HUI 331 History of Italian Mafias

This class is desgined to analyze the cultural and historical factors that had contributed to develop organized crime in Italy. This class satisfies DEC “G” requirement. I would like to thank Anthony Giansante for his help and support in creating this blog.

[hui331]

The 'Ndragheta and its Secret Bunkers

[hui331]

Test 1.

Tomorrow we have our first test, it will cover PowerPoints 1, 2, 3, and 4 (up to slide 31), you are also responsible for the textbook readings, lectures and the Lucky Luciano documentary.

We will be meeting at 10:30 instead of 9:30.

This is a sample question from Test 1:

Naples and the countryside in the 1920’s: describe the socio-economical conditions in the area and how the Camorra operated during these years; also talk about Mussolini’s war against the Camorra.

[hui331]

The Life of Lucky Luciano

Charles "Lucky" Luciano (pronounced /luːtʃˈɑːnɵ/; born Salvatore Lucania November 24, 1897 -- January 26, 1962), was an Italian-born, naturalized American mo...

[hui331]

[hui331]

Women against the 'Ndrangheta

In doing some research I found this. Pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhqSvSuOZ98

[hui331]

Giuseppe Musolino. hui331.

[hui331]

Gangsters: John Gotti & Salvatore Riina

hui331.

[hui331]

One Hundred Steps. ITA, 2000.

[hui331]

Gone, but not forgotten. hui331.

[hui331]

Test 3

1.      Describe the birth of the Mafia

The Mafia was born in the north-west area of Sicily, outside the city of Palermo.  The Mafia is also known as “Cosa Nostra” meaning our business, and our thing. (notes)  “The Mafia offered protection where the state could not.”(notes)  As a growing organization, the Mafia was able to “embed itself in society and prosper-thanks to the collusion of more than one element of the state.” (notes)

The main thing the Mafia was able to offer to the people was “protection”, but the line between protection and extortion became thin.  It offered protection to single, small or medium economical activities, like retail stores and small businesses, in a situation of economic struggle, where the state lacked an efficient law. (notes)  

Often, the Mafia offered protection against itself.  This created a “racket” type effect, in which it “voluntarily injected elements of uncertainty into market conditions and then extorted payments from protection under these same conditions.” (notes)   

“Cupola”, was the term used for the group of senior Mafiosi, which helped create some overall control and establish the lines of demarcation and rules of conduct. (notes)  Blood loyalties, passed from one generation to another, was the foundation for the fidelity within the Mafia.

Women, because they were known for gossiping, were traditionally excluded from the Mafia, and they thought that they could not be expected to put the needs of the organization before that of their own family. (notes)

  2.      Sicily in the 1860’s and the men involved in the 1866 revolt in Palermo (Miceli, the Marquis Rudini).

During the late 1860’s, “Sicily underwent a strong political effort to gain independency from the new Italian government.” (notes)  Riots often broke out and were suppressed by the government with bloodsheds. (notes)  In 1865, came the first news of the so called “Maffia”; how powerful the organization was also in local politics.   

“In September 1866 a group of 300 people coming from the “Conca d’Oro” marched in the city of Palermo, alongside with a squad from Monreale.” (notes)  It took about a week for the government to restore order.  “All criminal records were burned, official buildings were ransacked, people robbed in their houses.” (notes) The Italian army used bombs and grenades against the civilians to stop the insurrections. (notes)

Turi Miceli, was a “Mafioso who lost his life during the riot, he was a 53 year old man who was a member of the Moreale crew.” (notes)  He was a man of money and power, violence was his livelihood, and he was a middle-class villain involved in fruits and vegetable trades. (notes)  Because orange and lemon plantations had cost so much money to set up and run, Miceli was able to profit off of the protection he guaranteed the farmers, and “squeeze gold from lemons”. (notes)

The Mafiosi were involved in many things including; the control of irrigation routes, offering protection of the plantations at night, kidnapping the farmers and stealing their crops. (notes)   In the 1866 revolution, Miceli saw a chance to “clean” its past by burining police records. (notes)

Through the temporary victory against the Bourbons, despite Miceli’s criminal records, he was awarded the ranks of Colonel. (notes)  When the Bourbons recovered the city of Palermo, Miceli quickly changed sides and was granted a pardon and given the ranks of a customs officer. (notes)   A little while later, in 1860, Miceli changed sides again to help Garibaldi’s troops against the Bourbons; but this time, he couldn’t persuade the new authorities and was not so happy with the new situation he was amongst the organizers of the 1866 revolts. (notes)

