Storied & Scandalous Kansas City by Karla Deel

Author:Karla Deel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Globe Pequot
Published: 2019-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

ITALIANS DOMINATE BOOTLEGGING

1919–1950

“The saloon in Kansas has gone and gone forever; we know that we are better off in every way, morally financially, and religiously. ‘Tis true liquor is brought in from Kansas City and other points in Missouri, and it is sued slyly. Sometimes men sell it on the sly. This business is called ‘bootlegging.’”2

—EXCERPT FROM THE ECONOMICS OF PROHIBITION, BY JAMES CHAMPLIN FERNALD

With the passing of Prohibition, Italians in particular scoffed at the absurdity of this New World law and began to transition from Black Hand extortion to bootlegging rackets. A centuries-old Italian custom was to drink wine with dinner and share wine with company and friends. Some Italian families continued the traditions despite the laws of their adopted country. Around this time, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union established an operation in the center of the North End and began providing English and sewing classes to the Italian women of the neighborhood. After attending the classes and speaking freely, raids in the neighborhood doubled. The women (and their husbands) were convinced that the WCTU had targeted their neighborhood. By the time of Prohibition, the Italians had gained complete control of the bootleg liquor industry in Kansas City. The allure of bootlegging was strong—low financial investment, high financial returns, and a steady, hungry demand for the product.

Kansas City police officers outside of 3017 Wyandotte with a vat of bootlegged mash. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library.

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