What comes to mind when the word mafia is brought up?
Many might think of guns, loads of money, Italians, gangsters, and so on. But do you think of them controlling politicians?
I feel like when people think of the Mafia, they tend to think about Italians doing this work but in reality, many other countries have mafias all around. “Like the Sicilian Mafia, drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia have often turned to violence as a way of establishing control, not only over their members and their competitors but also against ‘unwelcome’ political and popular leaders, local administrators, the police forces and public officers.” (https://www.nber.org/papers/w22093.pdf). Because these people have so much control and power they are able to control the government and commit loads of crime with no worries of getting caught.
Growing up very close to the Mexican border my friends and I heard so many stories about the Mexican Mafia. These criminals are all over the government and its so easy to get away with crimes as long as you tip them. For example, if you get pulled over by a police officer it’s almost 100% likely they are a part of the mafia, so people will put a 20 dollar bill when the window is down and the officer will put their hand on the money and secretly take it, then you’re free to go. The Mexican government is very corrupt and this is well known, they are scattered everywhere through the various government jobs, not just police officers. These individuals hold a very high standard and are in charge of the drug cartels that transport millions of dollars of drugs in and out of the country and these people are essentially the same ones running the government.
A big problem with the mafia and politics is because of the abundance of power they have they are able to bribe politicians in doing what they want. These bribes can essentially control the whole country that they are in. “Organized crime is defined as a highly centralized, often international criminal enterprise that seeks to infiltrate politics and extract public resources for private benefits.” (https://theconversation.com/how-the-mafia-uses-violence-to-control-politics-103031). In Italy, it was seen that the Mafia was threatening the politicians to actually take action on a certain topic and if they didn’t then violence would commence. This would include assaults, gun threats, arson, and other tactics.) https://theconversation.com/how-the-mafia-uses-violence-to-control-politics-103031)
It’s honestly amazing to see just how big these groups can get and how powerful they have become. They are able to control mass amounts of people and the reputation that they hold is very intimidating. When you see that your government have been working with the mafia or your politicians have some sort of connection it puts the citizens of the country at worry. Additionally, when movies are made about the mafia and people see how they are portrayed, the fear rises because, in reality, this stuff is happening all the time. The Mafia has been able to gain control over their government and many times the government gains benefits from working with them.
Sources:
https://theconversation.com/how-the-mafia-uses-violence-to-control-politics-103031
https://www.nber.org/papers/w22093.pdf
http://nymag.com/news/features/crime/46610/index1.html
When I think of the mafia, I think of The Godfather movies and the other related movies/scenes depicted in the 1940s. Their role in today’s government is harder for me to wrap my head around because they do not necessarily look the stereotyped “mafia” image or may not just be as prevalent in media, yet their roles are still so prominent like you said, just in a different way.
I have not really experienced any police officers that are mafia members like you have, and I am sure that it has much to do with the locations in which we lived. Nonetheless, this type of bribery to get out of a speeding ticket or another minor felony may not be that noteworthy if there are only a few instances, but if that begins to be the norm for everyone, it will have detrimental effects in the neighborhoods where this takes place and the country as a whole.
However, it is interesting to examine ways the mafia and government can work together to improve politics and the country because the mafia and other mobs are probably not going away any time soon… https://www.ranker.com/list/cia-working-with-the-mafia/brit-haines lists times in history when the CIA and the mob joined forces to influence world events. Most notably was when the CIA enlisted the mob to assassinate Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. John Roselli, an influential mobster in Chicago, attempted to poison him although it failed. Additionally, the mob was influential in WWII and helped the government invade Sicily.
There are both pros and cons to the mafia as history has shown, but overall, the government should try to devise various ways to utilize them while trying to hinder them from affecting the country violently and negatively.
I enjoyed reading your Civic Issue Blog this semester! Your post topics were so interesting. Great job!!
Josie Golder
As you had mentioned, it is the common perception of the general public that mafia are large, scary men with money and weapons. Their work with the government, however, is something I don’t normally think about when the topic of the Mafia is brought up. After reading you article, I decided to do a little research and figure out more about the history of the American-Italian Mafia to help possibly put things into perspective.
In the 1920s, two Italian American gangs were brought to war by the struggle to retain power on the streets. In 1931, the gang leader known as Salvatore Maranzano was victorious, and crowned himself “the boss of all bosses” (History). Lucky Luciano, an up and coming mobster on the streets, had Maranzano murdered, and eventually, a large organization of over 20 crime families had formed, creating the American Mafia. This large organization was soon reorganized into five main crime families, locating one crime family in each city.
After years of operation, the Mafia faced its worst enemy in the 1970s and years to come. Congress had passed a new law known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, which set out to disband the organizations through the condition of higher-power leaders.
The Mafia, which still managed to exist, although not in the way it used to, was able to gain leverage from the attacks that happened one September 11th, as the war on organized crime had its attention shifted to terrorism and combatting its detrimental effects.
After finding out more about the Mafia’s history and getting a better sense of how these organized crime groups came about, it makes sense that the Mafia still exists today. As I had mentioned, the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers drew much attention away from most other crime groups, leaving open pathways for formerly weak organizations to take advantage of this Kairotic moment, and attempt to build themselves up.
All in all, Mafia organizations, as you had mentioned, are still alive and well. It is possible that they may even begin to prosper if another opportunity to seize a moment comes about. It is necessary that we keep a keen eye and make sure to report any suspicious activity to prevent any past wars from repeating themselves.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/crime/mafia-in-the-united-states
It is really interesting how a Kairotic moment emerged for the Mafia and other gang groups after 9/11. I did not really understand why the Mafia is not as prevalent in the news and media anymore and this shift of the “face” of domestic violence has really taken attention away from these still prominent groups. The history you outlined is so informative, and I am curious as to what will happen in the future regarding these groups and politics.
Hi Gabriela! Nice post. I don’t know much about the mafia, but as you said, what usually comes to mind is the Italian Mafia. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as the Mexican Mafia, but it was very surprised to find out that they worked with the Mexican government. I was also shocked to read that they are able to bribe politicians. I recently read a book called “Gang Leader for a Day”, and I learned that certain gangs do the same by bribing politicians with money that are willing to help their community. It’s crazy to think of how many things go unnoticed, especially involving politicians, but I suppose money truly has a lot of power.