A More Business Like Detroit

The Purple Gang had made it into the big leagues of crime only to have one action pull them back down to the bottom of the barrel. The press that surrounded the events of the massacre saw an opportunity to create a story that rivaled the massacre in Chicago. Rivals gangs, in particular those from New York did everything possible to keep up the hype. Any way that the control of the Purple Gang could be broken it was hoped a power vacuum could be created allowing new leadership in the Detroit area. The Purple Gang realized that everything was on the line in relation to their maintaining the influence and power they had accumulated. Every bit of funding that could be accumulated was put toward the defense of the accused gang members.

But even with the effort to enhance the defense, it only took the jury about a half-hour to reach a verdict. All of the defendants were found guilty and received life sentences with no chance for parole. One of the Gang informants was loaded on a boat and taken to France to provide protection from the remaining Purple Gang members. Problems arose at his arrival when the French Police refused to allow him to disembark, claiming his criminal record made his entrance as an undesirable illegal. He was shipped back to United States, when no other countries would accept his arrival. After returning home he disappeared realizing that it would be unhealthy to run into any of the few remaining gang members. The rival gangs that had surrounded them quickly gobbled the Purple gang up. In particular the New York Mob began to take advantage of this power vacuum. There was some thought that it was pressure put on by the New York Mob that fanned the flames of public outcry against the actions of the murders in the Purple Gang.

The New York Mob, which had already formed alliances with Jewish Gangs, felt right at home in the area they had come to occupy. Lansky had established relationships with the Purple Gang prior to the massacre and established relationships that allowed his faction to move into Detroit with the blessings of the Organization. Hijackings lessened and the importation of illegal booze was established in a more business-like manner. The Purple Gang could be compared to the rise of the numerous cyber-companies that rose to meet the needs of a demanding public. The big difference being meeting illegal needs as opposed to legal ones. When the time is right the wildcat companies find it difficult to compete with the major companies. The competition between rival gangs was effecting the efficient flow of booze to the marketplace. Such activities were creating problems for the rival gangs counting on the supply for their customers. The lesson of the Purple Gang follows the same lesson as the fall of Capone in Chicago. Excessive violence is not good for business. It was a lesson learned early by the New York Organization and transported to the Detroit area.

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