Lana stands there puffing on what seems like her sixth cigarette. She's been eyeing the soapbox debating whether to go through with it or not but then...screw it! She steps on, clears her throat and speaks the evil word...


"PICKPOCKETING!"...she yells to get everyones attention. As the crowd reluctantly gathers, she holds out her hands and shakes her head.


"Keep your guns holstered, please!! I know there have been many speakers about this in the past, and yes, I'm bringing it back!"


"I can see some of you rolling your eyes and mumbling god knows what, especially you in the back, but there is something I just don't understand! And that is...WHY DO WE CARE?"


"Alright...we care because our Crew Leaders and Godfathers have rules about such things and I DO respect them. I follow and obey those rules, lord knows the ladies of my past learned hard lessons about respecting such rules. But that is not the point of my question. Since we are liars, cheaters, killers, graverobbers and all round bad guys, why do we have to check someones suit to see if we have permission to steal a few dollars? Isn't this what we are supposed to do? Just take and not ask? Are we mobsters or nuns? Do we protect our earnings or not? Isn't it easier to bank your money and take it when you don't?"


"I would like to know your thoughts about the matter. By all means, I do not wish to insult anyone or try to shake things up...I simply want to understand once and for all what the fuss is all about."


Lana nods respectfully to everyone as she steps off the box.

Sinfest thinks for a moment and decides to comment

"Ok put it this way if we are as you put it "Since we are liars, cheaters, killers, graverobbers and all round bad guys" why the hell wouldn't I just kill you for pickpocketing me then? I am sorry but I feel that if you respect people's wishes you would live alot longer. I highly doubt that if we just allowed pickpocketing to happen then if you get caught there should be some sort of consequances" (as I am not sure how to rp this its simple if you were to go up to a boss in the mafioso and pickpocket him/her and get caught, dont you think they would be pissed?)

I understand what you are saying, Sinfest! But, this is a world of sin, as your name so fits. There is the oportunity to steal your money and there is a way for you to protect your money. So why should I worry about your feelings? It is a tough world out there, but this is my and everyone elses way to make money. We are MOBSTERS!! My questions is...why should I NOT steal your money? Why would anyone want to put a bullet through my head because they didn't bank? All you have to do is bank! The rest is up for grabs in my books.

You feel every bit of unsecured paper is fair game, others might feel that they should put a few ounces of hot lead through your skull on principle for even considering putting your hands in their pockets to begin with.

In a world where respect is almost everything, and money makes up the difference, how is rolling another member of our thing not a show of disrespect in the most blatant sense? To callously steal money from another connected man's pocket is to basically denigrate their standing in our society. To say to them, "You are not worthy of my respect or recognition. You are just another mark to me."

To which any man of honor would retaliate by leaving you to die in the gutter.

And when you defend yourself with the shoddy line about how he should have left his cash in the bank, he'll tell you you should have stayed at home.

Sirs, I did not mean any disrespect into starting this conversation. As I have explained, I wish to understand other perspectives.

Anyone who knows my bloodline knows of my great respect for anyone from gangster to Godfather. I DO know my limits and what is right and wrong. But I also have my own thoughts about the matter at hand and I expressed them. My point is, the opportunity is there for us to use and I will never understand why we are chastised for using them. I have NEVER said that a man was not worthy of my repect or recongnition!! That may have been your impression of my words, Rudiger, but they are not so.

I came here to discuss, not chastise or insult and I apologise for your intrepertation of my speach, but I will not apologise for the subject.

Alabama begins to open her mouth until she listens to what Rudiger has to say

Well now, that completely covered everything I wanted to say. You've hit the nail firmly on the head. You wont find many more folks around these parts as PickPocket happy as I am, but even I agree that you must respect your fellow mafioso. $5,000 is nothing to most of us, but its not the cash that matters, its the principle. Stealing from someone that would plausibly kill you in retaliation is just asking for trouble.

You wanted to know why, so I simply told you.

Yes, the opportunity is there, but actions must be tempered by rational thought and an understanding of the possible outcomes.

The opportunity is also there for you to take potshots at nearly everyone who passes you on the street. Why don't you?

But no one has answered my question!! WHY would it? As I said, I obey all the rules and respect all suits...but why should we?

Respect? Yes, we all have respect. Rest assured, Lana will always show respect to each and every one of you! But pickpocketing is a WAY of life for us...it's stealing...it's what we live for, is it not?

So why not just do it, even if it means returning the money after, to each his own. To me, pickpocket is NOT a means of disrespect, it is survival.

Lana you raise a good argument with some good key points, sadly I have to agree with the people before me.. Your argument saying we have ways to keep our money safe referring to the bank, I would counter act that with most pickpocketers are shielded with the shadows and allys, giving them a stealth like cover... I would argue that if you had your way and they had free dibs on everyone the gains are my hard earned money there risks are if they do not stealth they face my punishment. The same way I would have the gains of using a bank and the risks of me forgetting and you taking my money.

Every action has a reaction to have it your way you must be willing to accept the reaction.

You must remember you are not stealing from average Joe on the street you are stealing from hardened criminals and killers.

After hearing what Lana had said bboy shares his thoughts

I must agree that yes we are mobsters,liars,grave robbers and all the stuff those who are in the white collared jobs might frown about but even so we are still under the influence of the cause and effect. Even busting out a fellow mafioso can land our own asses to jail. We can take chances but if the effect of the cause that we provided is contrary to what we expect..then I guess we just have to accept the consequence.

Yes, we steal for a living, but not from our brothers. We are not common street thugs. We are not cretinous bottom feeders. We are members of a club. While our club is built on fear and brutality, being a recognized member of said club brings with it the protection from the cons and angles we work on the unconnected.

And if you can't see a reason to not rob someone from a different Family than yours, I'll put it this way-- you're in the schoolhouse lunch line. Your alcoholic father squandered his paycheck on the horses, so you haven't got a nickel on you. But your stomach rumbles and perhaps your morals were never that strong to begin with, so you intend to pay your way from the pocket of one of your peers. Before you stands a quiet child, small, nervous and nonverbal. Behind him is a large lad, his pockets bulging with the nickels of every other classmate he's crossed that day, who's been looking for an excuse to punch your face in since he met you.

Who are you gonna roll?

I agree with you Alchemy...for every action there is a reaction! Now, I am not speaking of stealing with stealth, just the simple right to steal. If I take your money, and you don't like it...this is JUST an example and NOT by any means disrespectful to you...then take me down during a war.

Lana takes a deep breath before leaning against the wall to light up...

My whole point here, whether you are goomba, Made Man, Boss, Consig...we have the option to steal!! We have the option to protect our money...my bloodline has never understood and probably never will, why 'respect' is tied into it. It is a way of the life of mobsters. This is my humble opinion.

If we decide to pickpocker everybody...we fall into a land of chaos...where people do not respect our wishes, therefore taking our respect for each other and blatanly raping the hell out of it.

In a land of chaos, law is the key to salvation.

We are to be respected, for we are respectable men/women.

If you seriously can't see why a Don might be less than keen on random kids on the street stealing their money, maybe you're in the wrong line of work. Hell, even the lowliest crime-of-desperation corner rat would preach the foolishness of targeting people in standing such as ours.

Maybe your personal system of beliefs would be better suited to the IRS?

But even they don't touch my money.

Rudiger, I was not talking about a Goomba stealing from a Don! I have never mentioned such a thing. I have been around long enough to know that is not done, it is not a possiblitly physicaly nor is it a possibility respect wise.

I believe I have not made myself clear here. Nor have I expected to be bashed like this for a simple pickpocket point of view. I have only tried to put my own perspective on the table and wondered what others felt.

