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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
Currently active street gangs based in Chicago of the era after Folks and People were established are as follows: [14] [15] [16]
Latin Folks Families
Almighty Family
Gangster Family
Insane Family
Maniac Family
Nations outside of the Families
Independent Nations
Crews
Transplanted Gangs
Independent Transplanted Gangs
The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation is a gang active primarily in the United States as well as internationally. The gang was founded by Puerto Ricans in Chicago, Illinois, in 1954. The Latin Kings are one of the largest Hispanic and Latino street and prison gangs worldwide.
The Gangster Disciple Nation, also known as Growth & Development, is an African American street and prison gang founded by former rivals David Barksdale and Larry Hoover; in 1968, the two came together to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation (BGDN).
The Almighty InsanePopesNation 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".
Larry Hoover is an American former gangster and street gang kingpin. He is the founder of the Chicago street gang, the Gangster Disciples.
The Almighty Latin Eagles Nation (ALEN) originated in the area of Halsted and Addison on the Northside of Chicago during the mid 1960s. Famous for spawning a strong Latino political organization in the late 1960’s, by the 1970s it had transformed into a nefarious criminal street gang.
The Mickey Cobras are a gang affiliated with the nationwide alliance known as "People" and based in Chicago. The gang is considered stable, and its colors are green, black, and red. Factions of the gang are being established throughout the Midwest.
The Simon City Royals, also known as the Almighty Simon City Royal Nation, are a street and prison gang which began in Chicago during 1952 as Simon City, a greaser gang. They named themselves for Simons Park, which is located on the corner of Drake and Wabansia in the Humboldt Park neighborhood where they originally formed. The gang had a major influence on other gangs around Chicago and the wider gang culture in Humboldt Park. The Royals are one of the oldest and largest white gangs in the US.
About one to two percent of United States Armed Forces members are estimated to belong to criminal gangs in the United States, a much higher proportion than in the civilian population.
Approximately 1.4 million people in the United States were part of gangs as of 2011, and more than 33,000 gangs were active in the country. These include national street gangs, local street gangs, prison gangs, outlaw motorcycle clubs, and ethnic and organized crime gangs.
My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King is an autobiography by Reymundo Sanchez about his life as a teenage street gang member in Chicago.
People Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago area. They are rivals of the Folk Nation alliance of gangs.
The Folk Nation is an alliance of street gangs originating in Chicago, established in 1978. The alliance has since spread throughout the United States, particularly the Midwest region of the United States.
Maniac Latin Disciples
The Maniac Latin Disciples Nation is a Hispanic street gang in Chicago and the largest in the Latino Folks Nation alliance. Originally known as only the Latin Disciples, the gang was founded by Albert "Hitler" Hernandez and other Puerto Rican teenagers in the Humboldt Park community in approximately 1966. They were influential in the culture and history of gangs in Humboldt Park, and continue to be active there today.
La Raza is a street gang founded in Chicago in 1973. Their colors are green, white, and red. Their symbols include the Mexican flag, cross, and a six-point star.
The Spanish Cobras is a primarily Latino street gang, present in multiple states throughout the Midwestern United States, with a strong presence on the north and west sides of Chicago, Illinois.
The Chicago neighborhood of Humboldt Park is the founding grounds for several major gangs, including the Latin Kings, Simon City Royals, and Maniac Latin Disciples, among a number of other gangs with active chapters in the area as of 2023. With its roots dating back to the 1950s, the continuous presence and activity of gangs around the neighborhood has caused it to be a frequent subject of law enforcement, media, and residents over the years.
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