The Difference Between Street Gangs & The Mafia!

The Differences Between Several Criminal worlds.

As a teen in the late 80's and 90's I knew both sides very well and how they operated... my experience with street gangs goes a lot deeper.

A soldier in a Latin and black gang verses soldiers in the Mafia meant you are now a made man or Man of Honor. They all function the same and under them are wise guys and associates.

Where as the common Latino and black gangs do not have any associates or wise guys... however, you will have individuals waiting to join and become a member, and when a gang deals in drugs their connect as it's called is the closest thing to an associate, however both definition functions differently.

Also sometimes potential recruits are pressured to join and others are threatened... for whatever reasons.

Where as in the Mafia you are not threatened... you must choose that life.

There are no bosses in a street gang... The word Leader is preferred and when you're summons as a term of respect some might refer to their Leader as Boss.

In the Mafia there are no leaders just Bosses...  the most famous Al Capone.

A Capo Caporegime  means Captain or Skipper and would be the equivalent to a street gang leader.

Capos have their noses to the street under them is a crew of soldiers and associates...like a mini gang. Acting like a small family within the frame work of a larger family.

For the common latino and black gangs...etc are less organized. The structure leaves no room for insulation for top leaders. 

When it comes to having a leader, some street gangs may not have one... for instance Asian gangs do not have a clear leader. They go by the notion whoever has the most experience leads the group... so they could effectively have multiple individuals in a leadership position fulfilling different roles.

In the Mafia and abroad The Commission is leaderless... every Boss or prominent member has an equal say so or vote.

When it comes to new membership in the Cosa Nostra there are rituals performed during inductions, but in typical Latino and black street gangs, they must prove themselves in some kind of way, mostly through criminal activities... and in some gangs they are given assignments or missions after becoming a member so as to solidify loyalty or acclimation into the new brother hood.

All gangs have rules... You must know them before or after joining.

When it comes to national gangs across America and in the federal prison system, Black and Latino gangs are a lot more organized.

However, to put a made guy in a regular prison it's like having a hawk on top of a mountain, everyone is sheep or goat... and then eventually the bird is strangled by a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing.

However, really smart tough made guys will survive because of there witt's and ingenuity.

Most do not resort to stealing other inmates belongings... rashing's or book stamps. Let alone kill or fight someone for something that was not theirs...

Where as in a black gang and some Latino gangs infighting acers on a daly basis.

On the other hand the Cosa Nostra way is not entirely abandoned just because a member or former member is in prison and or may have cooperated with the feds.

Rather than fighting for what everyone is fighting for made guys proceed to the source, and steal from the frig...and corrupt security guards and YES even the warden can fall to prey to inmates.

The one thing you can count on is there is no such thing as honor amongst thieves... it is a myth... and eventually someone will violate the rules regardless of race and color and culture.

On a side note, most black and Latino streets guys in 80's NYC did not consider themselves to be a member of any GANG... They were oppose to that title because they thought it to be a white term, and actually some were perplex by people of color in L.A using the term... Gang or Gangbanger was frown upon.

New York Cities teenagers and young adults at that time preferred to use the word for example CREW or POSSE... however authorities had something different in mind and nevertheless thrusted upon a generation with protest an identity that holds today.

L.A you might say was ahead of the curve. The word GANGSTER was then later changed to GANGSTA the east coast adopted it as a means of taken back power and to differentiate themselves from their white counterpart this includes the Mafia.

In my own experience as a teenager on the mean streets of New York City I was told the leader of my crew wanted me to commit a petty crime in front of another street soldier... this involved stealing anything from the local grocery store... afterwords I became a full fledge member.

Shortly thereafter, I graduated to heisting... robbery became easy... but it slowly robs you of your humanity and the community and people you victimize.

In the end you are essentially in a sense robbing your own self.