The Boys in Chicago Heights

Download or read book The Boys in Chicago Heights written by Matthew J. Luzi and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2012-10-16 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Chronicles the heyday of the Chicago Heights subsidiary of Al Capone’s infamous Prohibition-breaking criminal organization” (Time Out Chicago). Chicago Heights was long the seat of one of the major street crews of the Chicago Outfit, but its importance has often been overlooked and misunderstood. The crew’s origins predate Prohibition, when Chicago Heights was a developing manufacturing center with a large Italian immigrant population. Its earliest bosses struggled for control until a violent gang war left the crew solidified under the auspices of Al Capone. For the remainder of the twentieth century, the boys from Chicago Heights generated large streams of revenue for the Outfit through its vast gambling enterprises, union infiltration, and stolen auto rackets. For the first time, the history of the Chicago Heights street crew is traced from its inception through its last known boss. Includes photos! “I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Chicago Heights Street Crew. It not only provides a well researched history of the crew, but also explains how the boys from Chicago Heights became an important, yet little known, part of the Chicago Outfit.” —Springer Science + Business Media