Deadly was going about his normal routine. He'd settled into Philly quite nicely, and it hadn't taken him long to fall in love with the city. As he sat in the diner with some of the family he began to talk not just to them, but to everyone in the room...

"I have been thinking recently after hearing Lancelot's words in response to a different speech, on a subject which has already been debated to death and back again. Street presence." Deadly hears the mandatory groan as people begin to turn away at the thought of that topic again. "Before you turn your heads away and switch off, this is a slightly different train of thought. At least, I think it is." Deadly takes a sip from his coffee before continuing.

"Really, what I have been wondering is this; Which holds greater value for you - public presence or family interaction? The way I see it, there are positives and negatives to entirely devoting yourself to one or the other. If you devote yourself entirely to the streets, you lose the connection with your family and alienate the people who should be closest to you. On the other hand if one devotes himself to nothing but his family he builds strong bonds which won't break easily, but also appears to the public to be doing nothing and isolating himself from the rest of the community."

"Personally I think it is best to try and maintain a good balance between the two, but with priority leaning more on family interaction. I understand the value of the streets, and the want to create and maintain a legacy that will be remembered for a long time - but my family will always come first, no matter what. Sometimes it can be hard to maintain that balance though, and it takes a lot of dedication and time to excel in both areas. I would like to hear other people's opinions though, as I know not every person feels the same way."

Deadly takes another sip of his coffee as the first person begins to speak...

I really don't know why you'd have to sacrifice one for the other.  The streets don't require total devotion, and I believe you can still have a street presence while totally devoting yourself to your family.  So, bottom line:  I agree with you - the best way is to have balance between the two.  Devote yourself to your family, but still maintain a street presence.

I think everybody agrees that devotion to your family is the top priority.  But I don't agree with anybody who will come out here and say that you cannot have a street presence if you are totally devoted to your family.

i tend to disagree far from the point cz as a newcomer...no one takes you serious enough if at all..and the vgets of the game or even the page tend to gain the most respect as they have done.more...like wars along most of the people that respond...so you mean to tell me..i have to prove myself outside of my opinions of the streets to gain respect from others in order to be respected in the streets

Personally, the only time I make my presence known in the streets is when a person says something I feel like commenting on. But mostly I agree. A good balane between the two seems almost ideal.

However, I do not believe in commenting on ones speech just for the sake of street presence.

In my mind, if a conversation is worth talking about, then talk about it, if not then go on with work or life until one is.

I think as a crew leader some sort of street presence is a must, im not saying we have to run out to the streets at every opportunity but as a crew leader the world should know who you are, my family and my city will always be my number one priority but seeing as i have daily business dealings with many of you fine folk i feel its only right you should know who i am, the last thing i want is for people to say, who was that? "I dont dont know he was a fuckin mute all i know is he ran a crew out of some place cant quite remember now". So yeah for me there has to be a balance, as has already been pointed out if you sway one way too far you are doomed to failure, too much street presence not enough time and effort put into the crew will not bode well, a leader is meant to lead and you cant do that from the streets alone. On the flip side devote all your attention to your crew you risk alienating yourself from the rest of the world and no one will even realise you were ever there.

Well clearly, family interaction is of primary importance. You need to spend time with your family, getting to know them, talking to them, interacting with them, otherwise... what's the point of you being a leader? Simply to sit back and let the cash flow in while your family resents you for never saying a word? No. That's not the sign of a leader.

But the streets are important as well. If you're a leader, my (at least) expectation is that you, well, lead. That you're out there at the forefront of this thing of ours taking charge and participating in debates and discussions. You don't necessarily have to START discussions, but at least walk around and find something interesting to participate in every now and then.

Being a leader means being involved.

Marston is sat in the diner, shovelling some fine Philadelphian steak into his hungry mouth, when the sound of Deadly's voice interrupts his t-rexcellent meal…

He chucks back some ale to dislodge a poorly chewed piece of steak from his throat, before sitting back and listening to the Don's words attentively. He then plays with his stubble as he listens to what the eager men on the table near DeadlySin have to say, before voicing his own opinions…

Well Mister Sin, this is a topic that has been tickled recently in other discussions, but not tackled as such…

He points outside at a gathering of Outlaws, who appear to be playing football (soccer pffft…) with a hedgehog in the street. He chuckles a little before returning to his speech…

Those guys there are the most important thing to me, period! Without their loyalty, trust and commitment, I am nothing! When the shit hits the fan, I need to know that every one of them is going to have my back to the bitter end. When the chips are down, I need to rely on these guys to have each other's backs and mine, and they need to be confident that I have theirs too.

It's a tough task to get a group of 50 individuals and turn them into a tight, trusting unit, but as their leader, it's imperative to me that I encourage it, and try to work towards it every single day. It's not a simple task that you can simply just 'do' then tick off from a list; it's an on-going one that you must not lose sight of.

