Gangs in Chicago

Chicago is considered the most gang-occupied city in the United States, with 150,000 gang-affiliated tenants,^[1] representing more than 100 gangs.^[2] Gang warfare and retaliation are common in Chicago. Gangs were responsible for 61% of the homicides in Chicago in 2011.

History

The first gangs in Chicago were loosely organized groups of European immigrants in the late 1800s.

In 1910, Big Jim Colosimo founded the Chicago Outfit on the South Side.

In the early 1950s, immigration to Chicago had picked up considerably, namely to the west side and parts of the south side with many coming from Puerto Rico. Demographic shifts and conflicts around this time led to the formation of many gangs, and the inception of a broader gang culture in Humboldt Park, and around other parts of the city.

In the 1970s, gang-related crime and violence spiked, particularly with Hispanic-on-Hispanic homicides increasing in the summer of 1971 due to Latin Kings gang election meetings.^[3]

In July 2021, federal agents participating in Operation Legend arrested 27 Black Disciples gang members associated with drugs and gun violations in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.^[4]

Tren de Aragua first appeared in Chicago and its suburbs in October 2023.[2][14] Chief Garry McCarthy of Willow Springs estimated that hundreds of gang members were present in the city.[14] However, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in November 2023 that "A Sun-Times analysis found shoplifting and domestic violence arrests, but little proof of the gang's presence among migrants."[15]

Causes

Lack of opportunity and economic oppression especially in the form of redlining by Chicago's city hall and banks has caused working class citizens to turn to the sale of illicit drugs for income. Former Chicago Police Superintendent, Garry McCarthy, blames Chicago's gang culture for its high rates of homicide and other violent crime, stating "It's very frustrating to know that it's like 7% of the population causes 80% of the violent crime... The gangs here are traditional gangs that are generational, if you will. The grandfather was a gang member, the father's a gang member, and the kid right now is going to be a gang member".^[5]

Policing strategy

Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel disbanded the Chicago Police Department's anti-gang unit in 2012 in order to focus on beat patrols, which he said would have a more long-term solution to violence than anti-gang units.^[6]^[7]

Composition

Most traditional Chicago street gangs, known as nations, fall under two main factions, called the People Nation and the Folks Nation. The People Nation has most, if not all, gangs under the "Almighty" moniker. The Folks Nation has most gangs divided into various sub-factions, the majority of which are a part of an alliance called Latin Folks which are further divided into groups called Familias. There are nations that are independent of both the Folks and People Nations, such as the Black Soul Nation.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Street gangs that are independent of Folks and People but retain similar identifiers and symbolism as well as maintain a hierarchical structure in membership are known as war crews. They do not identify as nations though they will engage in traditional gang activity and may conflict with nations as well as other crews. Street gangs that do not retain any semblance of traditional nations or war crews are known simply as cliques. Each individual gang is divided into sets which are territories spanning blocks or neighborhoods that may be combined to form supersets or divided further into subsets. Typically, a single set is based on a single intersection of city streets. There are currently over 90 active Chicago street gangs, with over 747 sets that have been identified by law enforcement.^[11]^[12]^[13]

Active gangs

Currently active street gangs based in Chicago of the era after Folks and People were established are as follows: ^[14]^[15]^[16]

Folks Nation

Latin Folks Families

Almighty Family

Almighty Ambrose Nation
Almighty Brazer Nation
Almighty Harrison Gent Nation
Almighty Imperial Gangster Nation
Almighty Insane Pope Nation
Almighty Krazy Getdown Boy Nation
Almighty Latin Eagle Nation
Almighty Simon City Royal Nation

Gangster Family

Gangster Disciple Nation
Gangster Morgan Boy Nation
Gangster Party People Nation
Gangster Sin City Boy Nation
Gangster Two-Six Nation

Insane Family

Insane Ashland Viking Nation
Insane Campbell Boy Nation (defunct)
Insane C-Note Nation
Insane Deuce Nation
Insane Dragon Nation
Insane King Cobra Nation
Insane Orquesta Albany Nation
Insane Outlaw Gangster Nation
Insane Spanish Cobra Nation
Insane Young Latino Organization Cobra Nation

Maniac Family

Maniac Latin Disciple Nation
Maniac Campbell Boy Nation
Maniac Young Latino Organization Disciple Nation

Nations outside of the Families

Allport Lover Nation (defunct)
Aztec Soul Nation
Black Disciple Nation
Black King Cobra Nation
Boss Pimp Nation
Hoodlum Nation
Insane Gangster Satan Disciple Nation
Insane Gangster City Knight Nation
Insane Guess Boy Nation
Insane Latin Jiver Nation
Insane Majestic Nation
Insane Racine Boy Nation
Insane Two-One Nation
Insane Two-Two Nation
La Raza Nation
Latin Dragon Nation
Universal Latin Lover Nation
Unknown Assassin Nation (defunct)
Latin Soul Nation
Latin Styler Nation
Milwaukee King Nation^[17]
Ridgeway Lord Nation
Spanish Gangster Disciple Nation

People Nation

Almighty Bishop Nation
Almighty Black P. Stone Nation
Almighty Chi-West Nation
Almighty Familia Stone Nation
Almighty Four Corner Hustler Nation
Almighty Fourth Generation Messiah Nation
Almighty Gaylord Nation
Almighty Insane Latin Brother Nation
Almighty Insane Latin Count Nation
Almighty Insane Pope Nation
Almighty Insane Unknown Nation
Almighty Laflin Lover Nation (defunct)
Almighty Latin Angel Nation
Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation
Almighty Latin Pachuco Nation
Almighty Latin Stone Nation
Almighty Noble Knight Nation
Almighty Party Player Nation
Almighty Puerto Rican Stone Nation (defunct)
Almighty Saint Nation
Almighty Spanish Lord Nation
Almighty Spanish Vice Lord Nation
Almighty Stoned Freak Nation
Almighty Twelfth Player Nation
Almighty True Warlord Nation
Almighty Vice Lord Nation
Almighty Villa Lobo Nation
Mickey Cobra Nation

