it as the most beastly sensuality and darkest place of criminal events. The city’s reputation was also wicked as many people witnessed the fire of that time as divine retribution which was against a modern day of Sodom and Gomorrah. The case of lawlessness after the conflagration provided no cause for optimism. One of the newspapers called the city reported that the entire city was infested with groups of burglars, thieves and cut-throat, bent on plunder and also murdered. The fire did not show any sense of redemption whereby the Chicago’s reputation darkened with time. As a result of existence of the image of lawlessness, violent labor dispute crisis increased especially with the Hay market crisis (Davis 1960, p.78). Understanding Political Violence. There is more to the modern political regions than the political religions and rituals sematics as it is assumed regarding to National Socialism and other regimes in totalitarian. Political style and other ideologies do not matter although they provide an answer to as how dead certainty came to be achieved by the ultimate mission. The revolutionary terror furies and sacrifice of the national revivalism give provision that in the current world, it is the region that is in violence but not the violence in region. Human rights violations, including the torture, kidnappings and murder were the daily phenomenon in Chicago city in 1920th. It had become a normal issue that disappearances and murder of labor leaders, kidnapping, union organizers and leftists to be increase especially during the events of politics. According to the research, many people were assassinated as a result of politically motivated killings in the country. Political violence and social change should be considered as the major factor as a breeding ground for violence. The focus should be to the armed organizations mainly the terror perpetrators who are not within the military operations. The aspect of how the political and economic situations in different social strata and how they link with violence should also is considered. Both armed organizations and terror contribute to economic decline. Armed conflicts are more common in the transitional societies like Chicago than in advanced countries (Green 19995, p.65 ). The killing of the vice leader by the name Jim Colosimo in the year 1920 which was the first year of prohibition, indicated a new phase in Chicago’s violence. The violent bloodily a beer wars between the year 1924 and 1930 made Al Capone very famous and the city synonymous with a new phenomenon of gangsterism. Notoriety in Chicago city grew due to series of violent incidences including; the 194 violent shooting of gang leader Dion O. Banion in his flower shop in North side, 1926 machine gunning of Hymie Weiss near the Holy Name Cathedral, 1929 Saint Valentine’s Day massacre which was done to seven people in a clerk street garage. These cases were very widely reported in the international press and also became the incidents of subjects of the popular contemporary plays and books (Haller 1973, p.254). Political Violence and Gangsters. To outline how politics contributed to violence activities in Chicago in 1920th, Chicago’s Union Siciliana elaborates how the decade was marked with series of slaughter. The organization of Unione siciliana was like a mafia group which was very mysterious. It was composed of the Camorra and the Black Hand. This organization was among thousands of fraternal organizations established in America for the purpose of mutual benefit in the societies. It was organized in the Chicago city and had limitations in membership. Depending with the organizations rules, the natives from other countries were interested to join and they were allowed, whereby at the end of first world war, there were many lodges of non Sicilians among them being Tuscan lodge, the Ventiam lodge, the Roman lodge and many more (Mc Garry 2004, p.556). The Union had no leadership but only membership. The leadership of Unione siciliana was exclusivity a stone in the shoe in most infamous gangs always. Al Capone whose heritage was in Neapolitan was associated with the responsibility of the killings of the most Unione Siciliana leaders during the 1920s due to their gang allegiances. Within the decade of 1920s, Anthony D’Andrea was appointed as the leader of the Chicago’s Unione Siciliana. Being born in Sicily, Anthony was a graduate from Palermo University who was a linguist and at the same time, he had studied priesthood. In the year 1902, he was convicted due to counterfeiting and forced to serve 13 months in the prison. In 1903, a former student of D’Andrea interceded on his behalf whereby Anthony was pardoned by the president Theodore Roosevelt. In Chicago, Anthony D’Andrea was known as the former power in the old red light district because in his early teens he was linked as being in connection to a certain gang of Italian counterfeiters and also bank robberies that based operations throughout the country. During this time, Ignacio who was also called Lupo the wolf Saietta was put under arrest in the city of New York and imprisoned. On the other hand Anthony and Frank Milano were also involved in counterfeiting and apprehended in Cleveland and both charged. This indicated that the Italian underworld criminals may have been networking together for long time prior to prohibition (Merriam 1929, p.78). When Anthony D’Andrea was released from prison in the year 1903, he proceeded to Chicago and settled in the so called 19th ward. He was interested with politics and joined local unions. D’Andrea’s Brother Joseph who was the president in the Sewer Diggers was later involved in the Peon system of extorting money from the Italian robberies. As a result, he was murdered on the canal street during a labor quarrel as they were budding the Union’ station. Consequently, it was noted that his brother Anthony D’Andrea would take his position of a presidency. John powers had been the Alderman and the democratic