General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

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Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by PolackTony » Thu May 22, 2025 10:50 am

SonnyC wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 9:38 am The guy in the back with the white hat on is my uncle, Frank Barrata. He was close with Accardo and Ricca, but probably closer with Ricca. I was told by Dominic Volpe something to the effect of "he was definitely in". Strangely enough Volpe told me he was a member of the "council", which the existence of I thought was nonsense at the time (late '90s), but has obviously been proven true. Was he really sitting on it? I doubt it.
This was Frank “Blackie” Baratta, who died in 1984? If so, makes sense that he would have been closer to Ricca, as he was from Taylor St (grew up by Bishop and Polk).

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by NorthBuffalo » Thu May 22, 2025 10:13 am

Well I'm shook. No idea the original guy who had this photo was on the forum - also thought that was settled as Sam Spalla.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by SonnyC » Thu May 22, 2025 9:38 am

The guy in the back with the white hat on is my uncle, Frank Barrata. He was close with Accardo and Ricca, but probably closer with Ricca. I was told by Dominic Volpe something to the effect of "he was definitely in". Strangely enough Volpe told me he was a member of the "council", which the existence of I thought was nonsense at the time (late '90s), but has obviously been proven true. Was he really sitting on it? I doubt it.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by NorthBuffalo » Thu May 22, 2025 7:23 am

Cosmik_Debris wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 6:06 am
Snakes wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 3:16 pm
SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 3:04 pm
funkster wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:41 pm
SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:01 pm
Snakes wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:25 am It was also on Reddit. In my experience, if privacy is expected, pics shouldn't be posted on Facebook, whether it's in a private group or not. There's no way for us or any of the mods to know that.
Yep, that's the truth. I shared a family photo (my current picture here) and it got blasted out all over. One dude even claimed it was his. There's really no expectation of privacy any longer.
You gave the photo to Joe Fosco?
I let Joe use it for the contest. My uncle Frank is the guy at the back with the white hat on. My fault for not foreseeing it would be copied and shared around. No big deal I guess.
Different time back then, I guess. With that said, do you know anyone else in the photo? I know the only guys that have been positively I'D are Accardo, Amato, Palermo, and (probably) Potenza.
I know the first guy on the right in front with the cigar is Barney Potenza and the third on the left next to Accardo is Rocco Potenza.

Confirmed by a member of their family.
That's correct - many said that Barney was 'Hy Larner' for a long time. I am fairly confident this is the most up to date list and accurate - though like everything, subject for debate. Cerone's relatives noted he is not the bald guy next to Barney.

Left - Right
Black Joe Amato
Accardo
Rocco Potenza
Sam Spalla
Nick Palermo
[John Palermo?] - believe up for debate
Frank Palermo (wet pants from sweating over BBQ).
Frank Zimmerman (Union Guy)
James Aducci
Jimmy Caliendo
Barney Potenzo

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by Cosmik_Debris » Thu May 22, 2025 6:06 am

Snakes wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 3:16 pm
SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 3:04 pm
funkster wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:41 pm
SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:01 pm
Snakes wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:25 am It was also on Reddit. In my experience, if privacy is expected, pics shouldn't be posted on Facebook, whether it's in a private group or not. There's no way for us or any of the mods to know that.
Yep, that's the truth. I shared a family photo (my current picture here) and it got blasted out all over. One dude even claimed it was his. There's really no expectation of privacy any longer.
You gave the photo to Joe Fosco?
I let Joe use it for the contest. My uncle Frank is the guy at the back with the white hat on. My fault for not foreseeing it would be copied and shared around. No big deal I guess.
Different time back then, I guess. With that said, do you know anyone else in the photo? I know the only guys that have been positively I'D are Accardo, Amato, Palermo, and (probably) Potenza.
I know the first guy on the right in front with the cigar is Barney Potenza and the third on the left next to Accardo is Rocco Potenza.

Confirmed by a member of their family.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by NorthBuffalo » Thu May 22, 2025 6:04 am

The good Chicago posters are few and far between - I have only come across one with real 'street knowledge' of what is going on today and I don't think he's posted for some time (ChiTown on GangsterBB). However, a lot of excellent historical guys who really put the pieces together and do the research the right way. Guys like SonnyC who contribute incredible family photos and make them public are my personal favorites - that's also why I get pissed off when people abuse those photos, because they stop.

I used to speak often with Bruce Neglia who contributed some of the best photos we've seen of guys like Ross Prio, Joe Arnold, etc. - however, he got very sick of having people steal his photos without permission - and he stopped sharing well before he passed. That is a shame to guys like us.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by VC2 » Thu May 22, 2025 5:49 am

thanks coloboy, previous to joining forum i went on a deep dive of mostly all the threads pertaining to that era of outfit on this site. that includes all 530 pages of this thread. it was first to gain knowledge but also to get a feel for this site. to be fair i recently did a good search over on gbb of similar outfit threads. i have been researching the post accardo era of the outfit for a long time, then with the onset of almost continuous violence in montreal my interest veered elsewhere. but like micheal said in godfather III..."just when i thought i was out..."

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by Coloboy » Wed May 21, 2025 6:08 pm

VC2 wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 5:40 pm evening fellas, new member here. only posted on buffalo thread thus far but have been on gbb posting stuff on outfit and mtl mafia mostly, under the handle of vitocahill. i have to say the outfit knowledge on this site is incredible. i will say as well that a few weeks ago one of my posts from gbb about mike sarno was posted on here by rushstreet. i have no problem with this, i wasnt asked, didnt volunteer info to him outside of posting it on internet. i think if one posts anything on the www its free game, to a point of course. all to say i hold no malice towards rush for this and am aware of how some on this site feel about sharing or copying info.

all that aside i just finished john hagedorns insane chicago way and was impressed with book. i wont go into details as it has been discussed but it really shed light on how chicago functions at a street level from the outfit to gangs, cops, politicians the whole machine. i also have been working up some charts from 1992 and on. thus far these are text only charts for i am no computer design guy, very black and white.

anyway wanted to say hey. have a good night all, chat soon.
Welcome to the board. I’m a big fan of the 1990s and beyond outfit leadership succession post that user Snakes created in a standalone thread. Contains some of the best evidence backed theories on outfit leadership between the 90s-2010 or so

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by VC2 » Wed May 21, 2025 5:40 pm

evening fellas, new member here. only posted on buffalo thread thus far but have been on gbb posting stuff on outfit and mtl mafia mostly, under the handle of vitocahill. i have to say the outfit knowledge on this site is incredible. i will say as well that a few weeks ago one of my posts from gbb about mike sarno was posted on here by rushstreet. i have no problem with this, i wasnt asked, didnt volunteer info to him outside of posting it on internet. i think if one posts anything on the www its free game, to a point of course. all to say i hold no malice towards rush for this and am aware of how some on this site feel about sharing or copying info.

all that aside i just finished john hagedorns insane chicago way and was impressed with book. i wont go into details as it has been discussed but it really shed light on how chicago functions at a street level from the outfit to gangs, cops, politicians the whole machine. i also have been working up some charts from 1992 and on. thus far these are text only charts for i am no computer design guy, very black and white.

anyway wanted to say hey. have a good night all, chat soon.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by Ivan » Wed May 21, 2025 5:25 pm

PolackTony wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:55 pm I had a thread a few years back where I tried to summarize and discuss the little substantive info we have about Italian OC networks in Chicagoland in relation to the significant “second wave” immigration dynamics in the area. People may be interested in this.
I had managed to go through 40+ years of life without even knowing that the "second wave" happened until I saw you mention it on here. I had somehow gotten the idea that the 1924 restriction was the end of substantial Italian immigration.

