allowed law enforcement agencies to prosecute sev-
eral members of organized crime factions at once,
for crimes committed over several years.
In Philadelphia, Nicodema “Little Nicky” Scarfo
became the second Philadelphia Mob boss sentenced
as a result of RICO, proving the vulnerability of orga-
nized crime to the new statute. However, in 1985, a
Gambino family underboss named John Gotti or-
chestrated the murder of “Big” Paul Castellano,
head of the Gambino crime family, outside a New
York City steak house. As a result, Gotti became the
boss of the Gambino crime family.
Gotti’s rise to power symbolized the changing of
the American Mafia guard. In previous decades, the
Mafia as a whole had striven to maintain a low public
profile. With Gotti as leader, the American Mafia
gained a positive image in the American public
imagination. Nicknamed the “Teflon Don” (because
authorities found it difficult to make criminal charges
stick to him) and the “Dapper Don” (for his designer
suits), Gotti was more of a public figure than almost
any don before him.
While the Italian American Mob had garnered
much attention from the U.S. federal government,
other ethnic groups were not without their orga-
nized crime factions. Russian and Asian gangs had
tremendous influence in their respective neighbor-
hoods in a number of large American cities. How-
ever, particularly on the West Coast in the United
States, African American gangs were growing in
number.
African American Gangs The primary African Amer-
ican gangs were the Crips and the Bloods. After the
decline of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
(which officially disbanded in 1982), these two gangs
emerged as opponents in a war for territory in eco-
nomically deprived neighborhoods. The groups also
included Latino members. The groups were known
by their colors: the Bloods for their red bandannas
and handkerchiefs (later, T-shirts, shoes, and other
articles of clothing could be worn to denote an indi-
vidual’s actual or implied allegiance with the group)
and the Crips for their blue bandannas and other
clothing items. Chiefly, the turf wars fought between
the the Crips and the Bloods focused on the sale and
distribution of cocaine and crack, with each side
claiming certain city blocks as theirs to use as loca-
tions from which to sell the drugs.
The inner-city gangs most thrived in the decade’s
changing socioeconomic conditions. West Coast gang-
sters could move around the country, wherever they
had friends and family, and start another faction of
their group. The gangs provided pseudofamilies in
areas that suffered from large numbers of unem-
ployed black males and fatherless households. Ado-
lescent sons without father figures looked up to gang
leaders when gangsters took them in. By meeting de-
prived youngsters’ unmet needs, gang leaders cre-
ated street soldiers committed to maintaining the
group’s territory.
Inner-city gangsters were depicted as fearless men
determined to make incredible amounts of money
in the burgeoning genre of music known as “gangsta
rap.” Groups such as Los Angeles-based N.W.A. illus-
trated the unfairness of life for African American
inner-city youth, especially in terms of interactions
with Los Angeles police officers.
Impact The gangster activities of the 1980’s stim-
ulated federal law enforcement efforts, resulting in a
reduction in organized criminal activities. However,
the romanticization and glorification of gang life in
popular culture from videos to music left a lasting
legacy, creating a variety of American gangster im-
ages that proved attractive to moviegoers and music
fans, especially teenage youth.
Further Reading
De Stefano, George.An Offer We Can’t Refuse: The Ma-
fia in the Mind of America. New York: Faber & Faber,- Discusses the decline of the Italian Ameri-
can Mafia and traces the history and significance
of the organization in relation to its American in-
carnation. Also provides coverage of the Italian
American gangster in film and television.
Gambetta, Diego.The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of
Private Protection. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Uni-
versity Press, 1993. Details the roots of the Ameri-
can version of the Mafia through examination of
the Sicilian original. Explores the reasoning be-
hind the rules and actions of the Sicilian Mafia
that influenced the American Mafia.
Kelly, Robert J.Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the
United States. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, - Covers not only the Italian American Mafia
but also the organized crime activities of other
ethnic groups in the United States, such as Asians,
Russians, and African Americans. Includes defini-
tions of criminal justice terms.
Dodie Marie Miller
The Eighties in America Organized crime 739