Gangsters (old school)

[Mike]

I was at a gathering this last weekend where I spent time talking with a lady who was over 90 years old. She grew up and lived most of her life in Chicago. I asked her a lot about old Chicago back in the day, and I asked if she remembered seeing any of the gangster element.

Get this. She explained that, until she was 12, she live across the street from Al Capone! And thru him, she met Baby Face Nelson. In her youth, she said everything was hush hush around her, but she remembered Capone would flip her a silver dollar whenever he saw her. Her family moved away to another area of the Chicago region when she was 12, and it wasn't until she was older that she learned who he really was.

From her young perspective, she only had fond memories of Capone. She said he was very loyal to his immediate community. My question is this. Can anyone see any virtue in classic big time gangsters from a Christian world view?

 

[jasonc]

I was at a gathering this last weekend where I spent time talking with a lady who was over 90 years old. She grew up and lived most of her life in Chicago. I asked her a lot about old Chicago back in the day, and I asked if she remembered seeing any of the gangster element.

Get this. She explained that, until she was 12, she live across the street from Al Capone! And thru him, she met Baby Face Nelson. In her youth, she said everything was hush hush around her, but she remembered Capone would flip her a silver dollar whenever he saw her. Her family moved away to another area of the Chicago region when she was 12, and it wasn't until she was older that she learned who he really was.

From her young perspective, she only had fond memories of Capone. She said he was very loyal to his immediate community. My question is this. Can anyone see any virtue in classic big time gangsters from a Christian world view?

One type of sin or another that isn't cleansed by the blood is still a stain

 

[reba]

I see gangs gangsters when they are nice as a way of them trying to buy salvation.
one can not sell drugs to your grandchild and be sincere in flipping a coin to another.

 

[Mike]

Anything I know of gangsters like Capone comes from Hollywood, so you know it's true. Seriously, I've watched my share of documentaries, but they will be tainted, too. reba I believe you and jasonc are spot on. It was the height of hypocrisy that they would christen their children by day and murder by night.

Of course they took care of family and friends. Jesus spoke to how even heathens love their friends. That shows no value system when you're instilling loyalty out of fear for their lives. They lived their lives with blood on their hands. There might have been cases where they protected the defenseless, but I believe that came with the price of loyalty. Loyalty was proved by doing their dirty work. Stop doing their dirty work, stop being protected.

 

[jasonc]

Anything I know of gangsters like Capone comes from Hollywood, so you know it's true. Seriously, I've watched my share of documentaries, but they will be tainted, too. reba I believe you and jasonc are spot on. It was the height of hypocrisy that they would christen their children by day and murder by night.

Of course they took care of family and friends. Jesus spoke to how even heathens love their friends. That shows no value system when you're instilling loyalty out of fear for their lives. They lived their lives with blood on their hands. There might have been cases where they protected the defenseless, but I believe that came with the price of loyalty. Loyalty was proved by doing their dirty work. Stop doing their dirty work, stop being protected.

AL Capone vacationed in Monroe County. Not much of that home still stands.

 

[Christ_empowered]

hmmmm....

I think, at best, old school gangster's offered (yet another) satanic counterfeit for good things that were/could have been godly, had they been rooted in Scripture and carried out appropriately. For instance....in some economically depressed areas, gangs provided an opportunity for employment where there weren't many legal options. Employment is good, having enough resources for self and others is good....dealing in drugs, booze, and prostitution is not a good thing...at all.

Protecting those who can't protect themselves is good. Protecting the defenseless only if they stay loyal to illegal and immoral people+projects...not good. Ever.

Encouraging loyalty to your fellow man is a good thing, or can be. Encouraging loyalty to fellow criminals with serious, violent consequences for disloyalty...not a good thing.

 

[for_his_glory]

Loyalty to one another as in gangs and their families is one thing, but loyalty in Christ is everything. Good intentions will not equate a personal relationship with Christ. John 3:3-7; Romans 10:9, 10

 

[JohnDB]

Al Capone was a criminal. He sold a popular product. He was very rich and famous. The main product he sold was alcohol during Prohibition.

Because of this he got his fingers into a lot of other things.
All criminal....

