Walking the streets of Philadelphia, Rory looked around. Men and women were sharing their opinions on certain matters, retelling stories of their ancestors or their days work. The hustle and bustle of city life raged all around him. On closer inspection however, there were many people simply stood around, leaning against lampposts waiting for their first opportunity to rob the local store or waiting for their hookers to come round again so they could collect their taxes. Mute, unassuming and seemingly un-opinionated. This concept was alien to him. Sure, the mob was an organisation of secrecy and silence. The code of Omerta, but to be entirely silent, almost absent amongst fellow Mafioso, was unthinkable. Rory thought a little more, considering his words carefully, before turning to the masses.

Street presence, good people of the world. What does it mean to you?

My ancestors, upon their arrival to this thing of ours, were taught of the great importance of these fair streets. Is this now a thing of the past? It is well documented in my ancestors journals that many family heads expected a certain (although differing) level of presence within the community, whether it be on our streets or in the local business districts, in order to earn their button. To me, this appeals as an excellent idea. If one day, I were to run my own organisation I could not envisage allowing men and women to my inner circle, if they did not have some form of presence in the wider community.

I know, of course, that not everyone’s first language is English around these parts. Some people struggle with confidence, whatever your gripe may be, to me some form of involvement is absolutely necessary.

I’m not trying to suggest that everyone must be an insatiable orator, nor that they present huge discussions  or tell tales of their antics. But some form of presence must be maintained, surely?

I appreciate that this largely comes down to the individual viewpoint and that it is the choice of the leaders and my aim here is not to call them out or to criticise. Rather that it is just an alien concept to me, to have mutes walking round holding a rank that is a clear indicator and makes that person a representative of a family, on our streets.

So in short, to me, presence in our world. Whether it be in the business district or the streets, is of vital importance. That is simply my opinion however.

So, what does a visible presence in the community mean to you? Is it important, or should people be allowed continue on in silence, simply waiting for their next unwilling victim to walk by? 

An excellent set of question, RoryRourke.

To get ahead in this thing of ours, one needs a reputation.  One gets reputation by being talked about, admired, held in high regard.  Well, that's how one gets a good reputation.  I would argue that the most effective reputations are those held by persons who act in noteworthy ways, get talked about and do, actually, come out to the Streets - but always leave the masses waiting for more...

Personally, I find it intruiging when one leader takes down another and simply doesn't offer up an explanation.  That to me indicates that they are confident of an unassailable position in this society.  But it takes balls, brains and brawn to pull it off.  Others have tried, and their graves are testament to their folly.

Misti listens to Rory's words, puts an amount of thought into what the gentleman is saying and decides to stand up from his lamp post.

As a wise guy in these streets, there is still a lot to learn.  All in due time, friend - truths will be shown and presences will be increased.  Just because I am not heard, does not mean I am blind.  I just landed here.  I've gained an association and earned some cash.  Once things balance - you will learn of my capabilities.

Misti remains standing as he takes a pull from the flask of moonshine in his inner jacket pocket

Rory, we've recently talked a bit about this before in a bar. You know my stance I guess, but to answer your question, for me, presence in the community will not be a general requirement for people to climb in our family. What counts is efforts and trust. I judge my members based on their capabilities and how they use them. When people are big earners, helpful tutors, great hands or awesome bartenders and I know they are loyal to the family,
I'm not denying them of my trust, if they were to lack a certain public presence. Or the other way around for that matter.

It is my relationship with them that matters. I invest in that relation and if I find that a person can be better at something, I will push them to grow. Shown efforts to go forward, that's my requirement. That usually means actual progression, because most of us are able to perform better then how we currently are doing. They just need that motivation.

A public presence obviously offers benefits for people themselves, for their leaders and their district. That's why I will motivate people to get out there, but to me, it's no definite requirement before one can truly be part of The Explorers Club.

Your final statement is an assumption that mutes just sit by shooting hobo's and selling heroin. Because you don't see activity from a person, doesn't mean they are not a very valuable asset to a family.

Would have to agree somewhat here those who hold certain positions should have some sort of presence after all they are figureheads and as such should be heard from once in a while, people will have differing opinions on exactly how often a crewleader should come to the streets, some would like to see a lot more involvement where as others don't feel the need to so much, others are more lets say in house than others, for me though some sort of presence big or small is I would say a requirement for certain positions.

I am building up presence for my CL run and I think you will agree I'm excellent at it

VOTE MR JEAN FOR PRESIDENT OF CL CLUB

Phantom was wandering around Philadelphia. He was just after a large plate of food. Phantom caught RoryRourke talking to a huge crowd. Phantom pushed his way past the crowd and he listened to RoryRourke. The man was talking about street presence. Phantom loved a good discussion about street presence. Rory was asking “What does it mean to you?” Phantom thought about this question for a long period of time. Phantom stood up straight and he stepped forward and voiced his opinion to all that would listen to him rambling on about the topic at hand.

“Street presence is a wonderful thing. I enjoy listening to everyone’s opinion no matter their rank or status in this world. I don’t think their status or past should have an effect on their opinion. Some people assume that their low rank means their opinion is overlooked by others. I enjoy voicing my opinion just as much. To be honest it is fully up to yourself whether you want to voice your opinion on a matter and I don’t think an overwhelming street presence is needed to show that you are a good member.”

Phantom took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he started to realize that he was stuttering.

“I hope that street presence is something that is being encouraged to all, especially people who are just freshly off the boat. There have been groups created to encourage people to talk about their ancestral experiences and opinions. I believe there should be more groups like this to advance people’s skill in talking and retelling stories. To sum all this up in a quick sentence or two is that, street presence is essential for everyone if they want to move up, progress and grow in this world.”

Phantom quickly slipped back into the crowd and waited for the next person to speak so he could listen to their opinion.

Cin had slipped around the corner after pummeling someone to near death. Spotting a small crowd gathering around a man she walked towards them. Moving in amongst them she listened to Rory speaking.

Visible presence in the streets to me would be getting in on at least a discussion here or there. It is nice to see people that can discuss topics that they hold dear amongst the masses. To me it is important to be able to say more than "Congratulations on your auth." After all the ability to communicate is an important one in our community.

Just like everyone else I can understand that street speaking is not for everyone. Businesses tend to be a better avenue for those that are street shy.

While I believe personally that a visible presence is important I would never push for it to be mandatory. We all have our abilities in different aspects of this world.

She stepped to the side to listen to the others around her.

In my opinion, presence is felt. It's not measured...

For the last so many years my Father's have passed down journals with information in them so that each new kin can learn and be an educated person and grow up the right way. As of late I have read from this about posting presence whether it be Street or Business like you said. I think I have to agree as my two months in this place have led me down the path that they were heading down on their opinion on this matter.

This all comes down to the generation you were born in, some were born in a generation where the RP was a necessity to rank, and the majority of the world forced it. However they also helped people learn to RP correctly and did not laugh at people for trying as I have seen a bit prior to the downfall of the past New York. Trying to RP during those times were hard as many "lulz" were shared for people trying to learn and its discouraging and people stop trying to do it.

For some others however the generation they came in during was non-RP, they could get their button off doing very minimal work if any work at all besides having the bare bone requirement for these promotions. It seems to be that era which has effected this one. The presence is only there now because it is merely forced, the question though is will it eventually provide sparks in people?

Reading this thread of yours, I think we are on the right path in a general speaking, Street activity is at an all time high, businesses are being created and looked after. It seems the world is going back to the old, the only question now is for people who want to get involved, will they still be laughed at and humiliated like the past few years have brought or will people finally help them out?

Curtis listened to the various contributions to Rory's discussion before stepping forward and shaking the man's hand.

"Thanks Rory, a relevant discussion that has opened up a few angles of interest for me. I think me standing here talking about my feeling on presence would be a bit redundant. My stance and feelings are pretty apparent. I would like to touch on something Fear and others have mentioned though. The idea of people being nervous about speaking. 

It is vital that people are encouraged to come out here and speak. Sure these streets can be intimidating and the more insecure participants will always look to shoot down the less experienced, as they are seen as easy targets in the pathetic attempt to cover inadequacies. But any mature or experienced member will do what they can to encourage and support a new voice. Sometimes in the public conversation and sometimes with a few quiet words in private. This doesn't mean you need to go away and read all 16,000 volumes of Scarfo's patented 'How to RP correctly without offending my delicate sensibilities.', that can be overwhelming and off-putting for even experienced street combatants. It might just mean a little pointer here and there to help without making everything seem too daunting or dogmatic.

I brought up this subject back in December and provided a suggestion for something any crew can do in the privacy of their own HQ to help less experienced or confident members, learn and gain confidence. A safe environment away from the streets where family members can help each other with supportive, constructive advice and suggestion to help people develop before they head out into the streets for real. If anyone wants to explore that option the discussion can be found  HERE   

"I should, at this point, point out that my joke about Scarfo's life's work and dedication to the education and assistance of the community, was juts that, a light hearted joke, nothing more. The guy has done an enormous amount of work to help everyone around him and much credit must go to him for his continual and phenomenal work-rate."

Walking over to Scarfo Curtis claps him on the shoulder.

It is vital that people are encouraged to come out here and speak. Sure these streets can be intimidating and the more insecure participants will always look to shoot down the less experienced, as they are seen as easy targets in the pathetic attempt to cover inadequacies.

Sadly, that is far too true.

However what I would say to those that are inexperienced.. get some damn experience! I don't mean that to sound harsh, but lets face it we have all been there. We have all had family members that were brand new to this way of life and we've all came through the harsh reality of being spoken down to by those that think they are superior.

I've read the notes of my oldest ancestors and they certainly weren't that big on speaking in the streets unless it was a topic they had a big opinion on, but what they did instead was constantly have a presence in other areas like the Business District. This enabled them to have their name out there without having to worry too much about their personal views by attacked and misjudged by others. I feel that experience was invaluable in teaching them many things about speaking in public and helped future generations to be more at ease with coming to the streets to share their own views. The Business District is largely underused these days though, perhaps if we could encourage more inexperienced people to make the trip down there, it could go some way to helping them.