Now, as for the street… Just because I consider family interaction paramount, does not mean I feel I can abandon the streets. The way I see it the street is the heart of this place, without it we might as well just be robots, it is where opinions should be shared, where personalities should be expressed and where our history is written! I feel it is my duty as a leader to ensure its value is upheld. This doesn't mean I come to the street every hour to say something pointless in a vain attempt to improve a statistic stamped on my forehead. It also doesn't mean I only speak when I feel it is obligatory. I guess I speak when I feel I can offer something constructive; whether that means my own opinion on a subject, a fresh outlook on a topic, opening a new discussion on something current, or giving my recollection of an important event.

To summarize my opinion here, I don't think either should receive neglect due to the priority of the other. However, the needs and the wellbeing of my family will always be my number one concern. In addition, I would consider myself failing as a positive role model to them if I wasn't speaking publicly on the street whenever there is a constructive opportunity. I hope that makes as much sense to you as it did in my head…

Marston finishes his last mouthful of food, and swigs the last of his ale, before leaving the diner and going to play football outside with his family…

Kurtz comes in from the football game outside and catches DeadlySin's conversation. Quietly walking over to Marston's table he eyes the tasty looking steak and waves a hand at the waitress, motioning discretely for her to bring him one. He listened as his boss spoke to the room and smiled as he sat down. Leaning over he spoke quietly.

You know there isn't much left on that Hedgehog. If you want to get in on the game you'll need to get out there.

Looking back around the room he stood and nodded respectfully to DeadlySin, then the other participants.

This is something that is obviously close to my heart and I don't care to stand here and repeat things that Marston just said. I obviously agree with his view and echo those sentiments. However I do have a slightly different way of looking at the question you presented.

See, I believe that undiluted commitment to your family is the base requirement of any leader. There should never be any debate about that. Entirely committed to the people under your roof at all times. No mater what. So... That said, the question then becomes, how bothered can you be with the streets? How much attention do you give it?

Personally I find the streets are a lot like the newspapers. I get up in the morning, I get a cup of coffee and I read the news. I catch up on what's new in the street and I see if anything warrants attention. Done every morning, this becomes a very simple process that doesn't require much time. I personally don't think it is much to ask of any leader to do this and make a few comments here and there. Lending their opinion to discussions will always help enrich the collective view.

And hey, if there is nothing going on, there is always room for creativity!

Kurtz smiled playfully and sat back down at his table. Waiting for his delicious steak he glanced out of the window at Marston's enthusiastic tackling.

It works differently for everyone. You can be a mute in the streets yet still be one of the best damned crewleaders there is. The way I see it is that if you devote all your time to your family then in come time of need you can be damned sure that each and every one of your members is going to be all the more willing to lose those precious hours of sleep and help you out in war time. Their want to earn more and donate more will show in spades compared to those leaders that do not devote all their time to their members.

On the flip side of that a leader that shows a lot of street presence then they gain a lot of respect from those outside of their own circle and will be seen in a better light and then therefore could actually lead to less chance of said crewleader being warred due to their respect and likeability in the world around us.


My own personal opinion is that a decent balance between each of the two differences here is needed. My reasons being a mixture of what I have explained above. If you have a good repor with your family then they are more likely to fight for the family and earn for the family. If you have a good street presence then you are less likely to bring toward you any unwanted and possibly fatal attention. You show me someone that says this can not be achieved and I shall show you a liar or a waste of a Crewleader.

Cutting into his slab of steak, Phil waits for an appropriate moment to provide his thoughts on this matter. He finishes cutting a piece and raises the fork to his mouth, saviouring the amazing filet mignon at this establishment.

As in most of life, there is a time and a place for everything. As we are young and learning, I believe it is best for us to keep out thoughts to ourselves and those closest to us. I believe we can learn more by listening, than by speaking. At an early point of our careers, we should be looking more to establish ourself im our family, before establishing ourselves in the community. As we grow and learn, it then slowly becomes our time to provid leadership to others. As we grow in our family and gain the respect of our peers, it is then that we should begin to expand ourselves to the community.  At that point, we should have studied the streets, and how people present and handle themselves on the streets, long enough to be able to properly contribute and mold the ones that will be coming after us. With more time after that, we will be able to add originality and a bit more creative in the thoughts.

Bleddyn Stark happened to be visiting Philly at the same time that DeadlySin happened to be speaking to those in the diner. Taking a drink of his coffee that he spiked with something that was bound to cheer himself up eventually; Bleddyn decided to speak up.

I personally will post in the family bars and whatnot before I even think about speaking in the streets. Granted, most of the time that I want to post in the streets a million people have usually already said what I wanted to say so I just stay silent. No point saying what everyone else has already said a few hundred times, I guess.

Unless I'm bored. Or drunk. Bleddyn briefly looks to his cup before taking another sip. Then I may stick my toes in the water to get a taste of what those who speak much more frequently and probably much more eloquently experience every day.

The way I see it the street is the heart of this place, without it we might as well just be robots

Fist-O oils up a bit before speaking.  His arm squeaks as he moves it to loosen up.

