When you think about gangs and organized crime in the early to mid 20th century, you might think of Dillinger, Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd and Babyface Nelson. The “name” gangsters were on the East Coast and in the Midwest. But they were in California as well. And one of the most active was Chuck O’Connor. He was a San Francisco native, born in the Mission, who lived a life of crime from the age of six. O’Connor was in and out of prisons for most of his life and came across some of the crime world’s most interesting characters along the way.
Then, at the ripe age of 75, he turned it all around. Here's his story, as told to me by his autobiography editor, Bill Wright, and O’Connor’s adopted grandson, Todd Bartlett. A story that shows it's truly never late to change for the better.
Broadcast on Crosscurrents, KALW News. Listen here.
Broadcast on Crosscurrents, KALW News. Listen here.
