Al Capone: Hero Or Villain

When most people think of Al Capone, they often regard him as a villain because of his historical status as a criminal. However, his family knew first hand how loving he could be. From growing up in a large family, to being at the lead of an empire, Capone was always there to help those who needed him. His enemies however, knew that Capone did not have the desire to serve everyone. Despite humble beginnings, Al Capone was an interesting character that turned into one of the most well known villains with a good side.

Al Capone was born into a very rough family and environment. He was born January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York. Most Italian families, like Capone’s, had difficulties making a modest living. Their neighborhood was matched by saloons,

For a couple of years, Capone did odd jobs like working at a candy store and at a bowling alley. Life on the streets were more interesting to him than the work he had been, so he joined a youth gang, the South Brooklyn Rippers. He later joined the juvenile branch of a notorious adult gang known for their violent crimes. Once Capone got older, he was accepted into the adult branch of the same gang, which was called Five Points. The sponsor of the gang, Frankie Yale, recruited Capone as a bartender, errand boy, and as a bouncer at his nightclub. Capone took the opportunity to work at the nightclub to mature and to have relations with multiple women (Yancey,

Upon arriving in Chicago, he started managing a brothel. Capone stocked a vacant store with furniture and printed out business cards that advertised his fake business. He went by many aliases, such as his favorite, “Al Brown” (Yancey, 2003). Only after being in Chicago for a couple of years, Capone became Torrio’s number two in his organization. Capone was capable of earning enough money to move his entire family to Chicago. After awhile, police began to crack down on crime, and Torrio and Capone decided to move their operation to the Chicago suburb of Cicero. Frank Capone, Al’s brother, was recruited as a liaison between the other illegal businesses in