Jeff Fort

Last updated
Jeff Fort
Born (1947-02-20) February 20, 1947 (age 77) [1]
Aberdeen, Mississippi, U.S. [1] [2] [3]
Other namesAngel
Black Prince
Chief Malik
Abdul Malik Ka'bah [4] [5]
Known forCo–founder and leader of Black P. Stones
Founder of El Rukn (Chicago)
Criminal status ADX Florence, Florence, Colorado, U.S. [6]
SpouseDiane Fort (née Brown) [7]
ChildrenAntonio Fort
(1965–1997) [8]
Ameena Fort–Matthews
Watkeeta Fort
Tonya Fort
Conviction(s) Murder
Drug trafficking
Conspiracy
Criminal penalty168 years' imprisonment
Date apprehended
September 10, 1986

Jeff Fort (born February 20, 1947), [2] [9] also known as Abdul Malik Ka'bah, is an American mobster and former gang kingpin from Chicago, Illinois. [10]

Contents

Fort co-founded the Black P. Stones gang and is the founder of its El Rukn faction. Fort is currently serving a 168-year prison sentence after being convicted of conspiracy and weapons charges in 1987 for plotting to commit attacks inside the U.S. in exchange for weapons and $2.5 million from Libya, [11] ordering a murder in 1981 and a conviction for drug trafficking in 1983.[ citation needed ]

Early life

Fort was the second of ten children born to John Fort [ citation needed ] and Annie Fort (née Bacon; d. 2010) [12] [13] in Aberdeen, Mississippi. He moved with his family to the Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago's South Side in 1955. He dropped out of Hyde Park High School after the ninth grade. [1]

Fort spent time at Cook County temporary juvenile detention center and at the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles, where he met Eugene "Bull" Hairston.[ citation needed ]

The Blackstone Rangers

1959–66

Around 1959, Fort and Hairston formed the Blackstone Rangers gang at St. Charles Juvenile Detention Center. The Blackstone Rangers originated as a small youth gang along Blackstone Avenue in the Woodlawn area, assembled to defend themselves against other gangs in the South Side. Hairston was the gang's leader with Fort as second in command. The Rangers fought rival gangs, especially the Devil's Disciples. [5] [14] During the early 1960s, Fort earned the nickname "Angel" for his ability to solve disputes and form alliances between the Rangers and other gangs. [14]

By the mid 1960s, Fort assembled a coalition of 21 gangs with about 5,000 members. He organized the coalition under a governing body called the "Main 21", composed of 21 gang leaders or "generals". As the Ranger organization grew, it became involved in community and political activism. The gang also received support from a Presbyterian minister, Rev. John Fry, who advised Hairston and Fort how to manage their organization. [14]

In 1967, under Rev. Fry's guidance, Fort obtained a charter from the State of Illinois to form a political organization, Grassroots Independent Voters of Illinois. Fort's organization applied for and received a US$1 million federal grant from the now-defunct Office of Economic Opportunity to fund a program to teach job skills to gang members. The Rangers also received grants and loans from private foundations. [14] [15]

Unlike many gangs, the Blackstone Rangers were not considered outsiders but had been largely accepted by Chicago society, with Jeff Fort even receiving an invitation from President Richard Nixon, following the 1968 election, to attend the 1969 inaugural ball. Fort declined this invitation, sending his "top man" Mickey Cogwell and one of his "generals" in his stead. [16]

Black P. Stone Nation

1966–76

After Hairston was imprisoned in 1966, Fort assumed command of the Rangers. By 1968, he renamed it to the Almighty Black P. Stone Nation or Black P. Stones. The Stones engaged in robberies, extortion, and forced recruitment while also acting to keep order in the South Side. The Stones also gained control of vice in the South Side, demanding protection payments from prostitution operations and drug dealers. [1] [4]

In 1969 the jobs program came under investigation amid accusations that grant money was diverted to criminal activities. Fort was subpoenaed to testify before a Senate committee. Fort introduced himself at the committee hearings and walked out; for this, he was convicted of contempt of Congress. [5] [17]

In 1972, Fort and two others were convicted of misusing federal funds and Fort was sentenced to five years in prison. Fort served two years at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth and was paroled in 1976. During his time at Leavenworth, Fort converted to Islam and assumed the name Prince Malik.[ citation needed ]

