And has more activity..and more members

I know nothing about New England. Are they actually a viable "Family" or does Boston operate separately from Rhode Island, etc.? I would imagine that the Irish control more of Boston than the Italians . . . but I could be completely wrong.

I know people have discussed this on here often, but I never understood the sociological reasons behind the inability of Italians to establish a lasting family in California. It seems like the predominance of biker gangs there may be part of the reason, but I just never understood it.

better question is which families will be around 20 years from now?

i only see new york and jersey. the rest dont have the population of italians to recruit new members

While I'm hesitant to make predictions regarding a specific time frame, I wouldn't be surprised to see the DeCavalcantes be the next family to go after Detroit.

i would be surprised as they are not that old and have plenty of italian enclaves to recruit from.

I think Chicago and Boston are the most fringe families as far as a future. If Jeresy is gone, it is due to the fact that NY (especially the Genovese family) has taken the most lucrative rackets not because of recruiting problems or law enforcement pressure.

Yeah, the DeCavalcantes always had a narrow niche - the construction industry in North Jersey. And even then they shared that with some of the NY families. They still have some mob-connected companies in the business but it's been 7 years since their cash cow, Laborers Local 394, was put under oversight. And 13 years since the last big bust. Since then, just some piecemeal stuff, with a few guys getting busted here and there for some gambling, loansharking, bootleg cigarettes, stolen tax refund checks, etc.

i've always looked at competition as the biggest factor with regards to the downfall of the decalvacante's, a problem definitely not shared by most of the remaining families. while there is without a doubt a very large recruiting pool all over northern nj, the decalvacante's simply don't have, nor have they ever really had the manpower to maintain and recover their very limited rackets after suffering damage by way of law enforcement.

look what has happened since the last huge bust with them in '99/2000. even though they might have been able to somewhat stabilize, the ny families have gobbled up a significant share of their rackets. that along with the diminishing influence in the unions have really set them back. still, i think they will outlast detroit and possibly whats left of the outfit. i expect philly and NE to be the last families left outside of ny. with that said, northern nj will be one of the last areas in the US to have a major lcn presence, regardless od which family is running things.(smart money is the westside)

in the past the new members would have to take part in a murder ro be made. how many mob hits have there been the past 10 years outside of ny or even in ny-nj?

this means most of the new made guys did not make their bones. they are not street guys and would be more likely to flip when facing 20 years

I'm having a debate on the Decavalcantes, what is the consensus on their status?

I think the "must murder for induction" caveat has always been a stretch. You think Tommy Gambino ever murdered anyone for his pops? As long as you were Italian/Sicilian and were a good earner who could have other made guys vouch for you, you could be made. Being someone who could kill was just icing on the cake.

Has this ever been confirmed?

O ok thanks, i think it really speaks to the state of the decalvecantes are in when the acting boss is out doing a nickel and dime shakedown himself in front of a resturant full of witnesses, maybe this will teach the guy about insolation and discipline.