The North Side Gang erupted in the 1920s, and it was dominated by the Irish American and Polish-Americans who lived in Chicago. The gang was established by Dean O’Banion, George Moran, Vincent Drucci, and Earl Weiss. The founders targeted henchmen, pickpockets, and notorious shooters whom they recruited to take control of their territory in the Northern part of Chicago. The members hired by the Chicago Outfits belonged to the Market Street Gang that operated in the 42 nd and 43 rd wards (Pandozi, 2013).
The Northern side Gang gained popularity during the newspaper circulation wars, and they would beat up the newsstand owners who failed to carry their publications. One of the founders, Dean O’Banion, was a member of the Little Hellions and he had contacts with politicians and journalists, and this helped him to cut a niche for the gang. The group thrived from the sale of illicit liquor, burglarizing stores and warehouses and gambling. They also benefited from helping politicians commit election frauds and got protection in return. However, unlike other gangs, The North Side group did not participate in prostitution.
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There were various attempts to disintegrate the group by government agencies. In 1922, O’Banion and Weiss were arrested and charged with burglary. However, the influence of the two leaders and the intimidation of those conducting the investigation affected the due process. Besides, the prohibition era of the 1920s was meant to curtail the sale of illicit alcohol to the citizens by the gangs(Books, 2012).This was a major setback to the gang. However, they gained control of the distilleries in the Northern region, and they became a monopoly in the distribution of beer. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14, 1929, triggered the federal crackdown on all the gang activities in Chicago (Pandozi, 2013). The spirited operations led to the fall of Al Capone and Moran who were shot in police battles. The MPD-FBI task force that was formed in 2014 has aloe been critical in thwarting the activities of the Northside Mafia. The team which consists of 200 law enforcers has been arresting and presenting in court members suspected of a crime. Most of those arrested have been charged with the possession of drugs and illegal weapons.
It is also impervious to note that although gangs have been in the limelight for carrying out illegal activities, some of them run some profitable legal businesses. The North Side run legally approved distilleries in the Northern part of Chicago. This gave them the near monopoly of the supply of beer and Whiskey. They also ran the Clark Street restaurant. However, the intimidation of other people in business who wanted to run similar business was the main sole of undue advantage.
O’Banion was an influential person among the local politicians who wanted to win the elections, and this was one of the motives that the group enjoyed the protection of its illegal business. It is noteworthy that in the legal clubs, the gang operated illegal gambling activities but the authorities turned a blind eye on them due to the influence of the politicians. It is alleged that those who were not confident of winning elections had to commit election frauds to emerge victoriously. However, since they could not commit the offenses directly they used the gang as the agents of malice, and they would emerge victoriously. In repayment, they were required to protect the group from police harassment.
The Chicago police also conspired with the gang in various occasions to commit a crime. For instance, in 1924, the Chicago police department assisted the gang to rob the Sibly Distillery. The enterprise had been under the watch of the security agents for the alleged contravention of the Prohibition Act; they escorted the members of the North Side Gang to break into the premise and made away with bottles of whiskey. Police Lieutenant, Michael Grady, and four detective sergeants supervised the gang members as they made away with 1,750 bottles of whiskey which had an estimated value of $100,000 (Pandozi, 2013).
Furthermore, although the security agents knew O’Banion’s criminal record, they were not hesitant to attend a lavish banquet that he threw. Chicago politicians, police chiefs, and top journalists participated in the party. Some of the key persons who showed up included Michael Hughes, who was a police lieutenant, Lieutenant Charles Evans, Robert Sweitzer, who acted as the town clerk and the commissioner of public works, Albert Sprague. The objective of the party, as alleged by William Dever, a reformist mayor, was to court the loyalty of the influential persons towards O’Banion and his group.
The North Side Gang has not been associated with the direct money laundering with criminal groups in different countries. However, the group is notorious for trafficking drugs. Since its inception, the leaders have had a strong business connection with influential persons outside the United States. Through them, they have been in a capacity to satisfy the need in Northern Chicago. The strict control threat the government has put on illegal gambling has resulted in the gang resorting to drug trafficking as the primary source of income (Avery, 2013). However, the individual members have used the gang’s resources to break into houses and commit violent robbery.
Criminal gangs also have been perceived to be connected to terror groups in different ways. The objective of the groups is to raise money for unscrupulous businesses, particularly those that have the capacity of raking in huge chunks of money. Therefore, they do not have any consideration regarding the safety of the citizens and the image of the country. These concerns wereraised after the September 9, 2011, terror attack where it became apparent that the criminal gangs pose a threat to the security if the country since they can be readily used in return for monetary gangs(Gingrich, 2015).Also, terror groups look or loopholes to bring in weapons that can be used intensify the insecurity in the country. The growing number of the members joining the street gangs, the need for weapons has also exacerbated. Therefore, there is a possibility of the gangs associating with terror groups that can provide weapons from their war-torn countries.
Also, terror organization operates locally, regionally and internationally. The North Side Mob also operates within the same spheres. Since it has an association with drug cartels, its activities can be said to have an international face although indirectly. Just like terrorists, North Side Mafia use crime to further their operations. Therefore, there is a possibility of the terrorists using the gang to conduct local crimes aimed at thwarting the security of the country. These activities include selling narcotics, human trafficking and weapon smuggling (Gingrich, 2015). Terrorists who may want to enter the country using illegal methods are likely to target criminal gangs such as The North Side mob to gain access to their targets. Although bit has not been out rightly found out that the gang has been invitedto terror activities through aiding the perpetrators, there is the possibility of being used in future.
Summarily, the North Side Gang located in the northern part of Chicago has remained active since the 1920s despite the government’s efforts to disintegrate it. The group has evolved from being a monopoly into manufacturing of alcohol in the region to selling narcotics, human trafficking, and committing violent crimes. The group’s centralized leadership has enabled to remain intact and it members is now being recruited from all parts of Chicago through the centralized directive. Although the gang has not been accused of aiding terrorists in conducting their activities in the country, they pose a challenge to the security agents since its operations, such an s human trafficking can be targeted by the terrorists to gain access into the country.
References
Avery, J.. (2013). Irish American Gangs: Irish-american Organized Crime Gangs, North Side Gang, Whyos, Bugs Moran . University-Press Org.
Books, L. (2012). Historical Gangs of Chicago, Illinois: North Side Gang, Bugs Moran, Dean O'Banion, Joe Aiello, Lucas Cavanaugh, Hymie Weiss, Francis Killian Cavanaugh, Anthony D'Andrea, George Cavanaugh, Peter Gusenberg, Frank Gusenberg, Vincent Drucci, Louis Alterie, Antonio Lombardo. General Books.
Gingrich, N. (2015). American Gangs — Ties to Terror?' Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/07/01/american-gangs-mdash-ties-to-terror.html
Pandozi, W. (2013). North Side Story . New York, N.Y.: Pearson.
