I want to say something in response to a Reddit comment I saw on a Camorra bust. The bust was this one:

In late April, Italian anti-mafia police arrested 21 members of the so-called “Sibillo gang”. The rising Camorra clan has been asserting its control over a number of central districts in Naples over the last decade, dealing drugs, racketeering, extorting money from shop owners and punishing those who don’t submit.

The clan is called “Paranza dei bambini” (“fishing trawler of children,” which refers to a criminal group led by youngsters), or Piranhas. It was founded by “baby boss” Emanuele Sibillo, who died in an ambush by rival gangs in 2015, aged 19.

After his death, Sibillo became a saint-like figure throughout Naples, and tributes were made in several neighbourhoods. During the police operation in April, an altar with his ashes was found in the courtyard of his family’s home in the Forcella district of Naples. 

The plasterboard bust portrayed Sibillo in his signature look – footballer haircut, long beard and dark framed glasses – which helped to popularise him among Gen Z Camorra mobsters. According to witnesses, his clan even forced local shop owners to kneel in front of the bust after paying the “pizzo” (protection money), as a sign of submission and respect.

To which someone said:

"This is really just typical gang behavior tbh. Just bc it’s Italians they slap mafia on it. Almost every major city in America you can find a bunch of gang members running around with t shirts and cut outs and all kinds of stuff commemorating their dead friends. Like making a dude bow down to a bust is a new one but this is really just common gang behavior in 2025."

Now while I completely see where he's going with this and for the most part I agree, I have to disagree as well. For one thing, it says that they were extorting money from shopkeepers. There's the extortion component. I just can't see any American street gang in any major city with enough juice to extort money from legitimate store owners, unless you're the government of course. So in that respect, even the most street gang-like Camorra clans in Italy are still a step above any American street gang. I'm commenting here because I can't comment on Reddit.