Chicago is one of the few places that a citizen can't own a handgun.The murder rate has been historically higher than most cities.Most other major cities allow citizens to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.The U.S. Attorney in Northern Illinois,Patrick Fitzgerald, has been quite astounded by how powerful the
Chicago Mob has been.Just who was behind the infamous handgun ban passed by Chicago's City Council in the early 1980's? Let's quote from a March 20,1982 Chicago Tribune story titled
Mayor's forces win handgun curb on the gun ban(sorry there's no link):
As Friday's council session began,[Mayor]Byrne feared the vote was too close to call.There was extensive backroom debate to determine if the matter should be brought up.But,Byrne allies,primarily Alderman Fred Roti(1st),Edward Burke(14th)and Wilson Frost(34th),moved through the council chambers,persuading wavering aldermen to back the mayor's proposals.Still,Some of Byrne's staunchest allies,including Alderman Robert Shaw(9th) and Richard Mell(33rd),deserted ranks and voted against the ordinance.Streets and Sanitation Commissioner John Donovan made a last-minute deal with at least three aldermen who threatened to walk out of the meeting to avoid voting for the proposal.Donovan promised to improve city services in their wards.
Just who was Alderman Roti,the man leading the charge for gun control?
The Chicago Sun-Times explains:
Roti became 1st Ward alderman in 1968. He soon became one of the most powerful, well-liked and respected members of the City Council. Roti was also a "made member" of the mob, according to the FBI -- a fact not made public until after his death in 1999.
Roti's political career abruptly ended in 1991, when he was charged with taking bribes to fix zoning and court cases. Two years later, he was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison.
What's interesting is Roti knew full well that in Illinois citizens have the right to bear arms.Here's from Article One of the
Illinois State Constitution on guns:
SECTION 22. RIGHT TO ARMS
Subject only to the police power, the right of the
individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
So, a "made member" of the Mob was a powerful Alderman working to disarm honest citizens while his criminal conspirators had no intention of disarming.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Alderman Roti wasn't the only Roti family member in the Chicago Mob:
The Roti family's union power goes back to two late organized-crime figures, Ald. Fred B. Roti and Chicago Outfit boss Anthony Accardo, according to union investigators.
Bruno and "Toots'' Caruso are nephews of Roti. The three were among 47 men identified by the FBI in 1999 as "made'' members of the mob. "Made'' mobsters, according to the report, pledge loyalty to the Outfit "and would carry this oath of commitment and silence to the grave.''
It appears the late Alderman Roti was one of the Chicago Mob's elite leaders.So,to what extent is Chicago's handgun ordinance a conspiracy since a "made member" pushed it through and had loyalty to a secret organization? You can't be loyal to both the Chicago Mob and the Chicago City Council.You might say Chicago's handgun ban falls under RICO since a "made guy" has total loyality to the Mob.Alderman Roti's influence still lives on with at least 30 relatives on the Chicago's payroll.While Roti's nephew, "made guy"
Bruno Caruso has been quite successful at getting Mayor Daley to put his friends on the City of Chicago payroll.
