I would set up and tear down the merry-go-round every week with the same crew; we were each other's backbone. In 2012, I was contacted by NBCs Today show producer Sandra Thomas, who wanted to consult with me regarding a story about carnival games. Step right up to the king of all carnival rip-offs, Razzle Dazzle, which searches for and destroys its prey. I estimated that the 12 innocent-looking basketball games alone accounted for $25,000 in 2012, based on the numbers of neighborhood kids trying their luck endlessly for four days. There must be collaboration among governmental agencies regarding the identification, tracking, and documenting of these interstate businessmen along with recognizing the moral and social ills associated with the intentions of most to take criminal financial advantage of children. I quickly learned that the carnival in question donated $1,000 to the police department and some officers didnt want to upset the carnival workers and chance losing that gift. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The carny vocabulary is traditionally part of carnival cant, a secret language. These sneaky tub-type games are displayed on over 90 percent of carnival midways which I had checked in Michigan, with tub-agents using the age-old deadening-ball trick on the mark. Troops Cheated out of Money at Carnival,Armen Keteyian investigated a Texas-based company called Century 21 Shows at Fort Hood for allegedly defrauding its special guests: American soldiers returning from the Mid-east war or deploying to war. New York Cemetery Worker Buried Alive After Grave He Was Digging Collapses On Him, The Horrific Story Of William Calley And The My Lai Massacre, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Step right up to the king of all carnival rip-offs, Razzle Dazzle, which searches for and destroys its prey. Slick carnival entrepreneurs are business-savvy. All players lay a bet down on a color and only one of the players throws a rubbery ball in a bin of 96 colored holes. Carnival midways are the only venues in the United States where local police departments allow carnival lots to be free crime zones for illegal gambling, larceny, and fraud. As for the OP, I second WhyNot. We have a lot of interesting family friends from the fair business. It usually takes zero years Very long hours - up to 20 a day for five to sevendays straight. A poll conducted by Carnival Biz, an Internet link to carnival business, reveals that over 70 percent of participants feel they are cheated on a carnival midway. Gummo was about white trash in a small dirt-poor town. So, they either rent or default on thier sub-prime mortgage. I will usually see three to eight tubs on every midway of Wade Shows and North American Midway Entertainment. Drift along, into the next jurisdiction to start it all over. I had alienated some ranking officers because I thought my job in law enforcement was to protect festivalgoers and to crack down on the crooks. This complaint and the 2011 complaint to Richardson vanished and both verbal and written statements were never filed in police records. The mark will pay $4 for the next play, than $8, then $16, then $32, and so, every time 29 is tallied. Pop two balloons and get your pick of any prize! Here is the typical scenario of a Razzle casualty: Feeling duped and dazed, the bewildered Razzle mark walks away a big loser and realize hes been somehow ripped off. The truth is that some of the illegal games are property of the carnival owner, and not some fictitious ace-in-the-hole independent contractor. Most flat-joints are operated by errant freelancers. Carnivals have close ties to not only organized crime but to local law enforcement. Burbank's policy--like other municipalities'--has no teeth because it cannot stop someone with a criminal history from working at a carnival, said lawmakers and law enforcement officials advocating stronger legislation. Risky Rides: Carnival Workers' Grueling Hours May Threaten Safety. I remember he went about two or three years (jobless) chasing down an injury lawsuit when he got hurt on a job. In Scotland they are simply known as "'''Travellers'''" ( not to be confused with Irish travellers or Gypsies) . [2] The word carnival, originally meaning a "time of merrymaking before Lent" and referring to a time denoted by lawlessness (often ritualised under a lord of misrule figure and intended to show the consequences of social chaos), came into use around 1549. That occurred even though state police checked carnival workers' backgrounds. The same carny-cops (police officers patrolling the midway), and the same returning interstate carny-outlaws appear to be working in concert for income at annual extravaganzas. Carnival workers have also said they were forced to live in filthy trailers or bunkhouses. advance man - person who takes care of details that need to be handled in advance of a carnival They dont draw a line, everything is fair game.. Yeah, maybe. In this CBS News Online, July 12, 2011, video expos, U.S. Any accurate count of the marbles will correspond to no yards on the chart.). So, I singled out a known scam artist operating one of the basketball games, Kenneth David Argo, a 12-year game agent for Huston. So usually, we don't tell townies that we are carnies because they immediately judge us for it. We got a magazine which has since ceased called Amusement Business which had information on that kind of job for my Regular Patrons. These small carnys get seedier every year. With the astronomical amounts of cash the Razzle sharks are capable of taking, one never should rule out the possibility of protection by dirty cops, often in the vicinity of a Razzle set-up. I completed a larceny report for Steve, who told about the carnival patch and offered to lend me the book by John Scarne entitled Scarnes New Complete Guide to Gambling.Scarne writes that the patch is a carnival front man who squares complaints with players and police. The patch, who is sometimes a lawyer (in carnival terms the mender or fixer), collects patch