Marquis Rudini, was the young Mayor of Palermo during the revolt and one of the richest landowners in Sicily. (notes)  Rudini testified in front of the parliamentary commission that investigated the events of 1866. (notes)  After this, his political career exploded and he became the Prime Minister of the Italian government in 1891. (notes)

During another hearing in front of the commission ten years later, “Rudini focused his attention on two types of “Maffia”; the good and likeable one, the “Benign Maffia” and the “Malign Maffia” that is a product of the first one.” (notes)

Breaking it down a little further during the same hearing, there seemed to be two types of “Malign Maffia”; the “Prison Maffia” and the “High Maffia”, although Rudini did not see any connection between the two groups. (notes)

  3.      Analyze the differences between the Mafia and the Camorra.

The Mafia is a very well organized group with family ties keeping loyalty and passing from generation to generation.  The Camorra has no central form of control, making them more unpredictable, and had started in the jails of Naples and rapidly accumulated thousands of members.  Since the Camorra isn’t based on family ties, it makes it easier for people to become a part of the organization.  The Camorra is also the bigger employer, making them more popular in city areas than the Mafia.   Women in the Mafia didn’t exist.  Men did not trust them enough because they ‘gossiped’ and could not be trusted to keep a secret nor put the Mafia before their family.  In the Camorra, the women have become as powerful as the men.

  4.      Mussolini and the “Iron Perfect”: describe the events and results of the “Mori Operation” and the findings of the 2007’ Palermo’s State Archives.

In 1925, Mussolini starts his attack against the Mafia with the help of a Northerner Perfect: Cesare Mori. (notes)  The Iron Perfect’s first attack was on the hill top of Gangi in Palermo Province, with a vast procedure that included taking hostage of women and children and stealing. (notes)  The assault brought about 450 arrests of Mafiosi.

During the month of May in 1927, Mussolini’s speech revealed to the world the Mori Operation.  “The reason that the Mafia was so powerful in Sicily was because previous governments let it happen.” (notes)

This later caused thousand of suspected Mafiosi to be arrested in tens of Sicilian villages, murders and cattle rustling went down. (notes)  “Italy finally had a leader who was able to destroy the country’s most powerful crime organizations.” (notes)  Mussolini carried on these actions against the Mafia until 1929 when Mori was called back to Rome. (notes) 

From 1927 to 1932, a continuous cycle of Mafia trials seemed to have had annihilated the Mafia. (notes) In 1932, Mori published a memorial, “The Last Struggle with the Mafia,” and according to him, the Mafia was only a “mental and spiritual affinity”. (notes)

“In 1932, for the fascist celebration of the tenth anniversary of the March on Rome, Mussolini freed hundreds of Mafiosi.” (notes)  The operation turned out to be a failure, and in 2007, a “group of scholars unearthed a report long forgotten in the Palermo State Archive.” (notes) 

The Mori Operation turned out to be the most complex lie of the fascist regime. (notes)  The 1938 report written by the Carabinieri dated back to 1933, “these men picked up where Mori had left.” (notes)  In Trapani, there were still disorders in the area where the Mafia reigned with its bosses. (notes)

“Dr. Allegra, a Mafioso and a radiographer, described the power and the influence of the Mafia in the 1930’s.” (notes)  According to his testimony, the Mafia was controlling every sector of Sicilian life all the way up to the central government in Rome. (notes) 

  5.      World War II: Sicily, the Allied forces, politics and the Mafia. Explain.

  In August 1943 the allied forces arrived in Sicily, on September 8, Italy surrenders. (notes)  Nick Gentile, a Sicilian born, moved to the USA, and in 1906, became a member of the Honored Society in Philadelphia. (notes)  In 1937 Gentile was arrested and escaped back to Sicily.  When the American troops arrived in Italy, he offered his services to them.  (notes)  He would form a temporary administration with the allied troops; this was a common occurrence with Mafiosi making friends with the American troops. (notes)

    6.      Salvatore Giuliano; who was this man and what can we learn from his actions? Please make specific observations using some of the events depicted in the movie.

