Keep it in the underworld.

I saw a pretty good video about drive by shootings in Ventura County, CA. The speaker was a ranking Hell's Angel but what he said actually made a lot of sense.

There were two drive by shootings of them and immediately the Hell's Angels swung into action to nip it in the bud because that kind of thing is bad for business. They got the street gang bosses together and told them to knock that kind of shit off. Drive by shootings stopped immediately.

It was a case of the police not having the clout to make it happen but the Angels did. Needless to say a lot of cops, especially the higher ups were bent out of shape over it but the older cops were simply glad the Angels stepped in. Peace in the valley. The old lions know how things really work.

While the police want to believe they have a monopoly on enforcing law and order, the fact is that a lot of police power is a complete illusion. Their power is only over those that are willing to accept them as the arbitrator. The underworld settles their differences among themselves. Old school cops know this.

The biker in the video said that eventually the head cop quietly sent word to the Hell's Angels that they would leave them alone so long as they kept underworld business in the underworld and left Joe Citizen alone.

One of the things I have heard more than once is the Old School Italian mob worked the same way. In fact there was a definite advantage to having a higher up mob guy in the neighborhood. Mob guys and a lot of MC outlaws have wives and kids and want their family to have a safe environment to live in.

Of course we are talking about some idiot prospect trying to make a name for himself. We're talking about established members that are actually in the hierarchy of the organization.

When I was starting my career I was working out of New York Harbor one of the other deckhands said he had lived in an apartment that was owned by some kind of mob guy. He said he paid about the going rate for rent and the place was taken care of and was a damned good landlord. I'm not too surprised because if nothing else, mob guys are reportedly pretty good businessmen. 

I'm not sticking up for outlaw bikers or mob guys. I'm not sure the video was 100% true but it makes sense. 

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY