John Pennisi Sighting / Sit Down News

[Browniety86]

Arillotta likes to brag abt being direct with bosses but for all intents and purposes Artie Nigro was a soldier who got promoted to be the lightning rod. He was never even official captain of the 116th Street crew...

[johnny_scootch]

Does anyone know what the connection is between Pennisi and guys like Johnny Santore & Tony Moscatiello? Were these guys dating his mother? Now that I think about it I can't recall him talking about his father much at all.

[funkster]

Does anyone know what the connection is between Pennisi and guys like Johnny Santore & Tony Moscatiello? Were these guys dating his mother? Now that I think about it I can't recall him talking about his father much at all.

Seems like his dad wasn't around much.


Wonder if he is getting tired of the MBA portion, he seems to be getting a little irritable. Maybe it's the 30 for 30..

[B.]

On their latest one, Jenkins estimates that the KC family had 12 made members and 25 associates during the "skim" era.

No doubt they were dwindling, but another sign that most of the early US families were on the smaller side to begin with, with a low "official" associate count.

He also says he never once heard anything about KC doing the traditional ceremony and leans toward them not doing it. He does point out they were of "Sicilian extraction."

[Pogo The Clown]

They had about 26 members in the 1960s. So by the 1980s they had lost half of their members. This level of attrition seems to have been the standard across the country as during the same period Chicago, Philly, Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh also lost at least half (or more) of their members.


Pogo

[Browniety86]

On their latest one, Jenkins estimates that the KC family had 12 made members and 25 associates during the "skim" era.

No doubt they were dwindling, but another sign that most of the early US families were on the smaller side to begin with, with a low "official" associate count.

He also says he never once heard anything about KC doing the traditional ceremony and leans toward them not doing it. He does point out they were of "Sicilian extraction."

Didnt Chicago not the traditional ceremony until Doves Aiuppa was boss?

[B.]

These families are confirmed to have done ongoing inductions without the traditional ceremony:

DeCavalcante (1970s-1980s)
Bonanno (1920s?-2010s)
Chicago (1920s-1960s)

Ranges limited by existing knowledge.

[Amershire_Ed]

Does anyone know what the connection is between Pennisi and guys like Johnny Santore & Tony Moscatiello? Were these guys dating his mother? Now that I think about it I can't recall him talking about his father much at all.

Seems like his dad wasn't around much.


Wonder if he is getting tired of the MBA portion, he seems to be getting a little irritable. Maybe it's the 30 for 30..

He said on a few occasions that his parents divorced at an early age and that he spent time in both households growing up.

One thing that has caught my attention about Pennisi is that when he talks about his mother, you can tell that she is someone that was very much “in the know”. She heard through her own personal contacts that John got his button. Even now, he was saying that she was texting him about the Amato indictment. Hootie said something kinda similar about his own mother. That his mother “loved the life and being around people close to the life”.

[newera_212]

These families are confirmed to have done ongoing inductions without the traditional ceremony:

DeCavalcante (1970s-1980s)
Bonanno (1920s?-2010s)
Chicago (1920s-1960s)

Ranges limited by existing knowledge.

Does this mean inductions during this period defaulted to not doing a traditional ceremony, or just that there were some inductions during this period where the traditional ceremony was skipped? The Bonannos seem like a weird one, especially because Joe Bonnano seemed like such a bloviating, nostalgic, heavy-on-symbolism type of guy. It's easy to imagine him overseeing a super serious ceremony But the family was more or less in turmoil for damn near it's entire existence...maybe that's why they cut corners there. The Massino, Spero, Chili ceremony in Queens by Galante was done 'traditionally' - no? Only with Happy Birthday decorations as a cover?

[funkster]

Does anyone know what the connection is between Pennisi and guys like Johnny Santore & Tony Moscatiello? Were these guys dating his mother? Now that I think about it I can't recall him talking about his father much at all.

Seems like his dad wasn't around much.


Wonder if he is getting tired of the MBA portion, he seems to be getting a little irritable. Maybe it's the 30 for 30..

He said on a few occasions that his parents divorced at an early age and that he spent time in both households growing up.

