The Gallo-Profaci War that was seeded in late 1959 and would start in earnest in late 1960 and later rage through 1963 claimed scores of lives and left many more wounded, as gunmen from both sides went out daily to stalk their prey. Joe Profaci and his soldiers and associates, who outnumbered the Gallo brothers and their gang five to one dominated the warfare.
At the height of the warfare, the Gallo gang had holed up at their headquarters at 51 President Street, in the Red Hook neighborhood, down by the docks of the Gowanus Canal in South Brooklyn. This was where they “hit the mattresses,” all living together within this compound for their mutual safety.