political boss in the 19th ward since the year 1888 had won the Alderman’s post in the ward for 16 elections consecutively (Shapiro 1988, p.143). It is from this time when the ward transformed from predominately Irish to around 80 percent Italian. Most of the democrats started to look for Italian democrat to represent them whereby Diamond Joe was the representative of Italian republican voters within the ward. Earliest on, the split between powers and D’Andrea had been noticed in 1915. The difference was due to each one of them supporting a different mayor candidate. In 1916, D’Andrea presented himself for the Democratic nominations against powers picked candidate James Bowler. In the same year, a Bowler supporter was killed in a Taylor street saloon. Police from streets of Maxwell claimed Lombardi Bowler’s killing as being just the latest addition to Black Hand toll. On the same month, Chicago’s daily tribune printed an article with title that, police on guard in two homes in Mafia terror (Hagan 1978, p.112). According to the article, it indicated that police had full confidence that the killing was as a result of Sicilian feud as it was opposed to the 19th ward political war. According to John Landesco with organized crime in Chicago, he declared that D’Andrea was the elected as the Unione Siciliana’s president which was one of the strongest organizations of foreign groups in America. When power noticed his defeat, he tired to make peace with D’Andrea whereby D’Andrea accepted to support powers for adreman’s position. The Supreme Court of Illinois however voided the election results and Powers took the position. When these events turned, there was a declaration of political war to the death (Gosnell 1937, p.432). On September 28, 1920, an explosion of bomb was witnessed on the porch of Alderman Power’s residence. Powers political rivals claimed that, Powers was keeping the house on Alister place so they intended him to claim residency within his 19th ward. Sometime after the explosion, Anthony D’Andrea was recorded announcing his candidacy as a non partisan for alderman’s position in that 9th ward. On the Feb. 11, 1921 just eleven days before the elections of the aldermanic, another powerful explosion of bomb was evident at Anthony D’Andrea’s political rally in the building on the Avenue of Blue Islands. After the incidence, Alderman Powers was the most sympathetic man. In response to these incidences, the Illinois state’s Attorney Robert E. who for long had proved to be a person of integrity reacted to the bombing incidences through vowing to have new state bill. He declared that, whoever was to be caught with bombing cases would serve for 25 years in penitentiary with death sentence as the maximum punishment. He also added that whoever who was to be caught placing a bomb where it can endanger children or women would be hanged. Chicago city had very tough and terrible conditions in the nineteenth ward. The gunmen were patrolling all over in the streets. Many bump off and kidnapping threats were being offered to D’Andrea while his supporters were being threatened and slugged. Gunmen and cutthroats had been imported from Buffalo and New York due to campaign intimidation. Within less than one week later, on the Feb. 18th, an explosion was made at the home of D’Andrea’s territorial area which adversely spoiled D’Adrea’s political offices of campaign headquarter. Immediately after each occurrence of bombing, Powers covered himself through posting $2,000 as a reward to capture and arrest the concerned perpetrators (Lesswell 1939, p.87). On the elections day in Feb. 22, 1920, security officers were ready very early in full force throughout Chicago city. They succeeded to arrest around 150 men during the day time. The most notorious one was Edward O Donnell who was the leader of a certain gang in southern sides. The day’s biggest catch included that of dynamite. In the area where the law enforcement officers called the headquarter for pre-election bomb outrage in the 19th ward, the security officers managed to raid a certain farm near the 71st street and the Avenue Central park. They were able to collect around 200 pounds of uncovered dynamite and many sacks of blasting powder indicating that those were the major bomb manufacturing centers. From the residence, two men were arrested (Wirth 1973, p.99). Within the 19th ward, more than 450 police officers were stationed. Before noon on the same day, 50 violators were under the police custody. In surprise, despite the fact that many security officers were put in place, three people from the camp of powers including the election judge and the precinct captain had already been kidnapped in the morning section. Power emerged as the winner by a slim margin of only 435 votes. This however did not put to an end the criminal activities and war. In less than just three weeks after conducting the elections, two precinct captains of Powers where killed mercilessly by gangsters. On March 9th, 1920 at around 9 in the morning section, Bailiff A. who was a municipal court Deputy was attack by two bandits as he walked to work. Just a few distant from that scene the same man was attacked again and hit nine times to death. After the murder of Bailiff A, another man by the name Raimond was also murdered while in his store of cigar on Taylor Street. After the incidence, two of the killers ran from the store and dropped one of the murder weapons on sidewalk. It was immediately speculated that most of the gunmen who were involved in the two killing were imported from New York. On April, 12 of the same year, D’Andrea who used to carry a gun for his own safety purposes was arrested after a social club was raided where the gun was found in his pocket. Also several men were arrested for being found gambling in the club (Woodiwiss 2001, p.71). Eventually, due to many reports of violence and killings being associated with D’Andrea, he decided to withdraw from politics instead of his political