By Hillel Levin

From When Corruption Was King

(Carroll & Graf Publishers, October 2004)



"The extent of Mafia influence on Chicago is still not fully

appreciated, even by long-time residents. We think of

Mobs hijacking trucks -- not ballot boxes."



Most cities have one overriding claim to fame. Say Los

Angeles and you think about the movies; say Paris you

think art; and Detroit, cars. But when people, the world over, say

Chicago, they think of something less marketable:

Organized Crime.  to Mob culture, the mindlessly violent

nightlife, and the Outfit’s bizarre, longstanding

relationship with elements of the Chicago Police

Department.

Most important, Cooley reveals how easily the criminal

world intersected with the supposedly legitimate world

of law and politics. Old arrest records were dismissed as

ancient history. Sweetheart contracts and rigged trials

were laughed off in the press as “business as usual.”

Cynicism took the place of outrage, and the voting public

collectively turned away.

As we complete this book, some individuals from Cooley’s

old Mob circles are back in the news. The Chicago

Sun-Times exposed a municipal “Hired Truck Program”

that funneled millions in public funds to “organized crime

figures.” Meanwhile, Richard Daley, in his fifteenth year

as mayor, with no challenger in sight, now calls for

Chicago to have its very own casino. He assures one and

all that he needs no help keeping legalized gambling free

of Mob influences. In sum, conditions are ripe for

remnants of the Outfit to mount a comeback, and there’s

plenty at stake to attract them. It is just the time for

Bob Cooley to speak up again.

When Corruption Was King © 2004 by Robert Cooley and Hillel Levin