  Salvatore Giuliano was born on November 16, 1022, in Montelepre.  His parents were peasants who had spent some of their earlier lives in the U.S. where they had earned the money to buy their farmland. (notes) 

At the time of the allied Invasion of Sicily in July 1943, Giuliano was trading in olive oil. (notes)  “The most immediate trouble caused by the Allied invasion was the breakdown of government structures and the legal distribution of food.” (notes)  In the cities, up to 70% of the food was supplied through the black market, in which Giuliano was soon to partake in. (notes)

During September 1943, Giuliano was caught at a Carabinieri check point transporting two sacks of black market grain, once stopped, he shot and killed the men. (notes)  On Christmas Eve 1943, the Carabinieri moved into Montelepre to capture Giuliano. (notes)  Once arrested, Giuliano escaped, but angered by the dragnet, he shot and killed another officer. (notes)

Giuliano turned to banditry and later extortion and kidnapping of the wealthy because he was receiving no income any other way.  “Thanks to Sicily’s omerta tradition, local peasants were reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement, and although Giuliano’s core band was never larger than 20 men, peasants would join him in the mountains temporarily for the excellent pay the bandit offered.” (notes)  Giuliano’s group, from time to time, would attack the Carabinieri and police outposts and patrols. (notes)

In April 1945, Giuliano started to dabble in politics and issued a public declaration of his support for the Movement for the Independence of Sicily, MIS. (notes)  They had a small armed contingent, the EVIS, which operated in the Catania Province in eastern Sicily.  “The leaders of MIS and EVIS enlisted Giuliano, who after negotiating for substantial funding, accepted the rank of Colonel, and agreed to conduct an armed campaign in his zone.” (notes)

In addition to Giuliano’s regular band, he recruited 40-60 young men, provided them with uniforms, ranks, and weapons and trained them. (notes)  Gaspare Pisciotta was among the recruits. 

During the April 1947 Sicilian election, the MIS won 9% of the vote, and began a steady decline from which it never recovered. (notes)  “The winner of the election with 30% of the vote was the Popular Bloc, Communists-Socialists.” (notes)  Sicily’s conservatives and reactionaries were alarmed and looked to Guiliano for help. 

“The target of the right-wing vested interest was a famous annual May Day celebration at the Portella della Ginestra.” (notes)  Amongst the 4000 people who were celebrating, gunfire erupted, causing mass terror and killing 11 and wounding 2-3 dozen people. (notes)  Years later, in 1952, Piscotta and eleven other members of the Guiliano band were convicted for the massacre.  During the trial, Piscotta named the main conspirators as Leone Marchesano, a Palermo Mafioso and politician, as well as Prince Giuseppe Aliata of Monreale, with politician Cusumano Geloso as their intermediary. (notes)

“On June 19, Pisciotta met with Colonel Luca and agreed to work with him to eliminate Giuliano.” (notes)  Pisciotta waited until Giuliano was asleep and shot him twice, killing him instantly.  Giuliano’s corpse was moved to a nearby courtyard, and shot with several rounds. (notes)

  #6

[hui331]

Test #3

1. The birth of the Cosa Nostra in Sicily is a subject of debate upon many scholars due to the organizations highly secretive and low profile code of conduct. However, many scholars would agree that the birth of the Cosa Nostra (mafia) in Sicily occured in the Conca D’Oro, otherwise known as the “Golden Shell.” This region of Sicily is still known to this day as the most fertile and profitable region of the island of Sicily and is considered by many to be the birthplace of the Sicilian mafia. Unlike most other organized criminal groups throughout the world, the cosa nostra by all accounts did not create its begginings from the lower class and the poor, but rather the middle class. Because the majority of the island of Sicily is covered with terrain unadvantageous to growing crops, the Conca D’Oro region located in the Palermo region of Sicily became a breeding ground for the Mafia. Here, the Mafia that stemmed from the middle class began to take control of Citrus plantations that were highly profitable. In many cases, these Mafia groups were able to not only receive a cut from the landowners from the lemon profits, but also take full control of the citrus plantations. This often happened using a system in which wealthy landowning farmers needed reliable workers; because they were unwilling to go out and find low wage workers themselves, the landowners hired mafia members as “middlemen” to go out and find lower class workers that were willing to work for low wages. In many cases,mafia members were able to seize control of the plantations illegally because of this system, thus making them much stronger.

