Zips

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Zips (also Siggies or Geeps) is a slang term in the United States that was especially in use in the early 20th century. It was often used as a derogatory slur by

The younger Sicilian mafiosi became known for their reckless and undisciplined behavior, which gained unwanted attention for New York's homegrown crime families. The Zips had no qualms about murdering people who had been considered off-limits by the American Mafia, such as police officers, judges, and women and children. They were also known for using bombs to kill their targets. Although bombings were commonly used by the Sicilian Mafia, American mafiosi have usually shied away from bombs out of concern that they could put innocent people at risk.[1] Zips were also known to have killed enemies who were already on their deathbeds. In the Sicilian Mafia, when someone is marked for death, that person cannot be allowed to die of natural causes.

The group was tolerated because they earned millions of dollars for the families, specifically the

"Lots of people hate him [Galante]... There's only a few people he's close to. And that's mainly the Zips... Those guys are always with him. He brought them over from Sicily, and he uses them for different pieces of work and for dealing all that junk [drugs]. They're as mean as he is. You can't trust those bastard Zips. Nobody can. Except the Old Man."^[citation needed] On another occasion, Ruggiero told Pistone, "They hate the American people. They hate the American wiseguys." Bonanno soldier

secretive

. They are the meanest killers in the business".

See also

• Fresh off the boat
• A Full Ounce of Drugs

References

• Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000.
  ISBN 0-313-30653-2
• Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Facts On File Inc., 2005.
  ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
• Pistone, Joseph D.; & Brandt, Charles (2007). Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business, Running Press.
  ISBN 0-7624-2707-8
  .
• Pistone, Joseph D.; & Woodley, Richard (1999)
  ISBN 0-340-66637-4
  .
• Raab, Selwyn. The Five Families: The Rise, Decline & Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empire. New York: St. Martins Press, 2005.
• Crittle, Simon, The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino Berkley (March 7, 2006)
  ISBN 0-425-20939-3
• DeStefano, Anthony. The Last Godfather: Joey Massino & the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family. California: Citadel, 2006.