The Purple Gang of the 1920s Essay - 563 Words

Today, the Detroit River is one of busiest waterways in the United States, shipping iron and other goods to and from Canada. Only 100 years ago, those waterways were being used to transport illegal liquor from Canada to the Unites States (â€Å"Rum-running in Windsor.†). The men to pick it up were called the Purple Gang. The Purple Gang was a mainly Jewish, well established group of criminals, that by the late 1920s and controlled the citys drug trade, liquor, vice, and gambling (â€Å"The Purple Gang.†). The Cleaners and Dyers War In 1924, the laundry business was doing terribly. The companies kept prices too low to make a profit and their tailors threatened to leave if they had to pay their cleaning bills. The business was doing terribly†¦show more content†¦The Damon Acts said that no liquor could be brought into Michigan. So the Purple Gang got a three year head start on smuggling the alcohol. They now got the contacts in Canada, the experience, and the knowledge on how to smuggle the liquor when it became illegal in all of the United States. Liquor was banned in the United States from 1913 to 1920 (Slavicek). In that time 75% of all liquor smuggled into the United States was through the Purple Gang (â€Å"Subject Focus: The Purple Gang†). The Purple Gang sold the liquor to local â€Å"Blind Pigs†, Al Capone in Chicago, and many places out west like St. Louis, etc. The Purple Gang’s liquor trade was certainly on one of their biggest accomplishments. The Collingwood Massacre On September 16, 1931, three members of the â€Å"Little Jewish Navy† were escorted by Sol Levine to 1740 Collingwood Avenue. They were told it was for a friendly meeting, as however it was anything but a friendly meeting. The three men, Joe Lebowitz, Hymie Paul and Isadore Sutker, were murdered by Harry Keywell and Irving Milberg (Fitzpatrick, â€Å"Collingwood Manor Massacre†). Sol Levine, the one man spared in the shooting, was spared due to his friendship with Ray Bernstein. He then testified against the Purple Gang’s top member and the two murderers because he was scared to be targeted next. Ray Bernstein, Harry Keywell, and Irving Milberg all got a life sentence to prison (Fitzpatrick, â€Å"Collingwood Manor Massacre†). This eventShow MoreRelatedJews And Booze By Marni Davis1734 Words   |  7 Pages When Prohibition became law in 1920, many Jews became bootleggers. Mob bosses such as Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky operated in New York; Abner â€Å"Longy† Zwillman and Waxey Gordon worked in New Jersey; The Purple Gang was mainly based in Detroit. These mobsters and others made headlines more often than did Jewish federal Prohibition agents like Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith (Davis). Jewish gangsters found that the most money at the time could be found in the illegal alcohol business and so forRead MoreJews And Booze By Marni Davis1890 Words   |  8 Pagesgentiles together. But although many Jews were on the good side of the law, a large portion shifted to more shady dealings. When Prohibition became law in 1920, some Jews became bootleggers. Mob bosses such as Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky operated in New York; Abner â€Å"Longy† Zwillman and Waxey Gordon worked in New Jersey; The Purple Gang were mainly based in Detroit. 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The 18th Amendment that had been ratified in 1919 saw America go dry on January 17, 1920. The amendment illegalized the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States and its territories. With this banning, the Era of Prohibition began, which lasted for 14 years and during this era, the country experienced the level