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There was no Purple Gang in Harlem. No references. Mobsters from 1930's to 1990's running it. For some reason all famous. Paul Vario from Queens dealing in Harlem. Chicago somehow involved. Murder Inc. Henry Hill. They were the 6th mafia family of NY. Only thing is missing is that Al Capone started it and John Gotti ran it from prison. Just read this pile of fantasy. It is written by a schizophrenic or someone with a lot of imagination. Delete this article please. Meishern (talk) 10:56, 25 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm, actually this article is based mainly on it's sole source, an article from the New York Sun, and there's other mentions of this gang in other publications, if you care to look about online. Your statement seems to be a little unwarranted to me, and the accusation that the creator is possibly a 'schizophrenic' is just needlessly accusatory. missrain(talk) 17:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Lets look at google results for 'east harlem purple gang':
*) 2 wikipedia articles. (no references)
*) Ny Sun Article only claims that in the 1970's, according to a DEA report, Angelo Prisco and Daniel Leo were members of this gang. Both statements have no reference except Gangland news which reads more like a gangster soap opera than a serious sorce.
*) NY Daily News - 1970's Purple Gang, originally affiliated with the Luchese mob, and later with the Genovese and Bonanno crime families responsible for selling heroin in east harlem and bronx, dismantled by police and feds.
*) Sarasota Herald Tribune article from 1977 - 30 members, 80 associates. Heroin dealers. Works as muscle for Luchese and does hits for Genovese. Traded pistols in florida to a Nicaraguan drug dealer (never proved, alegation).
*) everything else is word for word copy of wikipedia.
Now lets look at the article:
Bobby Germaine, Jimmy Burke, Henry Hill, Frank Costello, Vito Genovese, John Ormento, Eugene Gianini, Lucky Luciano (who died well before 1970's), Carmine (Gribbs) Tramunti, Paul Varro (who ran JFK Airport in Queens is alleged to be boss of East Harlem Gang). None of these names are involved with the Purple Gang. 0 references. Now other lazy reporters look at wikipedia article and quote it as the holy grail, spreading more disinformation.
I am tired of copying names from this article but Murder Inc (1930s), Montreal Canada, The Westies, Strong ties with Contras in Nicaragus trading military grade weapons for heroin (is a revolver a military grade weapon). Where did this info come from? How about they traded vodka with the russian mafia for plutonium?
Why dont we add Al Capone and Jack the Ripper too. This article is science fiction with no references. Its made up. If you are offended by the word schizophrenic, I am sorry. It was writted by a delusional person who makes things up with a good imagination. I spend 1 hour researching this now, and its non stop fantasies with a grain of truth sprinkled in. Prove me wrong. Otherwise I will cull this article leaving only the info from the 3 papers above. Cheers! Meishern (talk) 05:24, 29 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Any unverified information should indeed be removed, and feel free to do so. But I think you should assume good faith instead of claiming that whoever put the unverified information in was making it up for fun. You seem knowledgeable on the subject so I do trust your judgement. If you want to remove any unverified material, that's perfectly okay. Just try be a little less accusatory? :) OohBunnies!...speak06:08, 16 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for removing the science fiction from the article. I again apologize for accusing any editor of misdeeds or questioning their sanity. There are many false sources and it is not the editors fault for quoting them in good faith. Unfortunately I made statements that should have been kept in check. I will add anything referenced to the article. Thank you
Ok. I referenced and rewrote. Only minor glitch is that I cant find anything regarding the reason for the disintegration of the Purple Gang. Still needs a bit of polishing, but the referenced info is all there. I would like to thank OohBunnies!...speak for the inspiration. Cheers! Meishern (talk) 10:26, 26 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I keep thinking of that movie Carlito's Way with Al Pacino where he kept talking about Pleasant Avenue mafia and heroin. I wonder if there is a connection there with the Purple Gang.Meishern (talk) 10:54, 26 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Article only mentions them as being prominent during the late 70s, so it seems somewhat dubious that an Elvis song from 20 years prior is referencing in some way. It sounds much more likely that the Jailhouse rock reference would be to the Prohibition era gang this group allegedly named themselves after. Any one have something to show why this one belongs here? Shikitohno (talk) 06:53, 9 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]