Independent Nations

Albanian Gangster Nation (defunct)
Arch Duke Nation (defunct)
Black Gangster Nation
Black Soul Nation
Kool Gang Nation (defunct)
Stone Head Nation
Tall Arabian Posse Boy Nation
Taylor Jouster Nation

Crews

103rd Street Crew
35th Street Family
43rd Boys
61st Boys (defunct)
91st Boys
Adidas Boys
Bad Boys
Bony Boys
Born Legends
Crazy Gangsters
Crazy Latino Boys
Crime Busters
Dragons
Fly Boys (defunct)
Goonie Boys (defunct)
Homicide Boys
Insane Hoxie Boys
Krazy Ass Latinos
Latin Omen
Latinos out of Control
Lynch Mob
Mafia Family (defunct)
Maniac Players
Nike Boys
Night Riders
One of the Boys
Outlaws
Partners in Crime
Polish Mafia
Red Scorpion Gang
Slag Valley Boys
South Deering Boys
Southwest Boys (formerly a Gangster Two-Six Nation future crew)
U-Boys (formerly an Almighty Latin King Nation future crew)
Vietnamese Clan
West Lawns (defunct)
Winchester Boys
Wolcott Boys

Transplanted Gangs

Bloods

Bounty Hunter Bloods (defunct)
Outlaw Loko Bloods (Oriental Lazy Boyz)

Crips

Gangster Crips (defunct)
various gangs (defunct)

Norteños

various gangs (defunct)

Sureños

Barrio Pobre
- Mount Prospect 13
- Outlaw Gangster Lunatics
- Parkholme 13
Brown Pride
Clanton 14
Cyclones
Florencia
Mexican Posse
Playboys

Independent Transplanted Gangs

Akrhos (founded by Akrho Pinoy)

References

^ "Chicago Most Gang-Infested City in U.S., Officials Say". NBC Chicago. January 26, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
^ "Chicago Gang Violence: By The Numbers". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
^ "Latin Kings 1971-72 Election Meetings". Retrieved October 3, 2019.
^ CHICAGO BLACK DISCIPLES GANG LEADER AMONG 23 CHARGED IN FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, OFFICIALS SAY ABC7 Chicago, July 19, 2020
^ "Gangs and guns fuel Chicago's summer surge of violence | PBS NewsHour". Pbs.org. July 20, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
^ "Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is defending his decision in the first days of his administration to disband anti-gang units like the Mobile Strike Force | WBEZ 91.5 Chicago". Wbez.org. July 9, 2012. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
^ "Terrorised Chicago residents plead for police crackdown as gang war murders soar". Telegraph. 15 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
^ Jones, Zachary 2023. "Notorious Street Gangs". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved August 2, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Gang Areas in Chicago". Uic.edu. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
^ "Dedicated to 20th Century Gang History". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
^ "Chicago Street Gangs". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
^ "Gang Areas in Chicago". Uic.edu. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
^ "Dedicated to 20th Century Gang History". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
^ "Gang Name Lookup". Illinois State Police. January 8, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
^ "Chicago Police Department Gang Maps". Chicago Police Department. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
^ Zachary "Zook" Jones. "Notorious Street Gangs". Chicago Gang History.
^ "Northern District of Illinois | Two Men Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges for Allegedly Murdering Teenager to Increase Position in Chicago Street Gang | United States Department of Justice". 7 June 2024.

[1] "Chicago Most Gang-Infested City in U.S., Officials Say". NBC Chicago. January 26, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2021.

[2] "Chicago Gang Violence: By The Numbers". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021.

[3] "Latin Kings 1971-72 Election Meetings". Retrieved October 3, 2019.

[4] CHICAGO BLACK DISCIPLES GANG LEADER AMONG 23 CHARGED IN FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, OFFICIALS SAY ABC7 Chicago, July 19, 2020

[5] "Gangs and guns fuel Chicago's summer surge of violence | PBS NewsHour". Pbs.org. July 20, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.

[6] "Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is defending his decision in the first days of his administration to disband anti-gang units like the Mobile Strike Force | WBEZ 91.5 Chicago". Wbez.org. July 9, 2012. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.

[7] "Terrorised Chicago residents plead for police crackdown as gang war murders soar". Telegraph. 15 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved December 17, 2015.

[8] Jones, Zachary 2023. "Notorious Street Gangs". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved August 2, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[9] "Gang Areas in Chicago". Uic.edu. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.

[10] "Dedicated to 20th Century Gang History". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved 2022-05-23.

[11] "Chicago Street Gangs". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved December 6, 2016.

[12] "Gang Areas in Chicago". Uic.edu. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.

[13] "Dedicated to 20th Century Gang History". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved 2022-05-23.

[14] "Gang Name Lookup". Illinois State Police. January 8, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2023.

[15] "Chicago Police Department Gang Maps". Chicago Police Department. Retrieved August 7, 2023.

[16] Zachary "Zook" Jones. "Notorious Street Gangs". Chicago Gang History.

[17] "Northern District of Illinois | Two Men Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges for Allegedly Murdering Teenager to Increase Position in Chicago Street Gang | United States Department of Justice". 7 June 2024.

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