Journalistic news article

Ercolano – the city which refuses to obey the mafia

Camorran loses his power in the suburbs of Napoli. There is not a mafia boss captured this time.

In Ercolano, like the known antique city which was overwhelmed by the ashes of the Vesuvius is called today, the mafia totally lost control.  – Not one shop owner is paying the mafia anymore and all of them have lodged a complaint to their extortionists, tells Tanno Grasso in triumph to DN when he has a quick visit in Rome.

Tanno Grasso is very experienced with how to stop the mafia on an effective way. He had en shoe shop on Sicily for more than 20 years ago. There he started a movement that grew quickly to a national network which was saying no to the unwanted protection by the mafia.

The protection money that has to be paid to the mafia is nothing more than a criminal and unwanted insurance premium called “pizzo” or more often in Napoli “racket”.

When Grasso settled in Napoli six years ago, he did start to adapt Ercolano. In the city, which counts more than 60,000 inhabitants, a bloody mafia war proceeded between two clans. Between 2002 and 2009 totally 60 murders occurred, something that made many tourists canceling their visit to the antique remains of the city.

One of the first who chose to lodge a complaint to their extortionists was Sofia Ciriello who has a big bakery. – Camorron was two times in the store. They wanted me to pay immediately 5.000 Euro (45.000 Swedish Crowns) and after that 500 Euro every month. I said no, both of the times, despite I was threatened with a pistol, is she telling by phone from Ercolano. Camorron wanted Sofia Ciriello to visit the mafia quarter Cuparella to agree on the payments. She did not. She neither submitted near she was threatened with a pistol. The mafia took revenge by placing a bomb which destroyed the bakery. Even this did not stop her. The bakery reopened and she lodged a complaint. The quarter’s butcher followed her like the fish shop, the optician and the jeweler.

Today is a big process taking place against mafia´s extortionists in Ercolano. 41 members of Camorron is accussed for threat and extorsion.

Tanno Grasso is satisfied. It is not sure that the Ercolano model will be exported. A series of fortunate circumstances caused that the mafia lost, does he point out.