I am a simple Goomba...with a bloodline, I do admit. Insulting high ranks was not my intent and I apologise if I have done so.

I will always think the way I do, perhaps I do not have the proper way to voice it without causing upset but this is me.

"wait who is bashing your?" Sinfest asks

"We are simply stating why we dont agree with your thoughts on pickpocketing. I dont know you well enough to be able to bash on you yet and I dont think anyone has actually said anything rude or disrespectful to you. Are we not entilitled to our own thoughts as well?"

Sinfest leans against the wall and puts his arms across his chest

Lana you are not being disrespectful at all you are voicing an opinion which you are more than entitled to so you need not apologise. What I have raised which you have failed to answer is that you say we are criminals, mobsters, thiefs ect and I put it to you that you are also stealing from these kind of people, can you really expect them to just be ok an content with it? They would of course want revenge and who's to say they would not want your life for that? As a man once said it's a dog eat dog world we live in, an I've got bigger teeth than you. I just can't see how you can try to justify that attacking and stealing from a person that the person should be ok and allow it with no reaction.

Meh, this is why I barely come to the streets anymore. What was once a place where no matter your rank you could express an opinion without fear of disrespecting people and have a good honest discussion. Obviously bar the good ole "Your a knob" speeches of an age back. Anyway, I shall share my feelings regardless.

I have to say I agree with all of you and none of you at the same time.

Pickpocketing is a god given right. We have the know how to do it and it should be practiced. However, rank and respect DO come in to it.

Although as some of your pockets may be aware, I am very pick pocket happy. I don't know why, I guess I enjoy the thrill of it in the same way a wacker enjoys the thrill of the hunt. I will also only ever pick pocket a higher rank than myself if I know for a fact they are happy for me to do so. BUT... When it comes to pickpocketing someone who out ranks me, even if it was just a wise guy and I know that this person does not want strange hands poking around in their pockets then I just plainly won't do it and find another victim. If someone who is of lower rank than I and I know they're un-happy about my hands being in their pockets, well sometimes I just do it anyway. They are beneath me. I'll still hold respect for a lower rank but who are they to tell me what to do? I realize I am only an Earner at the point of this but you get the jist. If I was publicly un-happy with pick pocketing and a Wise Guy or higher put their hands in my pocket, who am I to complain?

We need to have respect for the people who rank above us in everything from pickpocketing to the way we approach them in the streets. It's a large part of what our business is about. Respect.

Then on the flip side of that... What if a higher rank comes and sticks his hand in the pocket of a lower rank and then gets in to shit for not kicking up enough in tribute? (I am aware it's only 5k at max) Does the leader then have the right to be pissed off and seek out repayment from the assailant and/or his leader? Then what if the Godfather of the city puts a city wide ban on the practice within their city? There are numerous opinions and directions that this could go.

Basically put... Yeah! Go pick pocket to your hearts content but NEVER pick pocket someone who out ranks you unless you know for certain they are happy for you to do so (You all know what I mean, PP friendly tags etc)

Although i`m eager to agree with your thoughts, i do believe that here`s not the correct place to question the decisions of Leaders..But still, it`s obvious that current pickpocketing system is quite unrealistic..Think once, in this world of ours, you are asking someone to get a permission for pickpocket them. If you do that in real world, probably that will result in a broken nose. Pickpocketing 'by its nature' can not be friendly. But since our Almighty Leaders say the last words, we will respect, and obey.

So instead of discussing about if it makes sense or not, we could give different suggestions to make it better. Maybe Pickpocketing thing could be removed completely and put a new feature that could use same algorithm with PP. Like this http://mafiareturns.com/comm/thread/179422

T-Man begins to talk about Pickpocketing


"I think that pickpocketing is a good idea but if someone is not pp friendly and get pp they should get shot and then the money its only $5000 I think when you rank up you could pp a lot more money like 20000.

T-Man finished talking sits back down