Chicago, Englewood

The neighbourhood of Englewood, often referred to as Zone 6, situated in South Side, Chicago, is considered one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in America. This neighbourhood has a crime rate %14 higher than the national average, and has the highest average crime count out of all 13 police zones. Englewood contains all levels of criminals from the bottom of the food chain to some of the biggest crime bosses and made men in Chicago.

When it comes to criminal opportunity in Englewood, it's nearly endless. The residential zone offers for some small time burglary, thefts, and robberies. Same goes for some of the commercial areas in Englewood as well. Additionally, more organized operations run protection rackets, prostitution, drug trafficking and smuggling, weapons distribution, and the black market.

Louie ran one such of those operations. It was fairly big and he was the brains behind street-level crime on his block at 63rd & Halsted. He pulled up on the block in his jet-black 2018 Mercedes-Benz S550, xenon lights, tint, the whole 9-yards. People in this area knew who owned the car, no one touched it. I slid a briefcase from the passenger seat into my lap. I clicked it open, checked the cash quick, snapped it shut, and stepped out. I flattened down my suit jacket and kept the brief in my left hand. 

As I circled around the car a few of the muscle and hitters who dealt for me out of my cut house nodded my way, all very respectful but none said a word.

I continued to walk towards my cut house, before I stopped and spun around. I looked out at the streets of Englewood before me. This block of mine was just a small piece of the puzzle and there were many corners out there left for other individuals like myself. I wondered how many others out there were doing something similar to what I got here...

Anyway, I turned back towards to doorway to meet with my pointman inside.

Louie was just getting done his administrative work at the cut house with his pointman. He had to make sure his product and his numbers were straight. All that looked good. He made his way into the other room to check with his accountant on how the prostitution racket was going. My accountant had no trouble balancing out the numbers and making sure I made some profit, but he called me back over to his desk about some discrepancy.

"Mr. Canicatti, it appears that the regular girls who hang around at Mackay Park for work aren't kicking up their dues anymore. When I sent somebody to collect, all the girls came up with the same response. When I sent two guys, there were people there waiting. The people who were waiting looked at them and said that they don't kick up to you no more. Didn't say who though."

This was just great. Just what I needed was somebody to start muscling in on Mackey Park. Mackey Park is a large park within Englewood that generates lots of money overnight. Whoever controls the Mackey corners controls a gold mine. I needed that park and if I couldn't hire people to get it back for me, I'd go out and fuckin' do it myself.

I stepped outside of the cut house and jammed my pinky fingers into the edges of my mouth. I let out an extended, loud whistle which attracted the attention of most of the guys down the block. They all rallied up outside the porch in front of me, probably 6 of them. I picked out three of the toughest looking dudes, sent the rest back to work, and told them to hop in. As they hopped inside of my Mercedes S-Class in amazement, I sped off the shoulder and headed around the block towards Mackey Park.

(To be continued...)

Mackey Park was up ahead and Louie pulled his car into the back parking lot. Inside the car he explained to his guys to keep their eyes peeled, and their mouths shut. I was doing all the talking, they were muscle. The Warlord and his soldiers. I pulled out my wallet and leafed out some money to them, $500 each for now, $500 upon return to the cut house. Simple enough and they all agreed. We didn't expect many guys anyway.

We hopped out of the car and started doing the rounds. Showing in numbers had an effect... good and bad. Nobody fucked with us, but we stood out like a sore thumb. We looked like a true organized gang, not like a family or something like that. We didn't roll too tightly and chose to separate into 'buddy-teams' two teams of two to collect. We stayed within eyesight of each other, maybe a block or two apart that way if any heat or beef came up we could all react.

Upon extorting some of the women and enforcing Louie's name as their protection, some kicked up and some refused. We still have yet to find these fuckers who are preventing me making money. I rallied up the troops and told the other buddy team to give me what they collected. I counted what we had so far...Probably $5000 in protection, roughly. About half what should be collected. Once I find the gang who liberated half the park I'll be making double the money, plus I'll have the whole block under my thumb. That'll provide nice bonuses for business in the future... Anyway, Louie shoved the cash in a secure pocket of his coat and told the team to stay with him, he was gonna group up and find the clique who's fucking with me.

Midnight came around as we wandered around the corners of the park. We headed inside the park, where more hookers were waiting along some of the park benches and flowerbeds. As my posse walked along, we noticed an odd man standing against a wall with his hands down his pockets eyeballing us as we walked. He lowered his hat to his face and made a loud *cough*. "Keep moving, eyes peeled." is the last thing I could instruct my guys before more men came around the corners of trees and shrubs. 1, 2, 3, and the guy from the wall, the leader.

The shady men from the bushes formed up with the leader up front. My posse tightened up and we stood off. I held my hand out to my guys and stepped forward. He did the same. I looked him dead in the fucking eyes. I started out real nice, then went off on him.

"Your the guys trying to earn in my turf, yeah? You're either very stupid, or very new. I will give you the benefit of the doubt, and make you an offer you can't refuse. You wanna earn here? Fine, the parks yours. I want %80 fuckin' percent, and you call me boss, or I show you to the fuckin' door myself. There's gonna be only one way to refuse this offer, so you make your decision NOW."

The guy flinched back a bit at the tone of my voice raising but then he looked at me, unconvinced I could beat him in a 4v4 battle. "I got four guys with me now ready to kick your guys asses all across this park. You got four guys with you, are they down to do the same? I'm willing to test that."

And like that it was on. Leader tossed a punch right at me that would of landed clean if I didn't sway back a bit. My posse jumped on their respective guys and we were lined right up shoulder to shoulder tossing bombs back and forth. If you counted us 1, 2, 3, 4, the guy in the 2nd position on the punks team caught an eblow square into his jaw sending him backwards to the ground unconscious. It was 4v3 suddenly and they were starting to back down. After two of my guys jumped on the one he started making a break for it while he could, and the other two were trying to follow right up behind him.

I ran and tackled the leader of the group right to the floor and rolled him on his back sitting on top of him. I dropped a few hammer fists right into his skull to the rhythm that it bounced off the concrete. I stood up over top of him looking down into his now bloody eyes.

"Now the offer is off the table. Go back to your mommy's and write up a resume while I let you fuckin' live."

He rolled up to his knees and started to stand, and I kicked him right back down.

"I said fuckin' scram! Get going! Piece of shit. Boys, let's go."

And like that the nights work was finished and I could rest easy knowing the park is back safely under my control. I gave my crew their other half of their salary plus a bonus for a good night's work and a little scrap. I invited them all in for supper at my personal dinner table and added a nice little bonus to their pay which they all appreciated dearly. I also appreciated them, as they are an essential part of my operation. Best to keep the experienced ones close to your hip...