One thing that has caught my attention about Pennisi is that when he talks about his mother, you can tell that she is someone that was very much “in the know”. She heard through her own personal contacts that John got his button. Even now, he was saying that she was texting him about the Amato indictment. Hootie said something kinda similar about his own mother. That his mother “loved the life and being around people close to the life”.

Also becoming a cooperator did not seem like something she was happy with him getting into. I mean, he also said that Carniglia saw her a store and bought him clothes for her.

[B.]

Does this mean inductions during this period defaulted to not doing a traditional ceremony, or just that there were some inductions during this period where the traditional ceremony was skipped? The Bonannos seem like a weird one, especially because Joe Bonnano seemed like such a bloviating, nostalgic, heavy-on-symbolism type of guy. It's easy to imagine him overseeing a super serious ceremony But the family was more or less in turmoil for damn near it's entire existence...maybe that's why they cut corners there. The Massino, Spero, Chili ceremony in Queens by Galante was done 'traditionally' - no? Only with Happy Birthday decorations as a cover?

The Bonannos were inconsistent. There were some known traditional ceremonies 1930-1950s, but also some that were casual. All of the 1970s-2000s inductions were verbal, sometimes not even taking the full oath. For Massino's ceremony there were apparently civilians in the same room which is why they played happy birthday on the jukebox.

[CabriniGreen]

These families are confirmed to have done ongoing inductions without the traditional ceremony:

DeCavalcante (1970s-1980s)
Bonanno (1920s?-2010s)
Chicago (1920s-1960s)

Ranges limited by existing knowledge.

Does this mean inductions during this period defaulted to not doing a traditional ceremony, or just that there were some inductions during this period where the traditional ceremony was skipped? The Bonannos seem like a weird one, especially because Joe Bonnano seemed like such a bloviating, nostalgic, heavy-on-symbolism type of guy. It's easy to imagine him overseeing a super serious ceremony But the family was more or less in turmoil for damn near it's entire existence...maybe that's why they cut corners there. The Massino, Spero, Chili ceremony in Queens by Galante was done 'traditionally' - no? Only with Happy Birthday decorations as a cover?

I honestly believe we take it more seriously than they do. Not that its total bullshit to them, but I've said it before, the only way you get truly validated by the street is by earning or enforcing.

@B.

A good example is the Morena ceremony. We get these grandiose visions of what it's like, then we find out its 3 guys in a messy hotel room, and that's about it really.

[johnny_scootch]

I honestly believe we take it more seriously than they do. Not that its total bullshit to them, but I've said it before, the only way you get truly validated by the street is by earning or enforcing.

@B.

A good example is the Morena ceremony. We get these grandiose visions of what it's like, then we find out its 3 guys in a messy hotel room, and that's about it really.

Some of them take it seriously and some of them don't, they aren't the monolithic group people view them to be.

You could have the Bonanno's do a shitty quick ceremony in a hotel room today and tomorrow the Gambino's are doing the full traditional ceremony in a darkened basement in Bensonhurst with 20 members present.

[Dapper_Don]

I honestly believe we take it more seriously than they do. Not that its total bullshit to them, but I've said it before, the only way you get truly validated by the street is by earning or enforcing.

@B.

A good example is the Morena ceremony. We get these grandiose visions of what it's like, then we find out its 3 guys in a messy hotel room, and that's about it really.

Some of them take it seriously and some of them don't, they aren't the monolithic group people view them to be.

You could have the Bonanno's do a shitty quick ceremony in a hotel room today and tomorrow the Gambino's are doing the full traditional ceremony in a darkened basement in Bensonhurst with 20 members present.

reminds me of Mikey Spinelli getting made in jail...I think it was Jimmy Calandra or Paul Cantarella who mentioned they served "guard" at the bathroom door so other inmates wouldnt go in during the ceremony. Some of the other families refuse to recognize guys who get made like this (other than the traditional way) Pennisi mentioned Joe DiNapoli was saying they dont need/wont to recognize Spinelli. I think also Dom Cicale was made in an Bronx apartment kitchen by Basciano

[AntComello]

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