I'd like to thank all of you for your input, it's reassuring to see people taking presence seriously.

Firstly, I understand the points about the streets being an intimidating place, but to my mind they are much more relaxed and less confrontational than those remembered by my ancestors. Curtis made a solid point about people with their own personal shortfalls, coming to the streets to pull apart aspiring street speakers. This is a sad fact, but in reality, if the rest of the community were supportive, those who compensate for small genitalia would soon see their efforts as redundant.

I understand your point of view Weebl, and you as a Crew Leader, are better qualified than myself to decide who gains entry to your inner circle and the criteria for the books to be opened. I still maintain the opine however, that if I were to run MY own organisation, street presence, in some way shape or form, would be required before I would open the books.

Of course people have their own strengths and abilities and it may be unfortunate to hold them back, but surely it is beneficial to them as individuals and society as a whole if they are coaxed and encouraged into street speaking. It is of vital importance in this world, to grab the proverbial bull by the horns. Accordingly, I would encourage any crewleaders and sponsors to do so. 

While walking around in Philadelphia, Karmen noticed some people milling around in a big group. She walked over to them to see what they could possibly be discussing and she heard such things as, "street presence is important" and "needing a reputation" and things of that nature. She wondered when this discussion had actually began, and then thought that the beginning question must have been pretty important for people to still be here discussing it. 

She thought to herself for a little while about street presence and building a reputation. She hadn't always had the best street presence but she was active in some businesses and what not, so at least that was something. However, she did plan to better her presence in the Streets, to make her opinion more known, and get her name out there so that people knew who she was. Like REALLY knew. She racked her brain for what she should say about this topic, and then she began to speak aloud to anyone that would listen.

"In my opinion, this is a 'to each their own' type thing. Some people really enjoy getting out in The Streets and meeting everyone and throwing in their two cents on whatever topic might arise. And then some people are shy, would rather just blend into the cracks of the wall than to make their voice loud enough to be heard. I am a little in between both of those myself. I'm not loud and rough and tumble in the streets, I don't like arguing with people or causing tension.. But I also am not that shy to where I don't want people to know what my voice sounds like. I am okay with stating my opinion. I just haven't always been the best about actually doing it."

Karmen took a deep breath then continued, "I know that in order to make it big in this life, Street Presence is definitely needed. In order to build up your reputation as a smart member of this world, Street Presence is needed. It is a very important part of this life. But, I would never try to FORCE anyone to go into the Streets where they don't feel comfortable. I would try to explain to them that it is an important aspect of life here, but that they should work their way into it; wait until they're comfortable getting in front of a ton of people and speaking aloud their opinions. I don't believe in making anyone do anything that they aren't okay with doing on their own. Everyone has a different idea about this, I'm sure, and that's okay because everyone is entitled to think their own thoughts. My thoughts might differ from some and they might be the same as others. I value everyone's opinion equally, so I hope you will value mine as well. Thank you all for listening to me ramble on about this."

After she finished talking, Karmen turned away from the group to make her way back down the dark street. She felt a sense of relief about getting her opinion out there as she let out the breath she had been holding. She climbed into the back of the car, and told the driver she was ready to go. She hoped to herself that maybe she would get that group of people talking again and that the world would get to hear some more opinions.

While walking along the streets Aniki notices a woman talking to herself.

"Ermm, who are you talking to, Karmen? There's nobody here."

What kind of world do you think this is? Are we going to hold hands and skip in the flowers? No we are killers, we lurk in the shadows. We are born in it, molded by it. We do not show our face in these stupid streets because it makes you a perfect target for your enemies. One, why would a mobster show his face in public? True G's move in silence like lasagna. 

Also it is fun to be in the shadows, the fuck do I care what you do, leave me alone I am only here to survive and kill you at the end of the day so why the fuck would I try to show my face to the "community". Are you going to give out turkeys and shit to the poor while you soak in the millions of dollars as a gangster? Fuck that turkey giving Christmas bull shit, we are killers not a movie where the Godfather of the city takes care of each other. We are beasts merely looking to survive in this cold world. Everyone is on their own, but nobody is alone in being alone. You must fight and make this world be yours and friends are only a tool of help for this world, not a crutch. So fuck the street presence in my opinion. Im a gangster and if I am a Boss I hope to remain unknown for life. Anyone outside your family is an enemy so why would a street presence matter?

 Historically it is actually quite commonplace for leaders of this thing to set up soup kitchens and the like to win favor with the population.

"You're right, Godfather. I actually had a particularly garlic-laden bowl earlier put on by Mr Weebl's lads. It was delicious."

Key word I mentioned "shit". Soup kitchens are shit. We cause more destruction than what we can ever give back, especially soup kitchens haha. People know you make millions but you offer them soup, oh not to mention they make millions out of the expense of the people. It is still not wise to put your face in the open, Al Capone and our fellow gangsters are only for show. The true gangsters are in bed with the government thus hopefully they will never be heard of.