|
The last issue of the Bulletin had caused quite the stir. But such is the nature of publishing- that when the truth comes out, some may not like to hear it. Rawley sat down with his writing team and discussed how they would build upon the foundation they'd laid. Most of them hadn't slept in days, as Rawley had a grueling editing process that required several dozen rewrites before an article could be cleared for the paper. As the quality of their writing plummeted, the editor-in-chief realized that denying them the opportunities to sleep or go home to see their families may have been impacting their work.
Nonetheless, the news couldn't wait for things like sleep or families. And as the printing presses hummed to life, he saw the fifth edition of his Bulletin come to life.
Bella Vista Bulletin, Issue #5, Page 1
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LOS ANGELES
A swift, sudden strike against the city of Los Angeles was carried out late Monday evening, killing three associates and one boss in the city's Downtown and Pasadena districts. The act was briefly considered to be the worst takedown in the history of takedowns, but when reports of similar shots in Las Vegas and Philadelphia came to light, it became clear this wound against the city of Los Angeles was self-inflicted.
HandsomeRob, who had served briefly but handsomely as the Right-Hand man to the former Godfather Amira, was killed alongside three associates. The death of HandsomeRob may have been somewhat anticipated as payback for Amira shooting Joseph-Ligambi's former RHM during the (many) confusing hours when Ligambi's LHM had gone rogue. Perhaps it was the acts of Vincenzo_Santoro that spurred Los Angeles to clean house of any untrustworthy men lurking in their ranks.
Tom Davidson, the Bulletin's resident expert at shooting fish in barrels, called the unprecedented wave of death in Los Angeles a "masterclass". "Los Angeles continues to innovate the process of putting their own people in the ground." BillyMastrosimone, the head of Pasadena, whom Amira considered one of her "dearest friends" has followed through calmly and capably on his former Godfather's request to protect her former members following her retirement by having several of them shot in the face.
LIBERTY BELL BUTCHER
MEETS HIS END
The story that had been distributed across several civilian newspapers in Philadelphia was one of hundreds of unsolved murders. Bodies lay strewn about the streets of Philadelphia. An unseen, unheard war had been raging for weeks as a vicious man earned himself the haunting moniker: The Liberty Bell Butcher. Technical, a mere Wise Guy transplanted from the former Godfather Furio, had earned a reputation as a friendly patron to the cities' coffee shops. But behind that thin visage of pleasant socializing lurked a savage, weeks-long rampage that had more in common with a violent psychotic episode than chatting at tea time.
Technical had successfully eluded the police, due in large part to focusing his efforts on unsuspecting Rogues and Roguettes lurking in the alleyways between the most prominent coffee shops in America. With hundreds of bodies and no witnesses, the Butcher's behavior had made himself a danger to himself and others, and the decision to euthanize him was made.
Philadelphia was not the only city to see new entries in their obituaries. In Las Vegas, Batman, the former Right-Hand Man to the Chicago Crewleader Omni-Man, was found dead in his home late Monday evening. Confusion abounded for many in the hours following the reported death, as BruceWayne, the prolific billionaire working for Don SantoRubio in New York, was visibly unharmed- finally putting years of rumors surrounding the two individuals to rest. Confirming once and for all that BruceWayne is not Batman.
GOOD GOD THERE'S SO MANY:
NOT SO WISE AFTER ALL?
A unspoken, unwritten rule appears to have emerged spontaneously across the six cities. With only fifteen Made Men and over one hundred thirty Wise Guys, the numbers visibly reflect a deliberate effort by our cities' leadership to curtail meaningless or spurious promotions. In past issues, the Bulletin has remarked that there are two meaningful ranks in this world: Made Man and Godfather.
What is to blame for this decline? The past two rogues were both Wise Guys- indicating at least on some level, that the security concerns surrounding the rank didn't stop either of them from blowing things to hell. More accurately, perhaps, the cities have chosen to utilize the rank to indicate a more meaningful progression in this world. Or perhaps they all have control kinks and like to hear us beg.
The Bulletin takes a different approach- the promotions are not a reflection of the leadership but a reflection of those being led. "To be made" is an act. It's when a person has so transparently distinguished themself that a crew leader wants them in their inner circle. This is about work. It's about networking. It's about earning. Whether you're in the streets, in the business district, or in the coffee shops, you're working to bring your crewleader's vision into reality. That's when you should be Made.
Bella Vista Bulletin, Issue #5, Page 2
TAKING A LOOK AROUND
The cities diverge in essence and experience
Things are changing in the six cities- with some prospering and others stagnating. It is in times of peace that leaders distinguish themselves in their ability to lead, to grow, to forge a vision, and to inspire others to bring that vision into reality. As we look around at the crews and crewleaders in the six cities, it's become quite clear that leading, growing, and inspiring may not be as easy as it sounds.
Chicago
The Windy City, which grew to quickly overtake Los Angeles and Detroit in size, has seen a quiet lull. And we mean quiet literally. Silent. Since the move, little has been seen or heard from the city's leadership, and those they've chosen to work as Hands are often incredibly hard to find. With mostly-occupied HQs, recruiting is hardly a chief concern. Nonetheless, the Bulletin is eager to see Chicago rise to be more than just pretty faces.
Detroit
The Motor City faces a conundrum- with both of its crewleaders on "round two" after their fathers (with the same names) were killed, the city lacks a certain energy. While some in the city are eager to grow and work, the city has stagnated in recent weeks with little growth to speak of.
