Kuku, getting richer, better known, and somehow more handsome with each trip to the Streets, steps out of a car, stands on a Podium, and begins to speak...

FRIENDS, AN ANGRY LITTLE MAN REMINDED ME OF SOMETHING TODAY.  

Someone, from my own city no less, is angry with me.  Wasting not one opportunity to denigrate me, despite me offering him the hand of friendship.  What, exactly, could this be about?  Then I remembered...  My father came home one night, looking like he had been in a fight, and with yet another gun he needed to get rid of.  I overheard him talking to Jeddy and Mikhail about what had happened.  Some time before, a man named Neil_Anblomi had mugged my father.  Neil often followed my father around, trying to get noticed, constantly seeking the attention of my father.  My father wasn't interested.  You can read journal accounts of what happened between them.

Anyway, at the time, an associate mugging a Made man was a big deal.  The Made person could shoot the associate.  So my father did.  

Neil's son, Chris, kept harassing my father, too.  And how, it seems, his grandson is following me around, causing trouble.

So, I guess, that's a bit of background.

What are the current rules around associates mugging Mades?  And what should the rules be?

Despite the streets seeming like a huge mess, PlagueDoc figured it was about time to put his own ideas up for grabs.

"There are multiple ways you can look at this matter, but it really dwells down to logic."

"In traditional Mafia style, you mug a made man, that's essentially a death sentence. I think beating a made man into a bloody pulp should give them every right to shoot you back. Seems only logical."

"However, on the flipside, if that made man picks a pocket of another associate who is in a different family, steals their money, then scurries away like a fucking raccoon to another city, I'd say they have every right to mug them to their fullest extent. Especially if they are KNOWN to be constantly pickpocketing associates of other families."

"And this is if they scurry off on their own with new cash in hand. If they decide to pay it back, and turn the encounter into a "joking around" session, maybe even start some conversation, then I see no reason why anyone would want to mug them. Should they be able to shoot them?"

"We are now in the presence where uppers will not bother with whiny people who come to them with disputes over pickpocketing. Essentially, if you scurry off after touching someone's ass and stealing THEIR hard-earned money, and they hunt you down and mug you back, why should they bother coming to your aid if you got mugged after discreetly being a dick yourself?"

"Made is a big honor. Screwing a made over is a big fuck-up. But I don't see any reason why mades in general should be immediately protected from mugging attempts if they are allowed the ability to shoot back themselves if THEY THEMSELVES knock over an associate trying to earn their own living. Shooting associates for getting revenge on you for being a dickwad is insanity. There's thousands of officers on the streets for you to grab the asses of. If you directly target associates themselves, steal their money, then hit a flight out of the city, I don't see a reason why they would not mug you. If you pay it back and turn it into a conversation, then mugging them would be seen as a dick move, but that is still the risk you must take. In this era of uppers avoiding dealing with petty ass-grabbing disputes, shooting one of their members for mugging you back, whether you paid them your theft income back or not, is insanity."

Pickpocketing, mugging et al is like every rule in the Mafia; If you have the power to get away with it, you can, and if you don't, you won't. I will have rather large frown on my face if I find some little dweeb who has been little more than a two-bit thug for me is making a fuss over this. Conversely, my top people and the gang's biggest earners can expect my full support.

There are really no rules, CommissarKuku. The rules put into effect by Mikhail and your father were, in my mind, the best rules that they declared.

There are a couple issues at risk here, so I shall try to address them all to the best of my limited ability... Firstly, forgive me if I am incorrect, but you aren't a made man, simply an Earner? Now, perhaps you are just thinking of the future, should you be lucky enough to get made status within the Grin Gang, but if this rule that you speak off were still in place then it wouldn't apply to you, or this other associate who is following you around mugging you. The other issue is that if were are to enact rules based on traditional Mafia society as PlagueDoc suggests, then there would be reciprocal rules also in place. No Made man would pick pockets in traditional Society, it would be deemed below his stature, in the same way that the Gods have decreed that Graverobbing is below the stature of the Made in our society. You might disagree with this assessment, but you need to break it down. The maximum you can get from picking a persons pocket is 15k. 15k, not a lot of money most would agree, but its the associated slight that goes along with it. Wars have started for less. If you are picking the pocket of a member of another crew, their CL could take umbrage at this, hell even your own CL might take umbrage at it if it was felt that you were specifically targeting the fellow associate, but again as has already been stated most choose not to get involved.

Now, you say that you have reached out the hand of friendship to this associate, in what way? Did you mail him? Did you send back the money you stole from him? Did you ask perhaps a 3rd party to intercede on your behalf? Oh wait, sorry man, I forgot, are you that down on your luck following the execution of your father for being a low down dirty cheat that you need the money? Of course you do, that's why you have that other guy out in the streets begging for alms on your behalf. Let me help you with that.

Your accountant makes note that $200,000 has been wired to CommissarKuku from your account. The note "Sorry dude, didn't realise you were broke." was included.

There is of course one final issue I'd like to address. I know you are only an Earner, and therefore like myself, not privy to the innermost secrets of Mr Grin's organisation, but I wonder what the Boss thinks of you bringing your petty squabble with a fellow associate for all the world to see? Perhaps just as well you aren't made yet as I believe that would be a clear breach of Omerta.

Look, I'm all for giving the little guy a leg up, so if you need some more cash, give me a shout, OK? You don't need to go around picking pockets for chump change, risking getting beaten to a pulp, you should be better than that.

You know, this reminds me of a story. It was a cold summer's day, a bit out of the ordinary from the usual and I had just finished doing the chores around the house as one typically does begrudgingly on the weekends. My grandfather, who's name is Joe but most of our family would just call him Joey which always stood out as amusing to me because you usually choose a nickname for brevity and yet this added an entire extra syllable to the party. So, Joey is standing there and he walks over to me in such a way that at first sort of made me jump back because I wasn't used to him being so lively in his old age.

Anyways this is when it gets good, because you see, he reaches down and pulls a sticker off of the back of my shoe and looks me dead in the eyes once he's back to standing up straight and just simply proclaims, "What's this doing on there?" and you know what? I did not know at all what it was doing there. Must have just sort of attached to my shoe while I was walking around the backyard, but honestly I couldn't tell you when it had happened, all I know is it wasn't there when I first put them on in the morning.

So I says to him, I say "Joey, you know what man, I do not know. Thank you." and I meant that thank you deeply. It would have been kind of silly if someone else had found it. I was just glad it was family. Well, yeah. That's my story, and you know what? It's more interesting than anything going on in this entire argument.

The whole point of omerta is to handle issues like this from within the family. So, uh, I'd go do that. As for the argument itself, I believe the City Hall themselves decreed that barring people from the ability to mug wasn't allowed as it broke one of the cardinal rules of this life to stop someone from being able to create a reaction.

But, as long as there's no sweeping rule. I'm sure if a Wise Guy mugs a few Capos one too many times they could be inviting themselves to serious trouble and I don't think many of us in this thing of ours would have an issue with that. At least I wouldn't, but in that same vein I would say that people shouldn't have to deal with being pickpocketed over and over again by someone above them in stature just because they can and the person doing it should be allowed to be dealt with via mugging.