money from crooked game agents who pay him to bribe police or to patch up any problems with wiped out sore losers. The patch may arrive in advance of the carnival to make friends and deals. For a carnival owner or manager to deny responsibility is like saying I didnt run you over, my car did! When it comes to interviews, carnival owners and managers will act outraged while feigning ignorance about the rigged game and its perpetrat, John Wayne Gacy Confessed to Killing Dozens (December 22, 1978). The ongoing investigation comes as police officials and some lawmakers are calling for legislation that would require background checks for carnival workers, a measure they say is vital to protecting children from transient workers with sordid pasts. I hope I have answered it for you. The fair is an extension of her; it is her identity and passion. Not an easy life. To top it all, the presence of uniformed police foot patrols on the midway creates imagined credibility and an erroneous impression of a safe and secure ambiance; a thriving situation and safeguard for migrating grifters (carnival jargon for swindlers). A report by the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform concluded that United Shows of America, Inc. paid Rodham $240,000 for undocumented consulting services. The FBI and game enforcement experts are available to present seminars to police departments. WebEmployees felt differently about being labeled a carnie, a name colloquially used to describe carnival workers. have largely been replaced by a bunch of rides and cheesy (somewhat rigged) games of skill crammed into a municipal or shopping center parking lot. A prime example is the Chief Willie Lovett case. Do a little googling on carnies and carnival workers and youll find thats a common assessment. David Malhalab, also with me at the time, phoned in a request for service to the Dearborn Heights police, asking them to respond to investigate this larceny with the 13-year-old victim waiting and with the perpetrator still operating the game in question. If a person cheats customers, it is likely that same person will cheat the government. Also zeroed in as targets, are members of the U.S. military. A loud bell should sound when it is known that itinerant serial criminals are targeting members of the U.S. military and children with impunity. Aww, you almost had it that time! A wheel of fortune in progress on a for-profit carnival midway would be a case of illegal gambling. So - I dont know how that applies to all carny workers. She was clearly astonished and interested in securing this elliptical type of rim for a demonstration during her Today feature. But for veteran crime writer and crusading editor J. Patrick OConnor, the factsor a lack of themdidnt add up. It's the exact opposite of what most folks describe. It should be standard procedure throughout the U.S. for all police departments to require officers to complete written reports on all midway game complaints, with case numbers issued to complainants and victims. From there, it grew into what it is today. In New York City, the Colombo and Genovese crime families were involved with profits from street and church fair carnival games; their specialty being the game of Razzle. The various suspect games on NAMEs midway, vividly depicted in Biloxi and Indianapolis, are featured in, This game is not only fraudulent, (deception for money), it is much worse when adults steal from young kids. Rather the way they interact with the public is a large part of what makes them different. Get up to work twelve hour days for the next two weeks or so, then work a twelve hour day, take down your ride, show, what have you and drive it to the next spot, without sleep, usually a few hundred miles away. Drifter is closer, if you ask me. For a carnival owner or manager to deny responsibility is like saying I didnt run you over, my car did! When it comes to interviews, carnival owners and managers will act outraged while feigning ignorance about the rigged game and its perpetrator. I know that around here, when they need to hire local workers they pick from the pool of people on day parole, so take that as you will. Now, lets go back to the first question: Have you ever played a carnival game and felt cheated? As part of my research for the Today feature, each morning before the 2012 Arab Festival carnival opened, I measured the basketball rims and found, pretty much, what I had expected. East coast or west? (If it isnt documented, it didnt happen.), A police officer refusing to properly address or document a crime-in-progress complaint is tantamount to constructively playing into the hands of organized crime. In addition to carny jargon, some carnival workers used a special infix ("earz" or "eez" or "iz") to render regular language unintelligible to outsiders. In an attempt to skirt responsibility for the crooks in question, playing their crooked games, Century 21 Shows manager Jeremy Bendsons acted innocent when questioned by the reporter while playing the customary independent contractor card. Theyre Other, therefore theyre not to be trusted. This impeded rebound, giving the impression of an easy win as the grifters demo balls never bounce out. But I dont have any illusions that this is the end of the Dixie Mafia., After reading about the Dixie Mafia, meet Joe Valachi, the first mobster to expose the Mafias darkest secrets, and Frank Lucas, the real-life heroin kingpin who inspired the film American Gangster., The Little-Known Story Of The Dixie Mafia, The Cornbread Cosa Nostra Of The South. (No, not that Cecil. Olivia Bray, mother of three, understands this as well as the limbs attached to her body. I had a black-sheep uncle who did carny work, as well as tons of other transient jobs. All embrace lucrative interests while striving for a trouble-free show, which can and does lead to tolerable criminal pursuits. While the Dixie Mafia had no formal ties to La Cosa Nostra, they did have an understanding with a notorious Italian-American Mafia mob boss named Carlos Marcello. I