la mano nera

[decem]

who knows what about it

 

[BaBa-BooeY]

Mano Nera or the Black Hand was not a singular organization as is commonly believed today. It was more a method than a group. Young Italian gangsters, mostly Sicilian, victimized their own countrymen in the big cities of America during the period 1890 through the 1920s. Mano Nera was an extortion racket practiced by young toughs who threatened violence to local citizens or businesses unless they got paid. In short, it was a protection scheme where the victim had to pay the protector for not killing him. Either the victim paid the extortionist or he suffered the consequences, which often included shooting, arson and murder