A real crime problem fixed a sensational Black Hand image on Italians

Evidence

Lax American law enforcement was attracting to the United States a considerable number of Sicily’s bandits; here, through blackmail and murder, they levied tribute on their intimidated countrymen more successfully than they had at home. By 1909, when a combined drive of American authorities and Italian community leaders began to reduce these activities, the image of a mysterious Black Hand Society, extending from Italy into every large American city, was fixed in the public imagination. — John Higham, Strangers in the Land, 958

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Media audiences require mafia symbols in crime imagery to find it authentic

Broader Connections

• Media audiences require mafia symbols in crime imagery to find it authentic #contradicts (0.75)