The Bowery Boys

The Bowery Boys. 40 Bowery. , This address once hosted the headquarters of the Bowery Boys, a mid-nineteenth century nativist gang popularized in the book and fictional Martin Scorsese film, Gangs of New York. This coterie of American-born, anti-immigrant firefighting brawlers often violently exerted their perceived sovereignty over newcomers during one of the most lawless and corrupt eras in New York City history., By the 1850s, the primary targets of the Bowery Boys’ resentment were the newly-arrived Irish laborers of the neighboring Five Points district. Shortly after midnight on July 4, 1857, this location was attacked by a coalition of Five Points gangs, including the Irish Dead Rabbits gang, which sparked a fierce two day battle between rival factions. In the end, eight rioters were killed and dozens injured., Note; While popular culture emphasizes the gang violence and thuggery, most early gangs, especially immigrant gangs, were initially created in part to promote their community’s interests or to provide services, like firefighting, not yet supplied by the city., -Eric Ferrera, author of The Bowery and founder of Lower East Side history project (leshp.org)