The Conca D'Oro in Sicily:

2. Sicily in the 1860s is considered by many as a time of social, political and economic turmoil. Economically, members of the mafia, criminals, and bandits were seizing control of the lemon plantations from wealthy and legitimate landowners creating a power surge throughout organized crime as they began to make money. Socially and politically, Sicily was divided in supporting the existing monarchy or in supporting Garibaldi and his redshirt army in an effort to unify Italy as one. Turi Miceli was a "capo" (boss) from Monreale that entered into battle against the Bourbons. During this battle, it is believed that Miceli lost his legs and later died as a result of his injuries. Miceli and his group of Mafiosi and bandits were willing to go to battle against the ruling Bourbons because believe it or not, they did care about their legacy. Their main goal in preserving their legacy was to erase all official police records and documentation that highlighted their crimes. They also attempted to free inmates from Sicilian prisons; although they were very close to doing so, they were ultimately unsuccessful. Marquis Rudini was the mayor of Palermo during this time, and later used this position in office to piggyback his way in earning the office of Prime Minister of Italy.

3. Although both are considered organized criminal organizations, there are several differences between the Sicilian Mafia in Sicily and the Camorra in Naples. The main difference between the two lies in their originating history; while the Camorra is believed to have started its roots in Neapolitan prisons with lower class prisoners and criminals, the Sicilian mafia (Cosa Nostra) is believed to have originated from within the middle class. Thus, the Camorra originated more as a criminal organization whereas the Cosa Nostra originated more from illegal business operations, although both were highly involved in crime, both violent and nonviolent. Today, the major difference between the Camorra and the Cosa Nostra lies in its structure; the Cosa Nostra is believed to follow a "family" structure with a single leader directing the duties of each member. This system widely resembles a pyramid structure, with the Mafia boss at the top of the pyramid providing instruction to the lower members. The Camorra on the other hand is much more loosely organized and more similarly resembles what many would consider in todays day and age a gang. The Camorra is not believed to have a single Capo, however there have been times throughout history where Camorra bosses such as Raffaele Cutolo have tried to create a unified Camorra. The Camorra has its own sets of groups that control territories individually of each other, and thus are more likely to fight amongst each other which has been the case in times as recent as the early 2000s. One other major difference between the two organizations is that it was the Cosa Nostra that first began to enter into illegally drugs smuggling whereas the Camorra relied heavily on cigarette smuggling (although they would later enter the drug trade after being convinced by the Cosa Nostra).

  4. The rise of Benito Mussolini, otherwise known as the ("Iron Prefect") and his fascist regime in Italy is a regime of great controversy. During the early years of Mussolini's regime, he was held in strong regard within the public opinion as he sought to destroy organized crime in Italy with the use of an authoritarian government. The major reason Mussolini aimed to destroy organized crime in Italy was because the mafia undermined Mussolini's authority by continuously breaking laws. Although Mussolini was successful in arresting several Mafia members in Italy, a recent 2007 study shows that Mussolini's efforts were unsuccessful in truly breaking down the Mafia. The reason for this is two-fold; because Mussolini appointed members from the North of Italy (and not from Sicily) to eradicate the Mafia, these appointees were unfamiliar with Sicilian culture and many did not even speak Sicilian which is quite different than standardized Italian. Mussolini did this in the belief that by appointing members not involved with Sicily in any way that they would be uninvolved with the Mafia in any way, thus reducing the risk of corruption. Although this is a good idea in theory, it was not successful due to these leaders' inability to fully understand Sicilian culture. The other major flaw in Mussolini's plan to eradicate the Mafia was that his appointees are believed to have only arrested low level Mafiosi as opposed to bosses and leaders. Because lower level members are more easily replaceable, this severely reduced the effectiveness of Mussolini's campaign to destroy the Mafia who were able to replace these incarcerated members rather easily.

5. World War II proved to be a highly detrimental period to the advancement of Sicily both politically and economically as allied troops landed on Sicily and used the aid of Mafia members. Because the allied forces were highly uneducated on the subjects of Sicilian culture and customs just as Mussolini's officers were, the allied forces relied on the Mafia (many of which spent time in the United States and knew English) to navigate the terrain and communicate with the locals. During this time, Sicily essentially became under the rule of the allied forces due to Mussolini's affiliation with Hitler and Germany and party politics in Sicily were banned. The results were disastrous for Sicily; the increased reliance on the mafia by allied forces created high rates of crime and banditry within Sicily as the Mafia was working hand in hand with the leading power during this time (the allied forces).