did grounds crew and stage setup for county fairs for a summer after high school. . He would work hard when he worked, but then would go on benders. I pointed Thomas in the direction of a carnival supply company where she could purchase the rim, which she acquired in time for the feature. The flatty totally controls this game. Griffin is one of at least three traveling carnival workers who have been arrested in Bucks County since 2013 with criminal records one of them for crimes But really, what field doesnt? Frank has carnival contracts there as well. They even have their own language., At least thats what people think about carnies. I thought the carny rep for being shady came from the idea that carnival games were fixed so you couldnt win any good prices. Then, just after the child paid, I observed the grifter evasively remove the deadening ball (gaff ball) at the same time he removed the demo balls. Heres my take on it - it isnt that theyre any different than anyone else in a highly-transient, blue collar labor force, its just that theyre the only ones in such a position who come into contact with average families and kids in a situation where theyre ostensibly supposed to be having fun and the environment is supposed to be happy and jolly. The various suspect games on NAMEs midway, vividly depicted in Biloxi and Indianapolis, are featured in Jeff Rossens and Sandra Thomass 2012 expos. Heres my take on it - it isnt that theyre any different than anyone else in a highly-transient, blue collar labor force, its just that theyre the only ones in such a position who come into contact with average families and kids in a situation where theyre ostensibly supposed to be having fun and the environment is supposed to be happy and jolly. Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the lead figures of the Dixie Mafia, was suspected to be one of the men behind the hit. Other blue collar labor force workers generally have a predictable place to spend the night, if only because they need to be at work the next day. If you get busted for [illicit substances], youre gone. "For someone who has been convicted, served his time and is now released and rehabilitated, they have a right to work as well.". The only games legally authorized on carnival midways in the United States are skill-based (unrigged) games otherwise known as games of skill. If skill is not the dominating element influencing the outcome of a game, that game would be considered chance-based or a game of chance. All chance-based games are considered gambling games and are illegal when operated on privately owned carnival midways; for example, a game which is set up in a way, which only luck can win a prize, is illegal gambling. Exclusive to Razzle is its signature conversion chart.. Buford Pusser supposedly took out several members of the Dixie Mafia to avenge his wifes death. I worked the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul last year and was averaging over $30 per hour - cash, no taxes - which was phenomenal. I am well aware of the acceptability of these games by the general public and the misplaced attitude of Whats the big deal? Therefore theres a psychological disconnect created by the incongruity of the bright flashy lights and colorful displays and cheesy music and rides, and the down-trodden, rough-necked cigarette smoking laborers who set it all up and keep it running. This contract arrangement locks the carny-cops in as quasi-employees of the carnival or carnival sponsor and shares carnival profits in the form of pay. From murdering authority figures to burning down buildings to creating elaborate extortion schemes, the Dixie Mafia was known far and wide as an anything-for-a-buck gang. While they were initially based out of Biloxi, Mississippi, it didnt take long for their reach to spread all across the South. A favorite American mythologyis that of the carnie, someone who works at a carnival. A separate background check by Palatine police in July turned up registered sex offender Richardo Coleman of Chicago working as a merry-go-round operator for St. Charles-based Windy City Amusements Inc. Palatine does not have an ordinance, but police request a copy of carnival employees' names to run checks. Volume rip-offs against vulnerable teens are an almost complaint-free luxury. Barton County District Judge Mike Keeley on Friday also sentenced Christine Tenney, 40, of La Marque, Texas, Theft, fraud, and sexual misconduct are all examples of these crimes. FacebookKirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the notorious leaders of the Dixie Mafia. "I just don't see how people can vote against it.". For me, it's more of a family tradition, and I also can't stand staying in one place too long. There were at least two casualties: Margie George, a 44-year-old fortune-teller who was hacked to death for refusing to reveal the location of a supposed safe, and Gary Elbert McDaniel, a known Dixie Mafia associate who turned up dead a month after the murder. There were hundreds of victims. Rossen Reports: Are carnival games cheating you-and your kids?" Justice on Fire is OConnors detailed account of the terrible explosion that led to the firefighters deaths and the terrible injustice that followed. For 15 years, his city has required carnival companies to submit employees' names--since a 10-year-old boy was sexually molested by a carnival worker who had just been released from prison for a similar offense. Pre-teens are allowed to play a classic gambling game called Crazy Ball at most festivals and fairs. By the time all is said and done, it's usually about a 20- to 24-hour shift of hard physical labor, depending on how smoothly things go. A lot of money came flowing in, said retired FBI Special Agent Keith Bell. William A. Riedthaler, renowned games enforcement expert, informed me that the total figure might be as high as $40 billion. It was started by my grandfather in 1956. So this is a fair one to assume. These are people that would otherwise be homeless if not for the ability to count to 2 