Viva Las Vegas: Organized Crime and the Rise of Sin City

Sin City - Las Vegas, Nevada. At the close of World War Two, this desert flower began to flourish. Hard work, greed, determination, vice, and good ol’ fashioned organized crime and corruption allowed the city to rise from the desert. In 1946, Bugsy Siegel, Murder Inc Associate, built the Flamingo Hotel, marking the first of many hotels that would be built, owned, and operated by the Mob. This trend would fundamentally change the city, its culture, and its future.

The American Mafia and their Jewish and Irish associates took command of the city. From the hotel worker unions, to the hotel ownership, and to the Nevada Government, the Mob projected its power, controlling and determining all the key features of the state. This committee will pick up at this crucial time, when Mob interest in the city is just starting. Members of this committee will represent the Mob, their allies, and the important stakeholders in the future of Vegas. They will be tasked with managing this new American playground, dealing with the legitimate and illegitimate problems that will arise. In addition, factors outside of Vegas will play a key role in this committee, as the rivalries, competitions, and disagreements that are found outside of the city will be brought to it. The men of this committee are those of great reputation, respect, and power. Their words and deeds will shape both the Vegas Community and the larger world. This committee will be their playground.

Welcome to Vegas Baby.

 

Background Guide

Update Paper

 

 

Chair - Adam Getzler

A fourth year in the college, Adam Getzler is pleased to be chairing a committee for what will be his last and best ChoMUN yet. A born and bred Long Islander (Pronounced: “Lawn Guyland”), Adam has been involved with Model UN for the past 8 years, both as delegate and as a conference staff member. At ChoMUN XVI, he served as the Director of Delegate Affairs and at ChoMUN XVII, he was the Chief Administrative Officer. Taking a long coming and well deserved break from the administrative side of ChoMUN, Adam is pleased to be joined by his Co-CDs and the wonderful ChoSec this year. In addition to his work with ChoMUN, Adam is part of UChicago’s competitive MUN Team and a Committee Executive for MUNUC, the sister high school conference. When he’s not doing MUN (which is about 10% of his time), he moonlights as a Biology Major hoping to go to grad school. In addition, he is the Co-Chair of the Latke Hamentash Debate for the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, a research assistant in the Onel Lab Group and is active in campus Jewish life. He will be spending his summer attempting to beat the curve on the GREs and will be abroad in Vienna during the fall.

adamgetzler@uchicago.edu

 

Crisis Director - Dan Hughes

Dan Hughes is a third-year from Connecticut double-majoring in Biology and History. He loves anything to do with the outdoors and is probably pursuing a career in ecology. When not nerding out about animals, he likes to watch soccer and read books about South Asian history and architecture. He reads (and sometimes even tries to write) novels. Even though he had a lot of fun as Crisis Director for the Emergency Summit of Thailand last year at ChoMUN XVII, he is sure that he will have the best ChoMUN of his life helping delegates build Vegas from the ground up!

 

Crisis Director - Arielle Gerber

Arielle is a second year in the college double majoring in Economics and Public Policy. Originally hailing from New York City, she has developed an interest in the world of organized crime through exposure to far too many gangster movies in her formative years. She is on the competitive Model U.N. team, and in her spare time enjoys playing the piano, obsessing over television, and abstractly planning for a future she cannot possibly forsee.