There is some pretty bloody history behind the Javits Center

You don’t trifle with that type of face—belonging to Fat Tony Salerno of the Genovese crime family—and even he thought “The Westies” were crazy. During construction of our block association convention center in the late 70s and early 80s, a violent Irish gang called The Westies controlled the west side of Manhattan and tried to juice construction of the Javits Center for all it was (potentially) worth. Our sister publication reports, in anticipation of a new crime drama called “The Westies”: “The Javits Center was the ultimate criminal racket: A construction project that was going to use almost every union in the city,” and “no source of kickback or extortion was too trivial for milking,” including “food carts for the workers, the laying of cement, painting, even porta-potties.”

Now I’m going to be very honest with you: The Westies does not strike me as the most threatening gang name. If you yelled at me “The Westies are coming!”, I’m not sure whether I’d think guys in top hats were coming to kick my ass or break out in song. But maybe, just maybe, that’s just how crazy The Westies really were.