with both hands. Oct 21, 2022 / Comments Off on Chiefs, Criminals, & Carnival Workers: A Brief History of Tattoo with Adam Romano Comments This short lecture shares the story The carnival industrys sleazy image is in dire need of a facelift. On November 29, 2002, Frank peeled off $5,000 in the same Florida account only days after Jeb Bush was reelected to governor. Huston, vice president of Operations at Pugh Shows at the time, was present when Argo was arrested. The British form of fairground cant is called "polari". All 12 rims on the North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) carnival midway measured 10.5-by-17 inches on elliptical axes. NAME actually had company shirts available for their carny-cops, stating SECURITY., While working the security detail on that NAME midway, are the Joliet cops supposed to protect and serve carnival-goers, or just the carnies? Work until your rides set-up, which can take up to ten hours of ass busting dangerous work. Most carnival game agents, these days, would rather design and display attractive child-luring games that would serve to mark thousands of young teens for their allowance or grass-cutting money. From 1995 to 2002, Gregory and his wife, Vonna Jo Gregory, contributed heavily to politicians in national elections. Youll also find quite a few references to various arrests, some of which are for rape and murder. Authorities on enforcement of carnival games estimate that 25 percent of all carnival games nationwide are fraudulent. A central question was whether Rodham was paid by the Gregorys to gain White House access and help to obtain pardons or whether Rodham was paid for legitimate business services. Have you ever played a carnival game and felt cheated? As for my petty crime, I smoked a lot of pot. Far from a sophisticated organization, this crime ring was a loose network of thugs, as the FBI called them. (AP) Three carnival workers have been charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of a couple at a Kansas fair whose bodies were found days later in shallow graves in a national forest in Arkansas. Youll also find quite a few references to various arrests, some of Not only were you most likely cheated, but your police department was likely not interested in protecting you from professional lawbreakers. Certain totals correspond to successful yardage gains printed on the perplexing conversion chart. The itinerant carnival owner pays the festival sponsor a fee or percentage of the take for the privilege of servicing the towns carnival-goers. Police officials in Wayne County and the City of Dearborn have been allowing known rigged games at their carnivals for the last decade while patrons were under the impression they were being protected by cops seen patrolling the midway. Friendly associations are formed by acquainted individuals over several years. Despite the loose structure that made up the Dixie Mafia network, the Southern crime syndicate was implicated in a number of high-profile cases. WebThe HBO series "Carnivle" centered around a traveling carnival in the American Southwest during the 1930s. Every carnival game designed has the potential to be rigged. Ugh. I dont know if it compares, but I do know that some people there worked the shady angle purposefully. Natasha Ishak is a staff writer at All That's Interesting. Patrick Jane, the title character of the CBS crime drama The I think the reputation of carnies goes back much, much further to the suspicion and hatred of people like the Gypsies and extending today to our dislike of fucking hippies. Bill Colgin/Getty ImagesThe Dixie Mafias territory stretched all over the South, from Georgia to Oklahoma. Not one ball went through any of the 12 stingy rims. Along with other costs, in most cases, a contracted carnival owner pays the contract fee, (around $1million), in advance of a long-running state fair. It is an ever-changing form of communication, in large part designed to be impossible to understand by an outsider. Cops who protect illegal games would be in violation (federally) of the anti-corruption legislation under 18 U.S. Code, Part 1, Chapter 73, section 1511 of RICO Act: Obstruction of State and local law enforcement.. Carny life is not an easy one. NBC News; NBC News.com Today show 7/13/2012 (and also aired on Dateline 8/19/12). Some of them love their job;some dislike it and do it to get by. For other uses, see. Do a little googling on carnies and carnival workers and youll find thats a common assessment. It is not uncommon for sheriffs or police chiefs to lend themselves to sizable remunerations to ensure that these affable outlaws operate on trouble-free turf. "I think it's unfair that this industry is singled out," Johnson said. Razzle, which combines the magic of sleight of hand with bait and switch, and psychology, is difficult to explain without physically demonstrating it. Police officers patrolling midways are evidently being paid in whole or in part with carnival money in the form of contracts from the carnival company or carnival sponsor. It took the media to address the tubs crimes and not police in the three tub cases cited. It does tend to be full of gossip since everyone works and lives with each other in close quartersRide and customer safety is the number-one priority. "CARNY | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's", "Butthole Surfers | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carny&oldid=1142138230, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Rusholme Ruffians," released on the album, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 18:41. [citation needed] Most carnies no longer use cant, but some owners/operators and "old-timers" ("half yarders") still use some of the classic terms. 47% of Carnival Workers have a high school diploma degree, 10% major in criminal justice. So while carnival talk did not entice people, it did help the carnies to ensure that the customers never knew about the shady back-end of things, Winter says. 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