The Commish

Do you know who Salvatore Lucania was? He was responsible for an institution that all of us support on nearly a daily basis. I consider the institution he established to be a permanent 9th wonder of the world.

Salvatore Lucania is better to known people in the U.S. as Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the premier Mafia leader of the world from the time of prohibition through the 1970s.

In the U.S. prior to 1931, organized crime was anything but. There were various Mafia families in many parts of the country. Each family claimed a territory. As one might expect with greedy criminals, disputes over territory arose and battles ensued. These battle generated plenty of publicity in the media. Media publicity is to the Mafia what a stake through the heart was to Count Dracula ("Dapper Don" John Gotti didn't quite understand this). By the end of the 1920s, many Mafia members were being killed and leaders were being arrested. This was not good for business!

Along with his Jewish pal Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano establised The Commission in 1931. The Commission consisted of representatives of all of the major Mafia families in the U.S. (although the core consisted of leaders from the five dominant Mafia families in New York). The Commission was the ruling body for Mafia-linked organized crime in the U.S. It functioned much like a corporate board of directors (with Luciano as chairman). From 1931 through the 1970s, the Mafia flourished in the U.S. Money made in gambling rackets on the east coast would be laundered through Mafia controlled businesses in other parts of the country. Territorial disputes between families were resolved at the commission level. Although turf battles continued, they were nowhere nearly as intense as the battles that took place prior to 1931. As a result of collaborative efforts, business flourished for all of Mafia families represented on The Commission.

The strength of The Commission continued into the 1970s. The Commission lost a significant amount of influence when several of the Mafia families insisted on dealing in drugs - a practice that was definitely prohibited by The Commission. Without the strong leadership of Luciano and Lansky (Luciano was deported to Italy and Lansky retired), the battled over drug dealing all but destroyed The Commission. It still functions today, but mainly as a coalition of the five New York families).

Why do I bring this up? In the field I work in, there are numerous organizations advocating for improvements to the lives of people with disabilities. While these organizations could accomplish quite a bit through collaborative measures, most choose to do all they can to maintain their "turf" of money and influence. I am always amazed that good people cannot come together for the best interests of vulnerable people, yet greedy thugs were able to do so - and as a result, their enterprise was able to thrive for generations.

Imagine how much better the world would be if the United Nations could function like The Commission did. Yes, we would still have skirmishes. However, we likely would not have the level of threats to world peace and existence that we now face. In a strange way, the world would be a better place thanks to Lucky Luciano!