Blacks and Italians shared the numbers business in Harlem from as far back as the '30s. The truth is, the Italians couldn't have run it at all without using black middlemen, like Bumpy Johnson. Eventually, as the black population exploded in Harlem and numbers runners became more and more independent, they lost their need for (and fear of) the Italians all together, and went out on their own.
Everything quoted here is wrong and people should listen to what Ivy says. He actually does researche, reads books and knows his subject before he types.
Excuse me, Mussolini? And just who the fuck are you?
You're barely literate. You post nonsense. And you know next to nothing about American organized crime. I respect IvyLeague and vice versa. I'm sure that if you asked him, he'd tell you that I've already forgotten more about the topic than you'll ever know.
And just what was the problem with my synopsis? Does it trouble you that black people were in business with Italians? Are you a revisionist? Do you even know what revisionist means?
It was in the 1980's that there seemed to be less contact with the mob and the blacks in the numbers racket. The mob was switching more to sports betting anyway, which typically served a more white clientele.
That's a fair point, Ivy. But it should be mentioned that it was in the early 1980's that the NY Lottery introduced their daily number. It's no coincidence that there was a huge decline in playing street numbers at that time.
