where J.R. Russoâs girlfriend worked. Lieutenant Charlie Quintina was waiting at the wrong restaurant for Salemme.
Gigi was held on a gun charge in Plymouth, where he shared a cell with Capo Vinnie Ferrara, who had given him the contract on Salemme. Ferrara is a Boston College graduate who, according to one affidavit, was involved in a dozen killings. Prosecutors felt that they didnât have enough evidence to charge the four men with attempted murder. However, Gigi was convicted on weapons possession and served thirty months in Leavenworth Federal Prison. Whenever Gigi was asked what Frank Salemme looked like, he would answer, âI donât know what he looks like but I sure know what he looks like running.â A sense of humor and a deadly lifestyleâthese are two of the traits that made up the life of Gigi Portalla.
C HAPTER 5
I RISH G ANG W AR
As in other major cities, the Boston underworld was not always solely ruled by the Italian mob. The Irish had staked out a piece of the proverbial pie early on and had managed to hang on even while the Italian mob grew in power. The Irish stronghold was in the part of Boston known as Southie. This area was highly segregated and held true to its Irish Catholic heritage. Southie was one of the poorest sections of Boston and had an extremely high unemployment rate right up until the beginning of World War II. The families who lived in this tightknit community held closely to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Most of the men in Southie worked on the docks, while their wives cleaned offices in the financial district just over the bridge. Southie considered itself a closed community to everyone except the Irish. This cohesive mentality was forged when the Irish first came to Boston in large numbers and were faced with NINA (No Irish Need Apply) signs. These signs limited opportunities for Irish immigrants and only helped to reinforce the separatist attitude of this section of Boston.
Southie was under the total control of renowned gangster James âWhiteyâ Bulger. He arrived in Southie in 1938 with his parents and siblings. They moved into the projects, and Whitey quickly adapted to the gang life as a young man. He joined the Shamrocks, a Southie group that succeeded the former Gustins gang. The Gustins should have been the dominant gang during the Prohibition era. However, in 1931, they attempted to gain total control of Boston by taking over bootlegging operations along the waterfront. When two members of the ill-fated Gustins went to dictate the new terms to the mafia in the North End, they were gunned down behind the door of the C&F Importing Company. This single act of violence realigned the demarcation point of Bostonâs underworld. The Italian mafia would survive and flourish in the Italian neighborhoods, and the Irish gangs would retreat to the safety of Southie. The Irish gangs managed to survive and coexist with the Italian mafia by putting mafia loan shark money out on the streets of Irish neighborhoods.
Whitey Bulger, the kingpin of the Irish mob, who is still on the run. Courtesy of the FBI .
Whitey moved quickly through the ranks of the gang by first selling swag out of the back of trucks and committing bank robbery. Eventually, Whitey was sentenced to a federal prison term. While he was incarcerated, he was moved from Atlanta to the maximum-security prison known as the âRock.â During his tenure in Alcatraz, he spent some time in solitary for fighting and organizing a work stoppage. Eventually, he quieted down and became a model inmate. When Bulger went to prison, Eisenhower was newly elected; when he was released, Lyndon Johnson was in office. While Whitey was incarcerated, his father passed away. When Whitey was released, he returned to Boston, where his brother Billy was serving a term in the Massachusetts legislature. Billy Bulger would stay in Massachusetts politics, eventually serving as the longest-running president
Gigi was held on a gun charge in Plymouth, where he shared a cell with Capo Vinnie Ferrara, who had given him the contract on Salemme. Ferrara is a Boston College graduate who, according to one affidavit, was involved in a dozen killings. Prosecutors felt that they didnât have enough evidence to charge the four men with attempted murder. However, Gigi was convicted on weapons possession and served thirty months in Leavenworth Federal Prison. Whenever Gigi was asked what Frank Salemme looked like, he would answer, âI donât know what he looks like but I sure know what he looks like running.â A sense of humor and a deadly lifestyleâthese are two of the traits that made up the life of Gigi Portalla.
C HAPTER 5
I RISH G ANG W AR
As in other major cities, the Boston underworld was not always solely ruled by the Italian mob. The Irish had staked out a piece of the proverbial pie early on and had managed to hang on even while the Italian mob grew in power. The Irish stronghold was in the part of Boston known as Southie. This area was highly segregated and held true to its Irish Catholic heritage. Southie was one of the poorest sections of Boston and had an extremely high unemployment rate right up until the beginning of World War II. The families who lived in this tightknit community held closely to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Most of the men in Southie worked on the docks, while their wives cleaned offices in the financial district just over the bridge. Southie considered itself a closed community to everyone except the Irish. This cohesive mentality was forged when the Irish first came to Boston in large numbers and were faced with NINA (No Irish Need Apply) signs. These signs limited opportunities for Irish immigrants and only helped to reinforce the separatist attitude of this section of Boston.
Southie was under the total control of renowned gangster James âWhiteyâ Bulger. He arrived in Southie in 1938 with his parents and siblings. They moved into the projects, and Whitey quickly adapted to the gang life as a young man. He joined the Shamrocks, a Southie group that succeeded the former Gustins gang. The Gustins should have been the dominant gang during the Prohibition era. However, in 1931, they attempted to gain total control of Boston by taking over bootlegging operations along the waterfront. When two members of the ill-fated Gustins went to dictate the new terms to the mafia in the North End, they were gunned down behind the door of the C&F Importing Company. This single act of violence realigned the demarcation point of Bostonâs underworld. The Italian mafia would survive and flourish in the Italian neighborhoods, and the Irish gangs would retreat to the safety of Southie. The Irish gangs managed to survive and coexist with the Italian mafia by putting mafia loan shark money out on the streets of Irish neighborhoods.
Whitey Bulger, the kingpin of the Irish mob, who is still on the run. Courtesy of the FBI .
Whitey moved quickly through the ranks of the gang by first selling swag out of the back of trucks and committing bank robbery. Eventually, Whitey was sentenced to a federal prison term. While he was incarcerated, he was moved from Atlanta to the maximum-security prison known as the âRock.â During his tenure in Alcatraz, he spent some time in solitary for fighting and organizing a work stoppage. Eventually, he quieted down and became a model inmate. When Bulger went to prison, Eisenhower was newly elected; when he was released, Lyndon Johnson was in office. While Whitey was incarcerated, his father passed away. When Whitey was released, he returned to Boston, where his brother Billy was serving a term in the Massachusetts legislature. Billy Bulger would stay in Massachusetts politics, eventually serving as the longest-running president
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