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No Haven

The Connecticut Mob and the Rise of America's Model City
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With Boston to the north and New York City to the south, Connecticut's history of organized crime is often overlooked. This is the untold story of New Haven's illegal past. One of America's most historic and enduring cities, New Haven is beset with a perpetual struggle with its identity, torn between worlds, where different, often contesting, or contradictory, lives come together in a convergence of chaos and unpredictability. In this environment, organized crime can often take root and flourish. Like other cities situated along the east coast, the criminal organizations that gained supremacy mostly consisted of Italians connected to the Cosa Nostra. From the 1930s, Connecticut became a region where Mafia families like the Genoveses, Gambinos, Colombos, and Patriarcas shared turf--at times, working together with enough profits to go around and, at other times, descending into open war to rival that experienced in any major city. At the center of this conflict were three men who were, at different times, cautious allies or sworn nemeses. Each represented their own interests, first and foremost, but were also backed by outside interests who wanted a slice of New Haven's illicit markets. Representing the Genoveses, Midge Renault reigned supreme over the city thanks to his reputation for wanton violence. At the same time, Colombo capo Ralph 'Whitey' Tropiano maintained a lower profile, which belied his reputation is a vicious killer. It was his lieutenant, Billy 'The Wild Guy' Grasso who ultimately rose to the top of the heap, after signing up with the Patriarca Family. This is the untold story of New Haven's illegal past, told through the experiences of some of the key players.
Paul Bleakley is assistant professor of criminal justice and University Research Scholar at the University of New Haven. He is vice chair of the American Society of Criminology's Division of Historical Criminology. Paul has worked at universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Before entering academia, he worked as a journalist in both London and Sydney. He is the author of several books on historical crime, including Under a Bad Sun (2021) and The Australian Gamble (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). He currently lives in West Haven, CT.
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