Sidious approaches the small crowd who has gathered to discuss a topic that has been on his mind for quite some time now. He's sure the usual suspects will at least hear him out, but wonders if he he'll actually reach the audience his gripe is intended for. He clears his throat and beings to speak...

I've come here tonight to discuss the topic of city rules, something I feel gets lost in the shuffle from time to time, especially with the influx of new mobsters our world has seen recently. 

Sidious points to a sign above his head

For many of you, hearing this will be a waste of your time, since you abide by the laws set forth by those who run our cities. To others though, this message bears repeating, as I've seen a handful of people pay steep prices recently for not following the rules set forth in our cities.  Some, have even died for their actions.

When all of us come to these shores, we swear allegiance to our leaders, and pledge to follow their rules and orders religiously. These guidelines are put in place for us to succeed in this world, to ensure that we grow up and are able to pass on what we know to those who come after us, so this thing of ours can always grow and prosper.

That being said, why is it that some people blatantly disregard rules put in place by city leaders? How are these rules any different than the ones that are laid out before you by your leader? 

I, like all of you, live by a code of Omerta. Part of this code of honor I live by is to respect my fellow leaders, and the rules they set forth in their cities. Regardless of how I may feel about how they run their cities, it is my duty to follow the laws they set, and to make sure my family falls in line right behind me.

Whether it be following Godmother Marietta's death tax, Godfather ThomasRourke's rule about not shooting -48 gangsters, or Godfather Odd's rule about open pickpocketing in his city, I respectfully abide by their rules and expect my family to do the same.

Sidious pauses for a second as those who have gathered whisper among themselves, he then continues...

And now, to why I've brought all of this up. I have had some discussions recently with a wide variety of mobsters, from young Thugs, all the way up to some of the bold suits that walk our streets today. The general consensus seems to be that a good majority of people are unaware that city specific rules actually exist.

I bring this topic up for discussion and to consider as you go about your business here on these streets. It isn't hard to read over the rules of the city you are spending your time in, and it will save your leader a good deal of aggravation that would normally come along with you breaking a rule you were too ignorant to follow in the first place. 

While I've been fortunate thus far and haven't had to deal with my family breaking rules in other cities, I take this kind of thing as a very serious offense, and as blatant disrespect to the man or woman who has created the laws in their respective city. In my family, I don't have time for ignorant people, and quickly dispose of individuals who aren't able to follow the basic laws that are set forth for us to live by. I don't care about their rank or status in my family, if people aren't able to follow my simple orders, I get rid of them. I'm not saying everyone should do things my way, just that this works for me, and I'm able to sleep easy at night with the consequences I give to offenders. Others may feel differently, which is why we come to the streets to discuss things.

What are your thoughts on violations of city rules?

How does this compare to a violation of your crewleaders rules?

Do you feel death is an appropriate punishment for breaking city rules?

Or would an alternative punishment be more suitable? 

I thank you all for listening, and look forward to hearing some other points of view.

Sidious slips out from the center of the crowd that has formed around him, only to take up a place on the outskirts of the pack in hopes of hearing the views others may have

Don Sidious, I applaud you coming to these streets to speak on matters of great importance. I share you believe that rules in this thing of ours are made for a reason and should be followed no matter who you are.

My thoughts on the violations of city rules are quite simple really, Don't. By this I mean that these are rules placed by Don's and even Godfathers of the great seven cities and as such should be followed in all cases except for war between the Familes.

I believe that the city rules are the next best thing to your Don's rules, as they are made by Don's and Godfathers as well. These men are men of importance and honor and should be treated as you would treat your own Don or Godfather. The only time you would ever disobey another Don or Godfather is if they wish you to do something against your family or if you are at war with them. Any other violation should not be permitted.

I feel that death is the only appropriate punishment for breaking city rules. It is the same offense as not following your own Familes rules and should not be tolerated.

I do not believe that a alternative punishment would be more suitable, breaking rules is a serious offense and will only lead to more of the same unless corrected.

Kevin approaches this subject cautiously

I would say depending on the rule should determine the persons punishment. I don't say death is the number one option. I agree not shooting -48 without getting permission. I say there should be alternative punishment depending on the crime.

Kevin stands there listening to other people before speaking again

Don Sidious,

I do in fact see some distinction between city specific laws and crew laws. Let me explain --

When I entered this life, I joined Scipitarourke's crew. When I did that, I took an oath to follow her to death if need be and to obey her orders on pain of death. By doing so, I also accept the rule of ThomasRourke our Godfather in our city. However, I have made no such oath to any other Crewleader or Godfather.

Now, does that mean I should disobey a Godfather/Godmother? Absolutely not! They should, at all times, be afforded the respect their rank deserves. However, my oath is to Scipita. Scipita's policy for the crew is to obey the city specific rules for all cities we operate in, therefore as part of my oath I will obey all city rules. I believe, as a respect to rank, all crews should have a standing rule to obey all Godfathers/Godmothers unless specifically told otherwise by the crewleader.

