The Westies

In the mid-1970's Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood lived up to it's name, and a big part of the reason was a man named Jimmy Coonan. Violent, charismatic and fearless, he ran a personal empire of crime and intimidation known as the Westies, taking their name and outlook from one of the most feared gangs of early New York. T.J. English's (Born to Kill) first book, The Westies was a gripping look inside the life and times of this notorious group. English, who covered the Westies trial for the Irish Voice spent several hundred hours interviewing Mickey Featherstone, the insider whose testimony brought Coonan and his followers down. Here, English shares his unique perspective on the gang and their world.