Bushwick in the seventies

[Ridgewood 79]

No we were younger ( than the catalano era) we didn't look down on aiello at all (tony sr) he had ways about him that irked a few but we ( my family were close to him one on my cousins Joe pizzo was his son Anthony s godfather )the drug conversation or what I meant by not having to run that route myself was that by the time I was about 15 years old all the big players in the drug game were gone mostly in prison and some dead the ones that didn't fk with the drugs or those few who slipped through the cracks closed up shop the game got hot so no guys I was around did not want that smoke

[Augie]

Ridgewood 79… That you know of is the Bonanno Family connection to Sicily still strong in regards to bringing guys over from Sicily? I know not in the case that that was happening with Galante and the drug pipline with specific reason of moving drugs and that pipeline but more in regards of the ties being strong enough that guys come simply as recruits in that life. So I know they still have the active ties but more in regards to guys coming over? Also..don’t mean to throw a bunch of questions in one post but did you ever hear anything about Paul Sciacca and how he was when he was boss? I know that’s quite a bit before your time but did you ever hear any talk that came from the old timers about Sciacca?

[Ridgewood 79]

As for sciacca correct don't know much about him although it was always said from the beginning of the bonanno sixties war with digregorio being boss to him stepping down the puppet master was Carlo Gambino even to the point that his influence put evola and rastelli on top and had guys like matty mari s dad and the adamo guy killed thats why galante hated gambino and in 74 after his release he was gunning for Gambino

[Ridgewood 79]

And the bonanno connection to cdg died in the mid eighties no recruiting if there's any communication it's based on friends and family even galante didn't recruit back in Sicily (trust me) them guys were here already and had pedigree I doubt if there's any pipeline especially today.

[Ridgewood 79]

The bonanno Sicilians and the American faction of the bonanno family s relationship died the day bonventre was killed in 84 the only Sicilians that were left in the bonanno family at that point were kissing both rastelli s and Massino s ass the old man joe buccelatto was appointed 3rd guy at that point for one to make Canada happy and two fool the naive members of the family that a castellamaresi was still on top

[Brovelli]

Are the Grimaldi's Castellamarese heritage?

[Ridgewood 79]

Brovelli no from Santa ninfa

[Brovelli]

Thanks. I seen somewhere that Vito's father was also a member so I had assumed they were all Castellamarese from the early days of the family. Appreciate the response.

[Ridgewood 79]

[Augie]

Thanks Ridegewood. Was it pretty much all Sicilians in Bushwick then when there were still Italians there? Were there any other Italians (Neapolitans, Calabrese, Puglians) in that part of Brooklyn, specifically Bushwick area, that you knew of then when you were a kid?

[Ridgewood 79]

Augie mostly Sicilians from the northwest part of Sicily as for other Italians some Neapolitan, bari, and Calabria but very few

[Augie]

Appreciate it Ridgewood.

Do you think Baldo Amato would have been boss material had he not gone away for life? Sal Montana seems to have come out of the Bronx faction..not sure if you guys any experience with him coming up? I know how he was younger than Amato but not sure what was thought of those two in hindsight if any? Thx!

[Ridgewood 79]

It's montagna not Montana that's someone else you are talking about the iron man he needed strings to be boss where amato did not he can definitely lead very honed from an early age someone who like Giorgio always had Massino on edge and yes would've been top guy post Massino days unfortunately Vitale and cantarella put the nails in him

[CornerBoy]

It's montagna not Montana that's someone else you are talking about the iron man he needed strings to be boss where amato did not he can definitely lead very honed from an early age someone who like Giorgio always had Massino on edge and yes would've been top guy post Massino days unfortunately Vitale and cantarella put the nails in him

you;re talking about baldo could've been boss?

who giorgio?

Thanks

[JeremyTheJew]

Augie mostly Sicilians from the northwest part of Sicily as for other Italians some Neapolitan, bari, and Calabria but very few

Ridgewood very interesting and cool to know that u were a active associate

So few questions;

You said you didn't deal with dope bc the old timers were all done n over with when you came up
So the Bonanno were always said to be the "junk family" so I'm wondering did that stick with them after Galante died? Like Massino and after.

Or did they lose that nickname with the end of the pizza connection?

Also- did the Bonanno and Gambino zips work together at all???

Would you consider your people as zips??