However, take the hypothetical case that a crew leader gives their crew an order to wack an IA in Detroit without tax or a -48 in New York without justification. While a crewmember should respect the rules of the Godfather/Godmother of the city, in the end, they must and should obey their crewleader. By maintaining these echelons of obedience, it then becomes the crew leaders responsibility and not the responsibility of the one who obeyed the order. Without this type of up and down accountability, our society as we know it would fail to function.

On the question of punishment, this should give way to reason. The punishment should fit the crime, taking into account mitigating factors. A good example are business ventures in Detroit. These must be approved in advance of setting up. If a new mobster comes to town and sets up shop, is wacking him the right solution? Probably not (unless one has reason to think he knew better and was willfully disobedient). Instead, Detroit should (And does) impose a fine on the offender. My opinion would be in most cases of violation by ignorance (With the exception of rules which result in an unauthorized death) a fine is a reasonable punishment/warning to the violator. Willful or repeat disobedience is worthy of death -- not for the violation itself, but for the disobedience factor.

This is an excellent point of discussion, I'm glad it was brought up for consideration. I hope my humble thoughts have helped you and your discussion,

With all respect,

Don Sidious,

I misspoke on one point, pardon the correct, the rule about setting up a business and being fined for non compliance is, in fact, from your home city of Chicago and not Detroit.

Sorry for the confusion on my part, it had been a few weeks since the event involving a friend of mine that brought that rule to my attention.

Respectfully,

Kevin listens to Beowulf before speaking once more

Beowulf, I personally agree with you on many levels. One thing I see that everyone is talking about including myself is the -48 rule or something involving someone being shot. What about PickPockets? I mean some people I have personally known shoots at these guys no matter what the city rules say about it. I mean is it truly fair to punish them if that person has already address the attacker for stealing the other guys money?

Example: Lets says your in a non-pickpocket friendly city and some random joe blow is constantly pickpocketing you there. You got "Don't Pickpocket" stated somewhere. You have addressed this problem to your crewleader and told the attacker to stop on several occasions. After the attacker doesn't listen and continues to pickpocket. Lets say his crew leader contacts him about this and continues. Does this give you permission to kill this guy?

I mean this does happen more than some people know. I do support PP friendly cities, but don't these cities that are PP friendly should at least value the person enough to at least make the attacker to at least ask the guy/girl. I'm not trying to be disrespectful by any manner if someone sees it that way. Anyone got any thoughts about Pickpockets and how should they be handle? I mean saying this city here is PP friendly will not stop some from entering that city his/her own reason and shooting someone because they got PP.

I'll be happy to answer this for you, Kevin. If you are not Pick Pocket friendly, and wear a suit telling other 'attackers' as you call them to keep their hands out of your pockets or else, stay out of PP Friendly cities and it will never be an issue for you. Don't bust prisoners out of our jails, don't knock over our Post Offices, leave our old lady's purses alone. There are cities that have rules protecting people's requests not to be Pick Pocketed. Perhaps spend your time there instead. Then you'll have a valid case if someone doesn't take heed to your "Do Not PP" shirt.

Or here's another idea... if you're in a PP Friendly city, and you get Pick Pocketed, pick pocket them back. Or keep your money in the bank and not in your pockets.

Hope this clears up any confusion.

KingBenny, You can tell people to stay out of the city or to bank their money, but it will not stop them for his/her actions afterwards. I mean its like holding a horses head down in water. You can tell it to drink all day long, but doesn't have to listen. Plus not to be rude but you failed to answer the part about them killing the other person for doing so. How do you plan to stop them?

Yes, I wear the "Don't pickpocket" sign but don't believe in killing the person. I do know a few older members that have taken this action before. My ancestors long ago was accused for this but was later found out he was not guilty of this crime.

Also not to get off topic but I do like to speak my mind. I will apologize in advance to anyone this offends.

You take a very hard line stance, King, one which I can certainly respect. 

You also bring up a very good point, Beowulf, one that I failed to elaborate on while trying to get my point across.

You SHOULD be loyal, above all, to your leader. As leaders, we do all we can to maintain the vitality of our families, so it is wise for our members to follow the orders we give them. Everything I do is with the best interest of my family and the city of Chicago in mind, and that includes being sure to respect the guidelines set forth by those who run our world's other cities.

I've read, and re-read, all city rules that have been set. There isn't anything that has been set forth by the leaders of our cities that is unreasonable, and should be a challenge to follow. Furthermore, I don't see any rule that has an unreasonable punishment for breaking it.

Again, that is my opinion, and may not be shared by others.

I don't plan on stopping them. How could I? How would anyone go about stopping anyone from doing anything? People are going to do what they are going to do.