Now if everyone agreed to simply not purchase an illegal product then guys like Capone wouldn't exist.

Miami Florida was a nothing Florida town... absolutely nothing to it...till the drug money from cocaine came in. Then high rise banks and offices galore sprang up...so did a lot of small personal airports and boats...

And then street gangs...
And addicts
And drug cartels...

We make our own problems...and it carries over to other countries.
Currently many terrorists are funded by drugs like heroin and opium.
Sooooo

Yeah
..

 

[John Olexa]

"Money" was/is EVERYTHING to the Mafia. That alone makes be shutter. I have a fair number of books about organized crime. I just never could understand how they could be Catholic & still do the things they did. This is pretty good reading. Catholic Church & the mob. (2014)

http://www.mozzarellamamma.com/2014/the-catholic-church-and-the-mafia/

 

[jasonc]

Al Capone was a criminal. He sold a popular product. He was very rich and famous. The main product he sold was alcohol during Prohibition.

Because of this he got his fingers into a lot of other things.
All criminal....

Now if everyone agreed to simply not purchase an illegal product then guys like Capone wouldn't exist.

Miami Florida was a nothing Florida town... absolutely nothing to it...till the drug money from cocaine came in. Then high rise banks and offices galore sprang up...so did a lot of small personal airports and boats...

And then street gangs...
And addicts
And drug cartels...

We make our own problems...and it carries over to other countries.
Currently many terrorists are funded by drugs like heroin and opium.
Sooooo

Yeah
..

im not saying that Miami hasn't been

Al Capone was a criminal. He sold a popular product. He was very rich and famous. The main product he sold was alcohol during Prohibition.

Because of this he got his fingers into a lot of other things.
All criminal....

Now if everyone agreed to simply not purchase an illegal product then guys like Capone wouldn't exist.

Miami Florida was a nothing Florida town... absolutely nothing to it...till the drug money from cocaine came in. Then high rise banks and offices galore sprang up...so did a lot of small personal airports and boats...

And then street gangs...
And addicts
And drug cartels...

We make our own problems...and it carries over to other countries.
Currently many terrorists are funded by drugs like heroin and opium.
Sooooo

Yeah
..

Miami ,wasnt that big until after ww2.ww2 played alot in why my state grew.many vets liked the towns they trained at.many of their grandkids are still in my town.Miami had three major airfields in ww2.they were way out in a swamp or away from civilization.

I'm not saying the prohibited drugs and mafia didn't bring Money to Dade county .just isn't is what made Miami. Flagler is the father of Miami ,like my town it's built on citrus then later had the chance to grow because of immigrants, the natural port,and tourism.

 

[JohnDB]

The explosive growth in the 80's didn't happen in Miami?

It just grew normally and naturally huh?

You sure about that huh?
Don Johnson would probably disagree. LOL

 

[jasonc]

The explosive growth in the 80's didn't happen in Miami?

It just grew normally and naturally huh?

You sure about that huh?
Don Johnson would probably disagree. LOL

my dad is from there.Mt county tripled in population in 80s.1980 we had 30000,1990,100000.

The whole state grew.Miami wasn't like my town which didn't have an interstate exit until 1973,if we wanted to go to Miami in 1980.it was the turnpike or the long way ,us1.95 wasn't finished and Miami had that long before my county.95 was finished In 1987.I can post topos of Miami in the 70s.Miami vice,lol.

I don't even like Miami but it's not founded on crime.the first settlement there was called ft.dallas.flagler came in with rr and Miami growth was only a matter of time.

So it's always that private airstrips are a sign of mafia? If so my county has a lot of it.we have 2 that I know about.

New hibiscus airfield, the Indian River aerodome.

You can't fly in and out on those with too much activity and not be under faa control.

 

[Mike]

"Money" was/is EVERYTHING to the Mafia. That alone makes be shutter. I have a fair number of books about organized crime. I just never could understand how they could be Catholic & still do the things they did. This is pretty good reading. Catholic Church & the mob. (2014)

http://www.mozzarellamamma.com/2014/the-catholic-church-and-the-mafia/

THAT is a very interesting article! Very well written without an apparent agenda to apologize for the Catholic church or make accusations of it. Thanks for sharing!