I think a lot of the younger (as in, under 60) 12th Street Player type guys around the Cicero Crew today are sons of "second wave" immigrants, right? I know Carparelli is.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by Snakes » Wed May 21, 2025 3:16 pm

SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 3:04 pm
funkster wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:41 pm
SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:01 pm
Snakes wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:25 am It was also on Reddit. In my experience, if privacy is expected, pics shouldn't be posted on Facebook, whether it's in a private group or not. There's no way for us or any of the mods to know that.
Yep, that's the truth. I shared a family photo (my current picture here) and it got blasted out all over. One dude even claimed it was his. There's really no expectation of privacy any longer.
You gave the photo to Joe Fosco?
I let Joe use it for the contest. My uncle Frank is the guy at the back with the white hat on. My fault for not foreseeing it would be copied and shared around. No big deal I guess.
Different time back then, I guess. With that said, do you know anyone else in the photo? I know the only guys that have been positively I'D are Accardo, Amato, Palermo, and (probably) Potenza.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by SonnyC » Wed May 21, 2025 3:04 pm

funkster wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:41 pm
SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:01 pm
Snakes wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:25 am It was also on Reddit. In my experience, if privacy is expected, pics shouldn't be posted on Facebook, whether it's in a private group or not. There's no way for us or any of the mods to know that.
Yep, that's the truth. I shared a family photo (my current picture here) and it got blasted out all over. One dude even claimed it was his. There's really no expectation of privacy any longer.
You gave the photo to Joe Fosco?
I let Joe use it for the contest. My uncle Frank is the guy at the back with the white hat on. My fault for not foreseeing it would be copied and shared around. No big deal I guess.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by PolackTony » Wed May 21, 2025 2:55 pm

funkster wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:43 pm
PolackTony wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:41 pm
NickyEyes1 wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 12:58 pm Very interesting! That whole Glendale/Itasca/Wood Dale/Addison/Bloomingdale/Roselle area still has lots of off the boats
Absolutely; many many families with direct immigration ties to Italy (Sicily, Puglia, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Molise) in those towns.
A guy I work with off the boat lives in Addison. Very big presence for sure.
In the 1950s-70s, the “second wave” arrivals from Sicily/Southern Italy were mainly settling in the City of Chicago and inner ring burbs like EP, MP, Cicero/Berwyn. But since then, those people (and their relatives and compaesani who continue to settle in Chicagoland today, though obviously the numbers have declined a lot since the 80s) mainly moved out to the Addison et al constellation, along with other burbs like Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Oak Brook. Today they are of course increasingly dispersed in the farther out suburbs (the Barringtons attract a lot of Italians now), but a good number remain in and around Addison (though not as super concentrated in those towns as they were in the 80s/90s anymore).

I had a thread a few years back where I tried to summarize and discuss the little substantive info we have about Italian OC networks in Chicagoland in relation to the significant “second wave” immigration dynamics in the area. People may be interested in this.

viewtopic.php?t=7151

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by funkster » Wed May 21, 2025 2:43 pm

PolackTony wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:41 pm
NickyEyes1 wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 12:58 pm Very interesting! That whole Glendale/Itasca/Wood Dale/Addison/Bloomingdale/Roselle area still has lots of off the boats
Absolutely; many many families with direct immigration ties to Italy (Sicily, Puglia, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Molise) in those towns.
A guy I work with off the boat lives in Addison. Very big presence for sure.

Re: General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

by funkster » Wed May 21, 2025 2:41 pm

SonnyC wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 2:01 pm
Snakes wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:25 am It was also on Reddit. In my experience, if privacy is expected, pics shouldn't be posted on Facebook, whether it's in a private group or not. There's no way for us or any of the mods to know that.
Yep, that's the truth. I shared a family photo (my current picture here) and it got blasted out all over. One dude even claimed it was his. There's really no expectation of privacy any longer.
You gave the photo to Joe Fosco?

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