Allied forces in Sicily throughout their occupation of Sicily during World War II. Source: http://www.emersonkent.com/images/wwii_sicily.jpg

6. Salvatore Giuliano is known as a famous bandit in Sicily who is believed to have had strong ties to the Mafia. Although Giuliano officially had no affiliation to anyone other than his bandit comrades, Giuliano, backed by both the Mafia and the government, is believed to be the main force behind the "May Day" massacre in Sicily (Portella della Ginestra) in which a group of communist supporters were attacked during a political rally: 

"

Sixty-four years have passed since the May Day massacre at Portella della Ginestra, yet the events of that dark moment in Sicily’s history remain mired in confusion. Were the cold-blooded murders of eleven men, women and children at a rural labor festival committed by the bandit Salvatore Giuliano, by the Mafia, or by some other dark entity? And were high-placed political figures pulling the strings? The story is meat for a thousand conspiracy theorists.*

Salvatore Giuliano

Giuliano claimed that he had sent a squadron of hired men to Portella to kidnap his political nemesis, Girolamo Li Causi, the communist leader who opposed separatism. (The bandit king had been recently recruited by a monarchist-backed group that sought the island’s annexation by the US.) But as Li Causi had been a no-show, his men called off the abduction and left Portella before the killing began, according to Giuliano.

In the aftermath of that fateful holiday of 1947, the police rounded up dozens of Mafia suspects, only to release them for their uncannily airtight alibis. Suspicions, at any rate, were starting to fall on Guiliano after two of his henchmen were arrested; each admitted some knowledge of the slaughter. Several eyewitnesses reported seeing the outlaws--including Giuliano--in the vicinity. The police found it politically convenient to pin the blame on the bandits. Some of the inspectors, however, smelled the influence of untouchable Mafia bosses."

Source:

http://www.mafiaexposed.com/home/tag/portella-della-ginestra

  -#5

[hui331]

Assignment 3

1.     1.  The Mafia originated in the Palermo region of Sicily, a region known as the “Golden Shell” for its abundant lemon crop. Originally a rural phenomenon, the Mafia, or “Cosa Nostra” expanded as the capitalist economy of Sicily expanded.

TheCosa Nostra, which literally meant “our thing”, emerged in the economic and political instability during the era of Italian unification. The Bourbons did very little to control Sicily, which was still in a feudal state prior to unification. One percent of the population owned the vast majority of land, and poverty was widespread, making crime the most lucrative profession. Racketeering, extortion, and theft, were all common.

2.      2. The term “Maffia” was coined in the 1860s, a time of extreme political turmoil. In an effort to gain independence from mainland Italy, riots became common in Sicily, which often ended in bloodshed after government interference. One member of the Mafiosi, Tony Miceli, was among the dead in the riots.

Miceli had sizeable power in the Monreale crew, gaining money and power through the citrus trade in Palermo. Miceli offered “protection”, at a price, against bandits along the roads and farms.

Early on, Miceli protested against the Bourbons and was deemed a patriot by Sicilian locals. He later became colonel after the Bourbons were defeated, despite a criminal record. But when the Bourbons returned, he switched his loyalties, proving that his actions were for his own benefit. He continued to switch alliances for personal gain, until his death in the riots of the 1860s.

Rudini was the mayor of Palermo during the riots, who testified in front of parliament involving the riots of the 1860s. As a result, he gained political momentum and became prime minister. Rudini believed in two kinds of Mafias: benign and malign, the malign mafia originating from the benign. His belief proved to be false, however, with the emergence of evidence proving that there is indeed only one mafia.

  3.      3.Though both are notorious criminal organizations in southern Italy that arose around the unification of Italy, the Mafia and Camorra differ in many ways. Unlike the Camorra, who rose and found their stronghold in corrupt prisons and poverty-stricken urban slums, the Cosa Nostra found its origins in the Sicilian countryside, to the northwest of the city of Palermo. 

Additionally, the Cosa Nostra heralded far more power than the Camorra, due to the unique location of Sicily. As an island, Sicily had a disconnection with mainland Italy, both geographically and culturally. As a result, the Mafia had far more influence in local government than the Camorra did in Naples.

The structure of the Mafia differed from that of the Camorra as well, both pre- and post- Cuotolo. Each Mafia clan was loosely connected with one another, each controlling a different region. Blood relations were important. Additionally, Mafia women, unlike Camorra women, had very little power within the organization.

4.       4. 

The Mafia, like the Camorra, were targets of Mussolini’s “crackdown” on organized crime. Mussolini began by appointing Cesare Mori, a prefect from Northern Italy, to fight the Mafia. Mori went into Sicily, attacking and rounding up hundreds of villagers. Short-lived decreases in crime followed, but the root of the problem was not solved, contrary to Mussolini’s beliefs.

  Mussolini and Mori failed to understand the culture of Southern Italy, which differed substantially from that of the North. The arrests did nothing to solve the social causes of Mafia and other forms of organized crime. Later, it was proven that the Mori Operation was an elaborate lie of the Fascists, and did very little, if anything, to lessen the problem of Mafia.