El Rukn

1976–86

After his release from prison in 1976, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and joined the Moorish Science Temple. Fort then renamed the Black P. Stones to the El Rukn Tribe of the Moorish Science Temple, El Rukn being Arabic for "the pillar". In 1978, Fort returned to Chicago. In a coup, he replaced the Stones' 21 generals with five close allies and renamed the Black P. Stone Nation to El Rukn. In early–1977, Fort purchased The Oakwood, an old vacant movie theater located at 3947 South Drexel Ave., as their headquarters, naming it The Fort. [4] [14] [18] [19]

Law enforcement speculated the motive for the conversion was to take advantage of restrictions on law enforcement surveillance over religious organizations. During the 1970s, the gang trafficked in cocaine and heroin. [20] [21]

In 1983, Fort was convicted of drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution at Bastrop, Texas. Fort continued to lead El Rukn through daily telephone calls from prison. He ordered members of El Rukn to meet with Libyan officials. The gang agreed to commit terrorist acts in the U.S. in exchange for US$2.5 million. [20] [21]

1987 conspiracy and weapons conviction

In 1987, Fort was tried and convicted for conspiring with Libya to perform acts of domestic terrorism on behalf of a foreign government. He was sentenced to 80 years' imprisonment, consecutive to his drug trafficking sentence, and transferred to USP Marion (the federal prison in Marion, Illinois). [11] [21] [22] In 1988, Fort was convicted of ordering the 1981 murder of a rival gang leader. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison, to be served consecutively with his conspiracy sentence. [21] [23] [24]

Fort was transferred to the newly opened ADX Florence supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, in 2006 and remains there as of 2024, being under a no-human-contact order since his arrival. [6] [25]

Legacy

Fort's daughter, Ameena Matthews, became an anti-violence activist (or "violence interrupter") in Chicago with the Al Hafeez Initiative. Matthews was featured in the 2011 documentary film The Interrupters . [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aryan Brotherhood</span> Neo-Nazi prison gang and organized crime syndicate

The Aryan Brotherhood is a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate that is based in the United States and has an estimated 15,000–20,000 members both inside and outside prisons. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has characterized it as "the nation's oldest major white supremacist prison gang and a national crime syndicate" while the Anti-Defamation League calls it the "oldest and most notorious racist prison gang in the United States". According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Aryan Brotherhood makes up an extremely low percentage of the entire US prison population, but it is responsible for a disproportionately large number of prison murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlawn, Chicago</span> Community area in Chicago

Woodlawn is a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, located on and near the shore of Lake Michigan 8.5 miles (13.7 km) south of the Loop. It is one of the city's 77 municipally recognized community areas. It is bounded by the lake to the east, 60th Street to the north, King Drive to the west, and 67th Street to the south, save for a small tract that lies south of 67th Street between Cottage Grove Avenue and South Chicago Avenue. Local sources sometimes divide the neighborhood along Cottage Grove into "East" and "West Woodlawn."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin Kings</span> Hispanic and Latino street gang based in Chicago, Illinois, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gangster Disciples</span> American Street Gang

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorish Science Temple of America</span> American national and religious organization

The Moorish Science Temple of America is an American national and religious organization founded by Noble Drew Ali in the early 20th century. He based it on the premise that African Americans are descendants of the Moabites and thus are "Moorish" by nationality, and Islamic by faith. Ali put together elements of major traditions to develop a message of personal transformation through historical education, racial pride, and spiritual uplift. His doctrine was also intended to provide African Americans with a sense of identity in the world and to promote civic involvement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland, Chicago</span> Community area in Chicago

Oakland, located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA, is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Bordered by 35th and 43rd Streets, Cottage Grove Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, The Oakland area was constructed between 1872 and 1905. Some of Chicago's great old homes may be seen on Drexel Boulevard. The late 19th-century Monument Baptist Church on Oakwood Blvd. is modeled after Boston's Trinity Church. Oakwood/41st Street Beach in Burnham Park is at 4100 S. Lake Shore Drive. With an area of only 0.6 sq mi Oakland is the smallest community area by area in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Outfit</span> Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Outfit is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, which originated in the city's South Side in 1910. The organization is part of the larger Italian-American Mafia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Hoover</span> American mobster (born 1950)

Larry Hoover Sr is an American former gangster and street gang kingpin. He is the founder of the Chicago street gang, the Gangster Disciples.