I object Mr Marston.  I am infact a robot but I am also known to be close with my family as well come out to the streets here and there.  I also encourage other fellow robots to come to the streets and speak their...motherboards in a respectable manner in debates, speeches and discussions.  I know you meant no harm in what you said.  I know it's an unknown discrimination about robots not having a mind of their own.  But that's why I am here, to cheer, POWER TO THE ROBOTS!

As you've stated this topic is one that we are all familiar with. The aspect that you are bringing to the table, Family vs. Streets, is something I've thought needed to be talked about for a long time. It has always seemed faux pas to me to mention this aspect of it and I'm very glad that is clearly not the case. In line with this concept though one must realize that there is a large difference between how we are seen socially and how we are seen by our family. That distinction is often blurred and rarely spoken of. Perhaps a different conversation so I will try to get back in order.

While it is obviously up to a family leader to determine how far his/her members can go with or without being active in the streets it is also up to all families as a whole to decide how active they expect their leaders to be which then should dictate how active said members must be. So, as long as we all take accountability for ourselves and our families then we should all be holding ourselves to a certain standard.

On the other hand, I have to say to myself, "Why can't someone ONLY be active within the family?" To be honest, I can't think of a reasonable answer. If a member of my family were to be an exceptional mafioso but just chose to keep to himself and the family I would be okay with that. I couldnt say I'd be okay with it if my entire family did so but I'd deffinatly make exceptions. So, a bit contradictory but I truly think the only answer to this is that it is a very fine line and exceptions will and are going to be made while the majority will have to live up to the standards set by society.

After hearing the topic presented,honey voiced out her thoughts...

For me,there should be a balance between street presence and attending to the crew's needs.Forgetting to attend to one of this aspect can have some effect on one's leadership.

As an avid frequenter of the streets and an occasional speaker, I can certainly appreciate the value and importance of a leader having a vocal presence. But I've never bought into the hype about it being a requirement for a leader, or the phony outrage over leaders who do not speak publicly. Be that as it may, the leaders that do have a prominent presence in our streets have a bit of an advantage over those who do not, and leaders that remain mute do themselves a disservice.  But that's getting away from the very handsome Don DeadlySin's original point so allow me to get back on track. 

In terms of priorities, I would put communication with ones family above public speaking. I agree with what WillHayes about not needing to sacrifice one for the other, but of it comes down to having to chose between the two for whatever reason, be it due to time restraints or what-have-you, communication with one's own family should take precedence. Some of you may disagree with that logic and that is fine, but leadership in the context of the world we operate in is not defined by how often a person steps out onto the avenue to speak to the masses.  One could be a complete mute and still be an excellent mob boss.

However to be a truly memorable leader, which is what I'd assume is what all leaders strive to be, an active street presence is a must. People may or may not remember the big guns of our times, but the likelihood of having your name immortalized in the history books is much greater when you contribute to the streets and speak to the community. Like I stated earlier, those who speak and make a name for themselves in the streets with their words are at an advantage to those that do not. Great speakers attract great people. Ancestors of mine have joined crews solely based on certain leaders from our past's street musings. So while gracing the community with your presence is indeed important and often times (right or wrong) expected for a leader, it shouldn't come at the sacrifice of bonding and communicating with those whose loyalty and love you'll rely on as a leader. I suppose the challenge lies with finding that balance.  Those that can balance the two effortlessly, as many of the greats in our world can, are the ones that will be remembered and revered.  

This is actually a great subject to bring up, it has been brought up many times before in past history im sure of it. But needless to say with all the new criminals coming into this thing of ours from another country they need to relies how things are done and have been around here, and that the ways of our ancestors has made this place what it is today. I think being active in the streets is important, but not quite as important as being involved with your family and making sure communication is strong. Come war time the chances of your street buddies to back you up are slim to none, your family will always be there for you, will always fight for you, they will keep you safe and always be there for a helping hand. Basically, you can lean and count on your family more then you can the people in the streets.

That being said, come time for a promotion this is where I think those who can show a good balance between the two, or at least remain involved in both are quite deserving. Of course other factors should be taken into consideration but that’s a little off the topic at hand.

Great speech!

Seph walks back into the crowd and wonder off to the back to see if anyone else would be heading up to make there own opinion.

I fail to see why both can't be done simultaneously.

Many, many leaders past and present have managed to juggle both acts at once, so it can be done. All our ancestors have dealt with or at least watched from afar as someone has done this. After reading up on my family history 2 names spring to mind immediately... Harry_Caray(aka Mr_47) ran a tight ship and was probably the most active (and fucking HILARIOUS) bold to grace our streets. The other... and ANYONE whose blood has lingered around for a long enough time will agree with me on this... Turi_Guiliano. Through all of my blood's lineage we have NEVER heard a bad word about Turi. Respectful, massive street presence, acting family, members who would jump in front of a bullet in a heartbeat for him.

I think there's too much emphasis placed on these 2 subjects that people are making it sound like a chore to do both. It should be a pleasure, a rush and an honour to have the chance to do both... a lot of people never get the opportunity, so seize the moment whenever you can.