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Glory days for the Mafia in Kansas City

"Where two brothers where shot to death from ambush in Little Italy this morning."
Terence O'Malley
"Where two brothers where shot to death from ambush in Little Italy this morning."

Kansas City may be famous for its jazz and barbeque, but it also has the dubious distinction of having had one of the best Mafias in the country.This is according to Terence O’Malley, who researched the history of organized crime in Kansas City. 

After compiling photos, artifacts and records, O’Malley produced a documentary about the subject in 2009, and recently released companion book called Black Hand Strawman: The History of Organized Crime in Kansas City. By bringing key mafia characters to life, the film tells the story of the rise and fall of Kansas City organized crime and the politicians who became caught up in its web.  

Susan Wilson caught up with O’Malley recently to learn about how the mafia got started in the early nineteen teens.

Terence O’Malley will give a lecture titled The Other Side of Crime: The Pendergast Machine in the 1930s at The National Archives at Kansas City March 22, 6:30 p.m.

Scarlett Robertson joined KBIA as a producer in February 2011. She studied psychology at Lake Forest College and holds a masters degree in journalism from Syracuse University. Scarlett began her professional career in psychology, jumped to magazines and then came to her senses and shifted to public radio. She has contributed to NPR member stations WAER in Syracuse, KUT in Austin and Chicago’s WBEZ.