A Labor Union Leader Was Shot Dead In 1952. Why His Murder Remains Unsolved

John Acropolis had grown up in an orphanage after both his parents had died by the time he was 3, according to The Herald Statesman. He was smart and athletic and went on to attend Colgate University before getting into union organizing. He was in the U.S. Navy during World War II and by the time of his murder at age 43 he was the president of the Westchester Federation of Labor and of Local 456. The catalyst that led to his murder involved the Yonkers’ garbage business. In 1950, the city government decided it would no longer be responsible for picking up the trash from local businesses, which meant private contractors would be handling the lucrative work, according to the testimony from the 1957 Senate hearing.

The mob began muscling in on the trade through an entity called Westchester Carting. They began threatening other garbage companies “to get out of the business” and burned “people’s trucks and equipment,” Edward Doyle testified in 1947 under questioning by Robert F. Kennedy, who was chief counsel for the Senate committee in charge of investigating labor corruption. Doyle also testified that just three weeks before Acropolis’ murder Joe Parisi and Bernie Adelstein of Teamsters Local 27 threatened Acropolis. Both men were associates of the New York Mafia with long criminal records, per “Contract on America: the Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy.”

You May Also Like

A judge spared Bailey from a jail sentence after the teenager's knifepoint crime spree. Then he stabbed a family man to death as he walked his dog. His wife found his body when their dog returned alone

A teenage boy charged over the murder of Geelong dad Paul Grapsas had been…

2nd Round of Palm Coast Cultural Arts Grant Funding Open Through April 30

Paul Baliker’s “Panther” on Palm Coast Parkway, near the Hammock Dunes Bridge.…

British mother says she was 'thrown across dance floor and kicked in the ribs and stomach' in 'unprovoked attack by bouncer' at popular Benidorm bar

A British mother has claimed that she was thrown across a dance…

The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 7, 2025

Trump Trade War Boom by Rick McKee, CagleCartoons.com To include your event…