The history of Polish mafia in Chicago, Illinois

do you remember what book?

The book title is, Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez.

Mafia started out as a family in Sicily, Italy trying to comit crimes and deal drugs for money. It spread to other countires as people immigrated from Italy making American mafia, Russian mafia, and Polish mafia and other countries like that. So Italian mafia is just Mafia, because they are the originaters. Im all Italian so i shouldn't really be here but just an informer.

hmm methinks it might be a tad more complicated than you make out.

edit The Italians begged the Irish for 1 of there breweries, if not for **** leaders & over populating of the Italians, the Irish would still rule Chicago.

I bet more Polish Mafia are joining Scilian Mafias. There are more joining them. They are all ove the worlds.

I wonder if Russian joining them.

Organized crime in America would have persisted during the Prohibition Era with or without the Cosa Nostra so there is no point in mentioning that.

Meyer Lansky was born in the Poland.

Sicialian Mafia doesn't allow anyone who's not Italian in their lines to become a made man, Polish can be only associates to them or just work as a muscle crew for the Italians.

And no way Russian Mafiya is going to join the Italian one, Russians spit on everyone's head as they're more powerful.

There is a reason you dont here a lot about the polish mafia .....it doesnt exist ;) Try driving around Hamtramck

stonegreasers.com/greaser/polish_mafia.gif if theres no polish mob per se as said mikerizzo64
then y the hell is there polish mafia gang cards from chicago. look all these fcks think they know crime if u wanna know about crime ask a criminal not a bunch of idiots that watch movies and think the godfathers realistic,i can explain the polish mafia kina,chicago is an old hometown,and well lets just say ima white gangster ,so what information are you looking for armybrat? i mean the polish mafia was a northwest side greaser gang but the gang known today as the stoned freaks is heavily related to the polish mobsters,theres many mobs in chicago to many of these people don't understand how chicago works

First, try Polish mobs, Polish gangs, etc. mafia is Italian and most contemporary sources (I assume you're looking for prohibition era. If not, nevermind. :->) would not call the Polish gangs "mafia". Also, you might want to include Detroit in your search.

Polish and Italian gangs were the most numerous in Chicago (circa 1910). Polish gangs were located on the Northwest Side and often fought rival Polish punks on the south side as well as in the Bucktown area and along the Chicago River. These gangs also engaged in territorial skirmishes with Italian gangs of the "Little Sicily" neighborhood. Then came the Moran (who was half Polish) skirmishes with Capone which pretty much ended after the St. Valentines Day massacre initiated by Capone.

One interesting character was Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik who worked for Capone. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Guzik

Another Polish American gangster was Earl "Hymie" Weiss (who despite the middle sobriquet was Polish Catholic.


babyfacenelsonjournal.com/hymie-weiss.html

lol who is idiota who thinks Cosa Nostra started by selling drugs? I bet u think Triads began by selling copy DVD haha

Is Micheal Biela in the polish mafia ?

Thanks for sharing such a great info about Polish mafia in Chicago because I don't know much about Poland history ...Thanks mine friend

The only Polish organized crime in the US that has any standing or recognition is probably going to be the Greenpoint Crew and Kielbasa Posse which are in NY...

In Chicago, there is no Polish mafia anymore. There might be a few guys that steal cars, sell drugs, white collar crime (real estate related), etc. together but no like mafia.

The closest thing to a PL mafia in Chicago would be either a group of guys like those I mentioned above. Also, the Almight GL's and Insane South Side Popes use to have a few Polish members back in the day...

There is a book about the Polish Robin Hoods Pops & Peanuts Panczko, and Tribune article. My uncle was an underworld wheel man Calle the WHALE, b/c his big late 1930's Packard was this big black car that was tweaked to get to high speed and he was able to appear and disappear as a Whale did by submerging. These guys grew up with an entire Italian population in that Ashland - Western Chicago - Grand Ave. area. They also had a pretty high up friend in "Davey Arris" who was was a contest Jewish person. When I was 14,Pops showed up at our house looking for my father who was an auto mechanic as I was about to leave to the National Tea. He had an entire truck load of turkeys he boosted and was taking to an orphanage. He offered to drive me the two blocks but my mother pleaded with him that I could walk, as she didn't want me pinched.

One other thing: Most non-Italians simply couldn't be made men, anointed and appointed and in line for "advancement." During the daytime, asa kid in the early sixties, I always wondered why so many nicely dressed guys were always hanging out at the service station where my father worked. I lived a city block away and would show up for free Coca-Colas. They all treated me well, but I wondered why they were not working and simply hanging out.

I never heard anybody in my entire extended family call anybody anything but an OUTFIT guy...no one said Mafia.

There's an old movie "Calling Northside 777" (1947) starring Jimmy Stewart, Lee J. Cobb, and Richard Conte which I believe touches on the reality of a Polish crime syndicate in Chicago. Haven't see it for some time and so am a little sketchy on the details.

"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair is a novel written over a century ago and deals with crime in Chicago's Meat Packing District!

A Polish Mafia in Chicago?
You have got to be kidding!
Sure, there were some Polish gangsters, but they did not work for a Polish gang.
The gangs in Chicago were mainly Italian, Irish and Jewish.

Ive heard this story before, thats all it is....Pure fiction.


It is one of my favorite books I had to read in HS.

Next time you eat a hamburger you might want to think twice!:):)