Gangs in Chicago

Gang activities in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Graffiti piece by the West 49th Street & South Honore Street set of the Gangster Disciple Nation near the intersection of West 50th Street and South Hermitage Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago is considered the most gang-occupied city in the United States, with 150,000 gang-affiliated residents,[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

[edit]

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]

## Causes

[edit]

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

[edit]

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]

## Structure

[edit]

Most traditional Chicago street gangs, known as nations, fall under two main factions, called the People Nation and the Folk Nation. The People Nation has most, if not all, of its gangs under the "Almighty" moniker. The Folk Nation has most of its gangs divided into various sub-factions, the majority of which belong to an alliance called Latin Folks which are further divided into groups called Families. There are nations that are independent of both the Folk Nation and People Nation, 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 at 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]

## Modern street gangs

[edit]

Chicago-based street gang nations post-establishment of the Folk Nation and People Nation are as follows :[14][15][16]

Folks Nation

* Ambrose
* Ashland Vikings
* Black Disciples
* Boss Pimps
* Brazers
* C-Notes
* Campbell Boys
* Gangster Disciples
* Harrison Gents
* Imperial Gangsters
* Insane Deuces
* Insane Dragons
* Insane Guess Boys
* Insane Popes
* Insane Two-Two Nation
* Insane Two One Boys
* King Cobras
* Krazy Getdown Boys
* La Raza Nation
* Latin Disciples
* Latin Dragon Nation
* Latin Eagles
* Latin Jivers
* Latin Lovers
* Latin Souls
* Latin Stylers
* Milwaukee Kings[17]
* Morgan Boys
* Orquesta Albany
* Outlaw Gangsters
* Party People
* Racine Boys
* Ridgeway Lords
* Simon City Royal
* Sin City Boys
* Spanish Cobras
* Spanish Gangster Disciples
* Two-Six
* YLO Cobras
* YLO Disciples

People Nation

* Almighty Saints
* Almighty Vice Lord Nation
* Bishops
* Black P. Stones
* Chicago Gaylords
* Chi-West
* Familia Stones
* Four Corner Hustlers
* Insane Popes
* Insane Unknowns
* Latin Angels
* Latin Brothers
* Latin Counts
* Latin Kings
* Latin Pachucos
* Latin Stones
* Mickey Cobras
* Noble Knights
* Party Players
* Spanish Lords
* Spanish Vice Lords
* Stoned Freaks
* Twelfth Street Players
* Villa Loboes

Independent Nations

* Black Gangsters
* Black Souls
* TAP Boyz
* Jousters

Transplanted Gangs

* Bloods
* Crips
* Norteños
* Sureños
* Playboys

## See also

[edit]

* Crime in Chicago
* Gangs in the United States

## References

[edit]

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.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.

* v
* t
* e

Organized crime groups in Chicago

African-American|

| Active|

* Black Disciples
* Black P. Stones
* Four Corner Hustlers
* Gangster Disciples
* OutLaw Gangster Disciples
* Mickey Cobras
* Vice Lords

|

Chinese and Chinese-American|

| Active|

* 14K
* Hip Sing Tong
* On Leong Tong

|

Hispanic and Latin American|

| Active|

* Almighty Saints
* La Raza Nation
* Latin Counts
* Latin Eagles
* Latin Kings
* Maniac Latin Disciples
* Sinaloa Cartel
* Spanish Cobras
* Spanish Gangster Disciples
* Tren de Aragua

|

Inactive|

* Young Lords

Irish-American|

| Inactive|

* North Side Gang
* Ragen's Colts
* Sheldon Gang
* Valley Gang

|

Italian-American|

| Active|

* Chicago Outfit

|

Inactive|

* Forty-Two Gang
* Genna crime family
* Italian-American National Union

Jewish-American|

| Inactive|

* Mike Heitler
* Samuel Morton

|

Middle Eastern|

| Inactive|

* TAP Boyz

|

Outlaw motorcycle gangs|

| Active|

* Hells Angels
* Hell's Lovers
* Outlaws
* Wheels of Soul

|

Polish-American|

| Inactive|

* Hymie Weiss

|

White American|

| Active|

* Gaylords
* Popes
* Simon City Royals

|

Inactive|

* Jousters

Events|

* The Battle of Barrington
* Black Hand
* Chicago circulation wars
* Gangster Disciples–Black Disciples conflict
* Operation Family Secrets
* Saint Valentine's Day Massacre

See also
Chicago Crime Commission
Folk Nation
Gangs in Chicago
History of gangs in Humboldt Park
List of Chicago criminal organizations and crime bosses
Timeline of organized crime in Chicago
People Nation
Organized crime groups in the United States

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