It's a city rule. PPing is allowed in PP Friendly Cities. What makes a guy in a shirt that says "No PP" above the city rules set forth by that city's leader? This Thing is built around Rules. There are consequences for breaking them. Shooting someone for PPing in a PP Friendly city is a violation. If I live in a city where the Rule says all horses better drink this water, you're correct. I can't make him drink it. Not to mention, he might kick me in the head for trying. I can't stop him, but that's going to be a sorry horse afterwards.

Good points made, Kevin. You have nothing to worry about in regard to expressing your opinion constructively like you have, as it is certainly welcome in this public forum.

My question to you is this: Since when did a pickpocket become an attack?

I'm still very confused by this whole mindset. You aren't being shot at. You aren't being physically harmed in this act. A person is simply trying to lift a few bucks from you in an attempt to fatten their bank account, and IS NOT using force to do so. 

There are ways for us to make a profit in this world, and pickpocketing is one of those ways.  It isn't an attempt on a person's life, so why do some still feel it is necessary to threaten (and even take) one's life for a harmless act?

This is still something that baffles me, to be honest.

Well, look at like this then. Pickpocket - A criminal act of stealing someones money. So stealing isn't an attack on someone wallet or purse? Why do some believe in taken someones life because of this little crime? I honestly have no clue. Some get annoyed by it,some will go to the person and might say, "don't try it again,"and others might take the matter into his/her own hands. I mean we can't honestly know what is going in everyone's mind. It just something that happens time for time. Maybe that person was having a bad day and joe blow comes for no where and just robs you of a couple thousand. That right there could be the icing on his cake and he might take his own actions. Myself, I just tell them don't do it again. They usually respect that and we go on about our business.Later on down the road I will gladly let anyone give it a shot. I personally don't agree with taking someone life, but some might it differently than me. There are so many way you can look at this. Don Sidious, your city is PickPockt friendly city. I don't fly out that way but when I do I usually see attempts but they get nothing. This happens usually at the airport about a minute before I get on the plane and head home. It gets on my nerves a bit but I blow it off and send them a message stating, "Nice try kid  or Please don't try that again," then I exit the city. It usually slips my mind that I'm in Chiago but it happens. Simple mistakes because we all are human. Don Sidious, I wish I could tell you the reason but I honestly can't. I do have a question for you. Do you believe a person that enters you city should at least be asked if someone can be pickpocket'd?

What are your views on PickPocketings?

Sorry for the incorrect spelling of Chicago

I'll take my view right from my city rules:

Chicago is a pick pocketing friendly city.

People are welcome to profit by pick pocketing in Chicago. By labeling the city "friendly" to this kind of action states that this behavior is tolerated, regardless of what a person's personal views are. 

It isn't an "attack" on a person's life. The gods have given us the ability to reach into each others pockets as a way to profit, so why not take advantage of that?

So you lose $5000 bucks? Big deal, someone stole from you just like we all steal to make our living. Last I checked, nobody was being shot for successfully completing a Truck Heist or Robbing a Post Office. I also don't see signs in these places that state "Not Truck Heist Friendly",  do you? Would refuse to rob some post office if they stated that you shouldn't on the door outside? I don't think so.

It isn't difficult to bank your money if you're worried about being robbed. That is the simple solution.

I get this debate and then I don't. The last time I checked, city rules where to be followed. They are set up by the leader of those cities, and respected among all leaders. When a new rule comes along regarding a city, first thing I get is a letter from my leader reminding or informing of this rule and TO FOLLOW IT. It is just respectful and to do other wise is in my mind is just plain disrespectful. 

Like I say, you want to put your hands in my pockets. Go ahead, I usually have to pay double for that kind of action. No big deal, don't agree, then just stay out of that city. To me it just seems plain and simple, but then again that is me. Plus I like to take long walks on the beach during a midnights evening.

I get this debate and then I don't. The last time I checked, city rules where to be followed. They are set up by the leader of those cities, and respected among all leaders. When a new rule comes along regarding a city, first thing I get is a letter from my leader reminding or informing of this rule and TO FOLLOW IT. It is just respectful and to do other wise is in my mind is just plain disrespectful. 

Like I say, you want to put your hands in my pockets. Go ahead, I usually have to pay double for that kind of action. No big deal, don't agree, then just stay out of that city. To me it just seems plain and simple, but then again that is me. Plus I like to take long walks on the beach during a midnights evening.

Computer glitch, sorry for double entry.

Well I'm just saying these things that I have seen over the years that my ancestors have written about. Your entitled to your personal views on that subject and I'm entitled my own personal view on the subject as well. I was clearly stating things I have read these accounts from my ancestor's dairies. One of the major topics at their time was PickPocketing and I believe Don Prozac(GRHS) brought this subject before. This is truly a gray shaded area in this world because different views on the subject. Honestly, I think it would remain this way until we all die and a new generation is reborn and hopefully they will solve it.