Popes (gang)

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The Almighty Insane Popes Nation is a Chicago, Illinois street gang, formed in the late 1950s on the north side of Chicago, primarily building membership from a Greek greaser gang that hung out at the corner of Lawrence and Rockwell. This small group had problems with the much larger Latin Kings gang on the north side, and so they began to associate with the Almighty Simon City Royals in an attempt to protect themselves. However, rather than joining the Royals outright, they eventually decided to form their own gang, which they named the Popes: this stood for "Protecting Our People Eliminating Spics" (eventually the racial slur would be replaced by "scum" when the Popes ceased to be a racist gang and began inviting Latinos and African Americans to join).^[1]

By the mid 1970s the Popes' main membership consisted of many Poles from the Albany Park/Lincoln Square neighborhood, and German, Irish, and Scandinavians in the Portage Park, Jefferson Park, and Mayfair neighborhoods. At their peak in the mid-1960s to early 1970s, they had 300–500 members. In the 1980s, news reports indicated that some members were the children of Chicago Fire Department firefighters and Chicago Police Department officers.^[2]

In the mid 1970s, some accounts claim the nation leader, Larry "Larkin" Morris, started a new branch on the south side. In 1975, Larkin was killed by members of the Almighty Gaylords. The north side Insane Popes formed even stronger alliance with the Simon City Royals, and called this “DAB”. The Royals joined the Folks Nation, and the Almighty Insane Popes Nation eventually did also. However, the south side branch, who hated the Satan Disciples and Two-Six gangs who were Folks Nation members, became a renegade faction, even going so far as to join the rival People Nation alliance and severing ties completely with the north side Almighty Insane Popes Nation.

Today the North Side Popes' main rivals are the Latin Kings, and the South Side Popes' main rivals are the Spanish Cobras, Satan Disciples, and Gangster Two-Six. As of 2022, the South Side Popes have active territory in McKinley Park, Vittum Park, and Mt. Greenwood.

The North Side Popes remain allied with the Folk Nation, while the south side Popes remain allied with the People Nation. South Side Popes wear Chicago White Sox apparel or black and white and Pittsburgh Pirates hats. North Side Popes wear baby-blue and black, showing allegiance to the Royals with whom they retain close ties.

• Simon City Royals
• Almighty Gaylords
• Folk Nation
• People Nation

• Insane Popes - Larkin
• Pope Gaylord War Perspectives
• Insane Pope info at Chicago Mobs.org
• South Side Insane Popes Stone Greasers