Thread by @s_decatur

The East New York Race Riots, Mayor Lindsay, and the Gallo Crew:
In the Summer of 1966, liberal New York City Mayor John Lindsay took an unusual step in an attempt to calm Brooklyn racial unrest. He asked for help … from the Mafia.
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In July 1966 racial violence seemed to be spiraling out of control in East New York. The unrest had been sparked by rapid demographic change - as Blacks and Puerto Ricans had flooded into neighborhoods that had formerly been dominated by Jews and White ethnics.
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As late as 1960, East New York had been 85 percent White. By 1966, Whites were down to 20 percent. In East New York, one ethnic group stubbornly defied the racial transition of the area, occasionally resisting “with fists and lug wrenches” - the Italians.
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The Italian resistance fit a recognized pattern: “Catholic resistance to racial change is a constant theme in studies of almost every American city. "
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Though Lindsay had run for Mayor as a Republican, he was a committed liberal (his conservative opponent was National Review’s William F. Buckley). And his core supporters were Manhattan liberals – not working-class White ethnics in the outer-boroughs.
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Lindsay was focused on addressing the grievances of Blacks, and other minority constituents. Many White ethnic voters felt alienated from his administration, and Italians in particular blamed the liberal Mayor for the increasing crime and decreasing home values.
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Trying to appease the Italians, Lindsay was out of his element: "In retrospect one can see that the encounter of a Yankee mayor and his liberal Jewish emissaries with young Italian toughs presaged the emerging cultural war between patrician conscience and plebeian rancor."
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Lindsay’s difficulties connecting with White ethnics, and the downright hostile reception he received from young Italian men, apparently inspired the mayor’s team to reach out to the Mafia - "to check the behavior of Italian American youths in the area."
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The Gallos were an extremely rough crew, involved in a host of rackets. And they were veterans of more than one bloody gang war. When Mayor Lindsay’s administration formed this modus vivendi with an organized crime outfit, many New Yorkers were appalled.
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Critics pointed out that by deputizing a criminal gang, the Mayor had increased their prestige and power (they were even given letters of introduction). Why had Lindsay made deals with the Mafia, instead of deploying the National Guard?
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Mayor Lindsay seemed confident his interventions with the Mob had helped get the racial conflict under control. More likely it was the deployment of hundreds of police reinforcements to Brooklyn – and that the unrest eventually burned itself out, as it usually does.
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Lindsay’s gimmick of calling in the Mafia was not a long-term solution to NYC racial unrest and violence. Race riots would erupt again in 1967 (Puerto Ricans and Blacks) and 1968 (Blacks). Violent crime continued to skyrocket in the city.
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On the whole, Lindsay mayoralty was a disaster. His free spending and soft-on-crime tenure in office set the city on the path for the “Drop Dead” fiscal crisis of 1975, and the apocalyptic “Warriors” / “Escape from New York” vibes of the late 70s to early 80s.
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Epilogue: “Crazy” Joe Gallo was not around for the end of Mayor Lindsay’s term. Gallo met his fate on April 7, 1972. His demise was depicted by Sebastian Mancuso in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman:”

Some sources: