Remembering a "Rock Star" Gangster in the Times Union

Paul Grondahl writes about legendary Capital Region gangster Legs Diamond with some anecdotes supplied by William Kennedy and attorney E. Stewart Jones:

The Collar City was Mob City in the Prohibition era, and no bootlegger was a bigger rock star of the underworld than Jack "Legs" Diamond.

He swaggered through throngs lined up on the sidewalks around the Rensselaer County Courthouse, where he was put on trial two weeks before Christmas in 1931 on charges of kidnapping and assault.

Diamond walked a few blocks across Second Street each morning to the courthouse from the office of his lawyer, Abbott Jones, and basked in the adulation of Trojans who shouted Diamond's name, cheered and reached out to clasp his hand.....

More in the Times Union:  http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/The-unfinished-business-of-Legs-Diamond-5053434.php

Picture: NYPD mugshot of Jack Diamond.

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Near-Riot in NYC Book Store for Junot Diaz

An appearance by bestselling writer Junot Diaz, who will visit us on 10/4, caused a near-riot in the Union Square Barnes and Noble yesterday. 1000 people showed up to meet the author in a space that only had capacity for 400. The NYPD was called in to assist with crowd control.

More in Colorlines.com:  http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/09/junot_diaz_nearly_causes_a_riot_in_new_york.html

The Assembly Hall, Campus Center, where he will speak at 4:15 and 8PM has an official capacity of 160. Feel free to weigh in if you think this is poor planning on our part. :)

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