ambitions being linked with blood shedding. Immediately after his withdrawal from politics, he and his friend started receiving death threats. On May 11, 1921, as D’Andrea was moving to his home with who used to be his bodyguard, they parted well and on reaching his doorsteps, he was attacked and suffered internal bleeding. Other incidences of violence which were politically oriented were witnessed in Chicago city after Merriam Charles who was a professor lost in the elections of Chicago reforms. He made it clear that Chicago was the most corrupt city in America. Until the times of Cermark, the issue of one monolithic was no more, but instead establishment of a collection of mini machines. Such machineries were controlled by prominent political factotums who dispensed their jobs in favor to their home constituents in return due to their loyalty on the material election date. An alderman’s clout purely depended on liability of political structures and schemes to have his vote delivered. In this city, the question of either winning or losing never rose to the politicians but the organizations definitely won the battles through all means because always the court was based on pluralities. (Landesco,1973) During the Election Day, a message was being sent stating that the enemy should be punished and destroyed such that he can never think of politics again in future. The end justified the resulting means in time of insuring a victory decisive in the often grim Darwinistic struggle for life and death. Threat campaigns, brass knuckles, and even murder came to be the only preferred tactics methods especially when the normal ways of using propaganda and persuading voters seemed not to work. The violence associated with Al Capone and the terror campaigns during the election eve in 1923, he waged against the other political bosses of Cicero. Al Capone tried to invade the blue-collar factory in Chicago town when things proved to be too not for him. Capone was the only piker in the town. Intimidation and violence was the Chicago’s way out, and its roots historically extended very much in those times as compared to the rollicking era of Big Fellow and the bathtub gin. Chicagoans much involvement was in the political elections results not considering distractions of the professional sports televisions and other diversions of 20th century than today. In every ward, there was organization of social clubs which aimed to boost the areas preferred candidates. In the city, there were pageantry of colorful parades, torch light rallies, bombastic oratory emissions of sets of smoke were all over the meeting halls and also scattered all over the city (Adamic 1931, p.56). All these events were to show important senses ethnic pride hopes neighborhood identity, fears and also prejudices which vested in candidate’s fortune and enough courage to descend out of the same dominant nationality which was found within the wards. At times a Republican club or the Democratic club engaged in rival organizations which represented some other districts and the ethnic groups in woolly and wild free for alls which were often settled by bats, bricks and also pavement stones. In 1928, Aiello Capone war was still controlled by Unione Siciliana in Chicago. In April, 1928 elections, Capone supporters were heavily backing their Uniuone Siciliana candidate Bernard Barasa. This group had been associated with a number of explosions in connection with his campaigns although he lost the battle to the incumbent with more than 100, 000 votes. Immediately after the primary elections, Capone left for Miami Beach. In late June 1928, other leaders who included Fischetti Charley, Dab Serritella and Jake Guzik visited the boss. Soon they were accompanied by the famous machine gun jack and other killing twins who had been associated with murder of two Chicago killings of police officers. They discussed the fate of Frank Uale, who was the national president of Unione Siciliana in the state of New York. The next visit of Capone to Chicago was to attend the funeral of Lombardo Anthony, who was the Capone; sponsored president in Chicago.Lombardo had been killed by Aiello forces. As Capone was leaving Chicago, he met Lollordo and discovered that he could be threat to him in aspirating the presidential seat. On January, 8, 1929, Lolordo was shot with .38 Caliber guns without any warning (Landesco 1931, p.68). Conclusion. Some few years later, the long awaited reformist aim of shadowy conspirators who were seeking for control of Chicago’s violence situation got the public attention in the city when vice entrepreneur and boot legging Al Capone and Torrio John rose and prominence shocking violence. Their main agenda discussed about the earliest depictions of the criminal events which oriented from election activities during the boot legging time. They ignored many illegal businesses from international liquor trading networks t neighborhood soft drinks parlors. It also ignored public demands for booze which focused on competition in violence among the gangs in dominations of the illegal trading especially in urban space. Their illustrations also show the fuzzy and ever shifting turf of major gangsters around 1925 which suggests that no Chicagoan could control some of the gang. Generally these criminal events indicated that the city of Chicago had no well established rules to govern the country’s activities. It is also noted that most of the organizations associated with violence were supported and funded by the prominent political aspirant’s. At the same time, more groups of gangs formed due to the advantage of political crisis. For instance, the robberies, arson, rape among other evil events. All these symbolized government’s failure to provide enough security force to curb the problem. References. Adamic L, (1931), Dynamite: The story of classic violence in America, London. Asbury H, (2002).The Gungs of New York.London. 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