Flutterby™! : Gangs as government

One of the ideas that fascinates me is the nature of criminal enterprises as governments, formed as a reaction to other oppressive governments. Witness, for instance, the open acceptance of the Mafia in New York as a reaction to an Irish dominated police force which openly warred against the Italian communities. Wednesday Evening's Fresh Air had an interview with Philadelphia Enquirer reporter George Anastasia on how the breakdown of a sense of community within the Philadelphia mob allowed it to be cracked and destroyed; in essence with the governmental functions of the mob gone, everyone was out for money, which meant that there was no loyalty or long-term reward to sitting in jail. There are less subtle echoes of gangs as alternative government in the death of Indian "Bandit Queen", who turned first to violence, then to being a legislator in an attempt to undo the Hindu caste systems.