Disruption On The Waterfront

How mobbed up is New York Harbor these days?

Photo: Henry Shi

The waterfront today has largely receded from the city’s consciousness and even its geography. And to some extent, so has the mob. Decimated by mass prosecutions over the last three decades, New York’s five crime families have struggled to adapt. While there have been some new, profitable ventures, like online gambling, the waterfront still exerts its own pull. Mr. Arsenault referred to the waterfront as the mob’s “last candy jar.”

Can the mob automate faster than the shipping industry? Does it need to? This is an interesting read if you’re a certain sort of New Yorker (i.e., one with an interest in the mob and the waterfront).

Along New York Harbor, ‘On the Waterfront’ Endures