Wayne County Building - prosecutions of the Purple Gang

The Purple Gang was a prominent Prohibition-era organized-crime group active in Detroit in the 1920s. County court proceedings, coroner's inquests, and criminal trials related to Purple Gang killings and bootlegging activities were held in Wayne County courts housed in the Wayne County Building; contemporary newspaper accounts and court records document those proceedings. The building served as a focal point for legal actions against members and associates of the Gang during that period.