The cities of Detroit and Los Angeles- entangled in their allegiance to Joseph-Ligambi- feature four of the most empty HQs in this world. Despite the surplus of space and sponsor candidates, we have teetered in and out of Rebuild for the past couple weeks as those responsible for providing work and guidance to fresh faces have ignored their responsibility.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, enjoying a surge of growth in the past few weeks, now reigns supreme as the largest city. Marie, leader of the Morning Dew and one of the most recent auths in this world has successfully surpassed both crews in Detroit and two of the three crews in Los Angeles in size, demonstrating a keen sense for recruiting and leadership.
Mokus, the Godfather of Paradise, has also approached the Streets with an exciting new opportunity on the horizon- which we, here at the Bulletin, are eager to learn more about as it unfolds.
Los Angeles
The city of fallen angels continues its conquest to make as many angels as possible. While harboring just 13% of our world's mobsters, the city's leadership has decided that is simply too much, and has sought to scale down by killing several of its residents.
LeoMaranzano was granted the nod to take Joseph-Ligambi's place in Hollywood- leaving big shoes to fill for the young, 2-week-old Capo. Maranzano leapt into the role with unparalleled commitment, having the following to say:
Leo sat at the middle of the city, looking around proud of all these guys, he knew that this will be good with all the experience and the new blood flowing in the city, as they all work and support each other adding a new dimension of growth.
Whether this "new blood flowing" refers to the blood of those recently slain in the city is a question perhaps better left unanswered.
New York
With the additions of the Raven Mafia and The Scouse Elite, New York has filled the gaps left by Koehler's and BellaPoarch's transition to Chicago. The Big Apple is now second only to Las Vegas to be the largest city in our world. Despite this, the city stands in a period of quiet resolve, not unlike that of Chicago.
Raven7 is considered by some to be an unconventional choice to head up their own HQ, given their age, lack of public image, lack of protection, and lack of an active upper structure. But time will tell whether Raven will deliver something truly special to Bronx. It is often the burden of the novel, new auth to inject energy into old cities, and New York is perhaps the oldest around.
Philadelphia
Something fantastic is happening in the Philadelphia Business District- ChuckBass, the local owner and proprietor of the Tailor's Speakeasy, has brought some of this world's most legendary figures to drink and dine in the city of brotherly love. What started as a quiet place to sip cocktails and mingle with the underworld's elite has now become a Mecca for anyone looking to show their face and distinguish themselves with the upper brass from both the East and West. Good luck, however, getting an invitation. With the rising influence of Bass's clientele, he'll have the luxury of being awfully picky in the weeks to come.
The editor-in-chief of the Bulletin is gracious to be included among those ranks.
Bella Vista Bulletin, Issue #5, Page 3
CRIME REPORT: By Tommy Vitale
Colombian Flakes or Beans?
The Coffee Mill, owned by alleged mobster and Left-Hand Man in the Ligambi Crime Family, Carrara Crew, Sonny Trabotti, was raided this morning after suspected narcotics distribution. FBI agents in partnership with Philadelphia Police conducted the scheduled raid in the early hours of the morning, after a six hour search, the only Colombian substances they discovered were the beans.
Famed mob attorney Jeff Hunts made this statement earlier, "This is just another attempt by corrupt departments to besmirch the very character of my client!" An FBI spokesperson couldn't be reached for a full comment on the raid, citing only that it was part of a larger effort by the bureau.
MESSAGES FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Understanding the how and why of The Purge™
Last week, the Editorial Board broached the sensitive subject of rogues, along with theories about how and why they happen. And after two rogues in the past few weeks have torn their way through this world (one profoundly more impactful than the other), it is unsurprising to see a response from the Godfather council. In addition to the visceral damage they deal to our cities, rogues also burn through something that can, at times, be in tragically short supply: trust.
What the six cities witnessed this week was an expression of a loss of trust. Individuals, young and old, who'd been suspected of harboring ill-will for the powers that be were killed, in an effort to curb the damage that they might have inflicted had they become rogues. Every time this happens, the actions spark controversy- and it's easy to see why. Those who have granted authorization to set up an HQ are given that authorization with the understanding that they will protect their members, rather than kill them.
But imagine if Vincenzo_Santoro had been "purged" before he had been able to go on his two-day rampage? Or BeefStroganoffer? This world is rarely shaped by the people who are purged, but rather by the ones that aren't. And while there are consequences to doing this- namely, the bridges that are burned in the process- when trust is in short supply, purging is inevitable. Necessary, even, as a means of protecting those that are trusted.
The question of lost trust, however, is not inevitable. It is not necessary. The BVB Editorial Board was keen not to condone the act of going rogue, because when this world is working as it should, neither rogues nor purging are necessary. However, when trust cannot be established, both become necessary. Rather than complain that a purge or a rogue has happened- it is the responsibility of both the leaders and the led to offer opportunities to forge trust. Because what makes a rogue or a purge right or wrong is whether those opportunities were extended or accepted fraudulently.
BeefStroganoffer made a public statement that he had no faith he would be protected after the death of his Godfather, DeadlySin, which amounts to the exact reason it made sense for him to do what he did. Vincenzo_Santoro, on the other hand, had fraudulently abused Joseph-Ligambi's trust as his LHM and used it to train a gun and rogue.
Somewhere amidst this week's purge was fraud and distrust. It will never be perfectly clear on which side that fraud and distrust mounted, but will undoubtedly take some time for that trust to return to our shores.
What comes next?
The Bulletin has introduced a guest writer in Tommy_Vitale, whom we welcome to continue the spirit of his paper as a relished component of ours. The BVB remains open to invitations for interviews, comments, tips, and guest authorship for individuals who would like to engage more with the paper. We would also like to graciously thank those that continue to support the Bulletin financially. We promise that not a single dollar you give us goes to the writers. It is paramount that they be kept hungry.
|
