Montreal Mafia vs. Street Gangs

A dystopian police state is the only outcome I've been able to imagine from this scenario. Violence and fear will be our nourishment. I know that you are arguing for ethical underground crime vs. chaos. Possibly, the gangs will mature and become what they've destroyed producing equilibrium?

Jeanette, unfortunately the cops are part of the mafia and the street gangs. As long as there is organized crime and people willing to abuse their power/authority, there will never be equilibrium, only a big fat bunch of liars, and us, the innocent ones, paying for it all.

That's a pretty cynical view. Organized crime seems to be on the decline in recent years, what with the crackdown on motorcycle gangs. It's true some factions of the Hell's Angels still seem to be alive and well, but ever since the imprisonment of Maurice "Mom" Boucher, they have only a fraction of the power they used to have. I'm sure the officers that were involved in Operation Axe and Operation Baladeur, including the many who had to risk their lives working undercover, which lead to the arrests of 156 bikers in April of 2009, would disagree with your assessment that the cops are part of the problem. I'm sure there are some corrupt officers out there who abuse the system they are supposed to protect, but to lump them all into the same category doesn't seem fair.

You should watch CTV's documentary on the mafia in Montreal. It's a little older than what's happening now and I don't know if anyone can find it on the internet, but it was really interesting to see just how far their influence reaches.

Organized crime does not stop with the "Montreal mafia", but also the Biker gangs that are a huge organization. They always seem to be part of the backdrop in any business scheme.

I don't think we're heading for "dystopian police states", I think we're already there but we just don't know about it yet.

I actually did a course at Concordia called Governance and Organized Crime which focused on Montreal and the problems with the Mafia, Biker gangs and street gangs. My professor didn't indicate that he thought street gangs organized the downfall but rose up to fill the role after the Mafia's downfall. I think this topic is really interesting, and I guess only time will tell what will happen to our streets in the future.

The king is dead, long live the ... wait, who's in charge?!

With Vito Rizzuto imprisoned and his son executed, the Montreal faction of the mafia is now leaderless. What has ensued is a terroritorial war amongst rival organised crime counterparts to capture a larger share of the city's criminal activities.

Prostituition may be the type of social condition we like to throw under the rug or quickly dismiss as it reminds us humnity's darker nature, however, it has been around since the dawn of time, only proving the laws of supply and demand. Oraginised crime is exactly the same.

Organised crime is an integral part of any society, wether we chose to believe so or not. Although we may like to believe in our politicians clean records and polished pearly whites, the truth is that behind the curtain that has been pulled over the masses hides the underbelly of business; money and power, and the mob have them both.

As opposed to initiating an idealistic debate about utopic societal ideals, which always fall apart when taken from theory to practice, we should try understanding the parameters and implications of losing the mafia's most well run and respected leader in ages.

What Mr.Rizzuto brought was stability, ethics, and to some extent, honour amongst thieves. His concern was business, and unlike our governements, there is no money to be made with war for a faction of organised crime. The image perpetuated by Hollywood of the mafia was a far cry from the realities of "La Cosa Nostra". Vito Rizzuto was a quiet and savvy businessman, responsible for running of one of the largest criminal organisations, who was well respected amongst his peers and foes.

The loss of the Rizutto family has resulted in chaos. With no clear leader appointed within the mafia it's become every man for himself. Rizutto brought a certain honour and justice to the underworld that has since completely deflated like leftover balloons from a christmas office party. There is presently no order, no structure, and no modus operandi to the world of organised crime.

So despite the public's utopian reveries of taking down the largest crime syndicate resulting in equality and justice for all, we the people are paying dearly for it. Fear, uncertainty, and a large mass of aspiring criminals (who often lack the internal code of ethics the mafia proudly claims) hardly seems like an improvement.

Long live the king!

now, the pizza wars! the street gangs are not going to take over from the mafia....there are too many other variables and too many other gangs with their fingers in the pie. the mafia doesn't call the shots any more than the west-end gang, the dubois brothers, the pelletiers, the hells, the rock machine, the bloods and crips, the columbian cartel or the salvadorians. in my neighbourhood in the east end, we grew up not talking mafia because they were powerful and many of our classmates were part of the families. later, one of the boys on the next street became a giant, in size and in organised crime. he was a pimp on the lower main as a teenager and rode around on a three-wheeler harley. he started with the rock machine, won a few battles and lost a few, over control of street crime, drugs and the biggie: forcing girls into prostitution. he is in jail now but he negotiated his way from the rock machine to the hells, helped by an italian mobster who is soon to be deported to Italy to face charges. and took over the ontario nomads affiliates. eight men were discovered in a field in shedden, ontario, killed in a gruesome manner. probably the texans. look him up: paul porter.
in fifty years in montreal, i have seen the organised crime families kill each other, shoot kneecaps of non-cooperators, pizza joints bombed, slaughters at bars, violence during debt collections, stolen car rings, forced prostitution in strip bars, legitimate businesses turned into money-laundering rackets, construction (olympic stadium) corruption, condo burnings, gambling joints, underage strippers, dry-cleaners bombed (yes, there was once a dry-cleaners war). i watched on two nights from my apartment in westmount, hundreds of police cars bringing their busts to the RCMP building on st catherine. one of the biggest criminal drug dealers lived in the penthouse of the westmount high rise across from the RCMP offices. We watched as his lights were in full glory all night long.the police chief in anjou killed himself from the stress or because of the criminal families.the local soda bar owner was kneecapped as far back as 1964 because he refused to pay protection. I used to work with juvenile delinquents who were in "kiddie jail." they looked up to these creeps and they should never be allowed to control anything more than the cleaning schedule of their cells. Am I a reactionary? no, because i hate what they have done to young people....prostitution, violence, drugs, destroying their lives over and over. everyone who lights up a joint must remember that that high comes at a human cost. 3000 people killed by drug cartels in juarez, mexico, this year alone.this dope comes through to canada and is dripping with blood. don't think that legalisation is the answer because the criminals will kill to keep the trade illegal and in their control. basic economics. see, they have people hooked and now they sit back and reap the benefits. our theories of consumerism could have been written by these psychopaths, thye sure aren't "human" or "men of honor".don't forget that Vito was turned in by sammy the bull gravano, who went to phoenix (bonanno territory) to be sheltered by the witness protection after he fingered Vito and others in a brutal murder in new york. sammy left the protection racket, sat spinning stories to young turks in cafes, and was found to be the largest distributor of ecstacy in north america. all under the nose of the feds. cheeky.....

I would say the police! I also believe we have a responsibity regarding our safety and the best way to act would be to show better examples and teach differently to those that may hear us and that involdves our friends, children, brothers..etc

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