  5.      5. Mussolini’s regime was defeated in 1943, the earliest of the Axis powers. During the allied occupation of Sicily, American troops recruited the aid of many Mafiosi to control the situation in Sicily. One member was Nick Gentile, a Sicilian-born member of the Philadelphia Mafia who was arrested and fled back to Sicily.

Additionally, many members of the Mafia were appointed to government positions during this time. This furthered the Mafia’s involvement in political affairs, allowing the Mafia to become more and more powerful.

  6.       6. 

Salvatore Giuliano was a member of the Cosa Nostra, living as an outlaw until he was found dead in his own home at the age of twenty seven. Giuliano had shot and killed a member of the Carabinieri at a checkpoint while smuggling black market goods. The result lead to the Carabinieri occupation of Montelepre, Sicily. Mass arrests were made, but Giuliano was able to escape and live in exile.

  During his time in hiding, Giuliano was able to round up a sizeable amount of followers who hid him and refused to disclose his location. Local residents were also reluctant to cooperate with the Carabinieri in accordance with the omerta, or code of silence.

  Such events were depicted in the biopic “Salvatore Giuliano”, directed by Francesco Rosi. Rosi filmed most of the movie on location, casting local residents in order give the film a realistic feel. The film begins with the discovery of Giuliano’s body. It then flashes back to the events leading to his death, and goes back and forth between pre- and post-death. Scenes that stood out were the arrests of Giuliano’s men following the massacre at Portella della Ginestra and the Viterbo Trial. Most of the men stuck to the omerta, or gave false or misleading information. This was an example of how, despite being a criminal organization, the Mafia had its “code of conduct”.

  Even in exile, Giuliano had a considerable amount of power over local residents, which gave him protection, but also lead to his ultimate demise. His death, as portrayed, was orchestrated by Pisciotta, who was one of the convicted at the Viterbo Trial.

-11

Sources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Giuliano

Dickie, John. Mafia Brotherhoods. London: Sceptre, 2012. Print.

Salvatore Giuliano. Dir. Francesco Rosi, Mr. N.d. DVD.

[hui331]

R.I.P.

[hui331]

Salvatore Giuliano. hui331.

[hui331]

The hilltop town of Gangi, Palermo. Sicily. hui331.

[hui331]

Mori, The Iron Prefect. hui331.

[hui331]

Test 2

Since the disintegration of the Honoured Society after the Cuocolo trial in 1911, the Camorra adopted a new system of local authority of which the bosses were the guappi. Many of these street-corner bosses were former camorristi, or sons of them. The socio-economic landscape of Naples and its surroundings areas was one that depended on the agriculture, especially in Mazzoni, which mainly produced mozzarella. The camorristi took some control of the city’s wholesale distribution of every agricultural good. When Mussolini came to power, he introduced this problem to parliament and many were camorristi arrested under major Anceschi. However, this victory did not last long; by the late 1920’s Mussolini had thought he won the war against the Mafia and Camorra, making his imperialistic interest a priority. He banned even talking about the subject.

  The Camorra in the late 1900’s became to be different from previous years, it was becoming, as seen on the movie “Where’s Picone” a different kind of organized crime. Prostitution, extortions, and contraband characterized this organization, which was spreading throughout Italy. As the gangs in Central America, camorristi would often get involve in wars between different clans in order to control larger territories.

The movie “Where’s Picone” did a great job at portraying the situation in Naples in the 1980’s. Throughout the adventures of Salvatore we are exposed to different realities that connect one another through a common necessity. When we first meet Salvatore we are able to experience the desperate situation he is in, to have to charge people fifty cents in a hospital to give information is his only way of surviving. In comparison to the Salvatore at the end of the movie, after experiencing what it is to be part of the Camorra, Salvatore is in a way is desperate to get out of that environment. Throughout the movie, the Camorra is portrayed as some sort of reaction to the impoverished status of Naples. Picone had no choice according to one of the Camorristi we meet, he had to support his family and that is why he had to get involve with the Camorra.

  “Il Sistema” is the way people in Naples describe the current situation of the Camorra. There is no longer one leader but in fact there are many clans with many leaders that are in constant war with each other for the control of territories. Mateo Garrone’s film Gomorrah describes these bloody wars and goes in depth in portraying a cruel reality. He makes explicit about how the Camorra provides drugs for addicts in piazzas in which they can shoot up heroin freely. 

8