Business The Mafia Families example essay topic

The Life and Times of John Gotti From its very existence the Mafia has always been feared and respected. The yare respected for the power that they posses to do what they want whenever and with whomever they please. Also the Mafia is respected for the money that they poses and the ability to get it by all means possible. They are feared by people knowing that the Mafia would not hesitate to kill someone if need be.

'The roots of the mafia go way back to Sicily where their history is ancient and bloody' (Cummings and Volkman 3). 'The American mafia is often portrayed as the invisible and omnipotent criminal of the movie melodrama' (Cummings and Volkman 4). 'It is neither of them, but the American mafia is one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world' (Cummings and Volkman 4). When the American mafia first started people did not pay much attention to the criminal acts that they did and the unholy morals that they stood for. That was until a man from Chicago by the name of Al Capone took the mafia from rags to riches from the late nineteen twenties well into the nineteen thirties.

Thanks to Mr. Capone, the American mafia was well known, and became a great force to be dealt with in the world. Mr, Capone also made men of the mafia among the most socially mobile people in America. There are mafia families all over the world, some of which run their businesses in the countryside. The mafia is mostly a big city organization because of what goes on in the city:' crime, police, corruption and unholy alliances between politics and business' (Cummings and Volkman 5). Basically wherever the money is there will be a mafia family nearby.

New York City is considered to be the main grounds of the mafia world in which they earn up to 'thirty billion dollars each year' (Cummings and Volkman 6). The mafia is similar to a business where men run their own business and do as they please. Just as every business has its own structure so does the mafia. At the top of the ladder there is the 'Capo Di Tutti Capi (boss of the bosses) ' (Cummings and Volkman 6). There is no head boss for the whole entire mafia organization itself. But each family has its own boss and he runs it the way he wants to in whatever way he pleases to do so.

Under every boss there is an under boss, who is considered to be a supervisor in the mafia world. The is called into settle the disputes. 'The (counselor), is supposed to function both as an advisor to the family boss and as arbitrator of disputes between the boss and the family members' (Cummings and Volkman 6). Next in power in the mafia ladder is the capo regime, who is the manager of the mafia family. His role in the family is being head of the workers. 'Each worker, if formally inducted intothe mafia, is known as a soldier' (Cummings and Volkman 6).

The last members of the family consist of the associates. The associates are members that are non-Italian and Italian-Americans who have not been inducted into the family formally. In the world of the mafia there is one rule that must be followed at all times 'all money flows upward' (Cummings and Volkman 6). The money that the mafia makes goes right up to the boss and he decides on who should get what of the profits. The way the boss splits the money is on how much the soldiers and the associates earn for the family. The boss also uses the money for bail and legal matters, but there is one thing that person must do in order for him to get what he wants.

That stipulation is to keep his mouth shut when the law is trying to get information about the family and their business. As in business the mafia families are also very competitive. Some families are more successful than others. For the past several years the most powerful, richest, and most feared mob family has been the Gambino family of New York 'known by the name in honor of its progenitor, Carlo Gambino; it's an organization of approximately two hundred fifty formally inducted members and several hundred associates' (Cummings and Volkman 7). The Gambino family made millions every year in narcotics extortion, and illegal gambling; these were just a few of the operations that they used. In order to be boss of the Gambino family one must have many things, such as a good business sense, and unquestioning loyalty.

John Gotti is one of those men who possesses these qualities. Mr. Gotti is currently the head of the Gambino family. ' At age fifty-nine, which is a young age by mafia standards, he is the most notorious of all organize crime leaders' (9 Cummings andVolkman 7). Like many immigrants have done in the past, John Gotti's parents came to this country to make a better living for themselves. Fannie and John Sr. came to New York and lived in Harlem.

At that time Harlem was divided into two parts, 'Black Harlem and Italian Harlem' (Cummings andVolkman 9). The Gotti's lived in Italian Harlem, which was the east side of New York City, and this is where John Gotti began his life. 'On October 27, 1940, John Gotti was born' (Elliot 1). When he was born no one thought that he would be the leader of one of the biggest crime families of New York. 'He was the fifth child of thirteen siblings' (Cummings and Volkman 20). Some of his 'known siblings in the family were Vincent, Gene, Richard, and Peter, who was the oldest' (Elliot 1).

The family lived in the part of Harlem where it was infested by every parent's nightmare. This nightmare consisted of gangs that were run by children. The name of these gangs was called 'Br ogata, the Italian term for the gangs that created mischief' (Cummings and Volkman 20). Sometimes their mischief would turn into serious crimes. For instance, the crimes they would commit consisted of rolling drunks and stealing from merchants. Many Italian children were part of these gangs, but not Gotti though.

John Gotti, Jr. was in a league of his own. At a very young age Gotti had a reputation that no one his age had, a reputation of power. When Gotti started school he didn't have this power right away. Gotti attended the 'public school A 33 near his home' (Cummings and Volkman 20).

Everyday Gotti would see gang's surround little kids for their money. Any teacher that would interfere with the gangs action would have received a beating like they have never felt before in their life. Also these gangs would walk around the place like they were the owners and warn any boy not to become a. A is's ici lian slang for stool pigeon and anyone who would become a stool pigeon would get a crippling beating' (Cummings and Volkman 21). John Gotti was a person with a violent temper when he was younger. His school record had nothing but acts of fighting with other students.

He was always in a bad mood because of his living style. His father and mother had to work so hard in order to feed so many children. Gotti would always get beat up by his older brothers, and teachers feared the youngest Gotti. Eventhough the youngest was the smart kid, he scored an 'IQ of 140' (Elliot 1). But Gotti didn't care about school. The other kids of the school started to notice some of the attributes that Gotti had and then they began to follow him.

In no time flat Gotti formed a small borg ata of his own, and that's where he began the life of crime that he lived. Gotti and his gang started to hang out at the night clubs and restaurants that were owned by the mafia. The older wi.