The Purple Gang
| Founded | 1910s |
|---|---|
| In | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Years active | 1910s − 1932 |
| Territory | Detroit |
| Criminal activities | Murder, extortion, theft, armed robbery, kidnapping, gambling, bootlegging |
| Allies | The Capone mob, Fred “Killer” Burke |
| Rivals | Rival gangs, Fred “Killer” Burke after 1927 |
The Purple Gang, also known as the Sugar House Gang, was a mob with predominantly Jewish members of bootleggers and hijackers in the 1920s, operating out of Detroit, Michigan, which was a major port for running alcohol products during Prohibition due to Detroit's convenient proximity to Canada, which did not participate in Prohibition.
Many openly violent crimes caused a string of convictions of Purple Gang members, while the intra-gang violence damaged their organization and its ability to control its turf.[1]
A line in the Elvis Presley hit "Jailhouse Rock" is "The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang ... "[2]
In the videogame series Saints Row there are some references to this subject. The street gang 'The 3rd Street Saints' all wear purple. The default car for the gang is called the 'Bootlegger'.
[edit] References
- ^ Michigan History: Detroit's Infamous Purple Gang Detroit News June 16, 1999
- ^ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=574
[edit] Further reading
- Paul R. Kavieff (2005). The Purple Gang: Organized Crime in Detroit 1910-1945. ISBN 1-56980-281-5.
[edit] External links
- Feature film The Purple Gang at the Internet Movie Database