The Almighty Black P. Stone Nation is an American street gang founded in Chicago. The gang was originally formed in the late 1950s as the Blackstone Rangers. The organization was co-founded by Eugene Hairston and Jeff Fort. In later years, under Fort's leadership, an Islamic faction of the gang emerged, naming themselves the "El Rukn tribe of the Moorish Science Temple of America" . They eventually started describing themselves as Orthodox Sunni Muslims. Jeff Fort changed their fort name from El Rukn Moorish Science Mosque, to El Rukn Sunni Masjid al-Malik.

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 Black Disciples is a large American street gang based in Chicago, Illinois.

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.

The People Nation is an American alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago area. They are rivals of the Folk Nation alliance of gangs.

David Barksdale, also known as King David, was an American gangster and activist from Chicago, Illinois. He was the founder of the Black Disciples. He and Larry Hoover decided to merge and create the Black Gangster Disciple Nation. Barksdale died on September 2, 1974, due to kidney failure, at the age of 27.

The United Blood Nation, also known as the East Coast Bloods, is a street and prison gang active primarily in the New York metropolitan area. It is the east coast faction of the California-based Bloods street gang. Their main source of income is the trafficking and sale of illegal drugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sarno</span> American mobster

Michael Sarno is an American mobster who has been identified as the alleged, current leader of the Cicero street crew in the Chicago Outfit criminal organization. On February 8, 2012, Sarno was sentenced to 25 years in prison on racketeering charges.

Thomas J. Maloney (1925–2008) was a judge in Cook County, Illinois who served from 1977 until his indictment for bribery in 1991. Since 1981, the court was being investigated by the FBI in Operation Greylord, and he was eventually convicted on four counts of accepting bribes. He served 12 years of a 15-year prison term from 1994 to 2007.

Barrio Azteca, or Los Aztecas, is a Mexican-American street and prison gang originally based in El Paso, Texas, USA and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The gang was formed in the Coffield Unit, located near Tennessee Colony, Texas by Jose "Raulio" Rivera, a prisoner from El Paso, in the early 1980s. It expanded into a transnational criminal organization that traded mainly across the US-Mexico border. Currently one of the most violent gangs in the United States, they are said to have over 3,000 members across the country in locations such as New Mexico, Texas, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania as well as at least 5,000 members in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandidos MC criminal allegations and incidents in the United States</span>

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club has been designated an outlaw motorcycle gang by the U.S. Department of Justice. The club is involved in drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, explosives violations, motorcycle and motorcycle-parts theft, intimidation, insurance fraud, kidnapping, robbery, theft, stolen property, counterfeiting, contraband smuggling, murder, bombings, extortion, arson and assault. The Bandidos partake in transporting and distributing cocaine and marijuana, and the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine. Active primarily in the Northwestern, Southeastern, Southwestern and the West Central regions, there are an estimated 800 to 1,000 Bandidos members and 93 chapters in 16 U.S. states.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Austin, Curtis J. (2006). Up against the wall: violence in the making and unmaking of the Black Panther Party. University of Arkansas Press. p.  199. ISBN   1-55728-827-5.
  2. 1 2 "At one point, now-notorious Chicago gang leader Jeff Fort’s future looked bright", chicagomag.com; accessed July 15, 2020.
  3. ↑ White, Deborah Gray; Bay, Mia; Waldo e. Martin, Jr (9 September 2016). Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans, with Documents. Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN   9781319021337.
  4. 1 2 3 Schatzberg, Rufus; Robert J. Kelly (1987). African American Organized Crime: A Social History. Rutgers University Press. pp. 199–202. ISBN   0-8135-2445-8.
  5. 1 2 3 McPherson, James A. (May 1969). "Chicago's Blackstone Rangers". Atlantic Monthly . Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  6. 1 2 "Inmate Locator". bop.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  7. ↑ "Rukn Boss's Order To Hit Son Is Told", Chicago Tribune, June 18, 1991.
  8. ↑ Body Pulled From Wolf Lake Is Jeff Fort's Son, Chicago Tribune, March 29, 1997.
  9. ↑ White, D.G.; Bay, M.; Martin, W.E. (2016). Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans, with Documents. Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN   978-1-319-02133-7 . Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  10. ↑ Jeff Fort Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine , biography.com; accessed July 15, 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Five Draw Long Sentences for Terrorism Scheme". The New York Times. 1987-12-31. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  12. ↑ Family of ex-gang leader "Jeff Fort sues PBS", chicagotribune.com, August 11, 2010; retrieved March 12, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Family Says PBS Crew Intruded on Funeral", August 13, 2010; retrieved March 12, 2020.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Harris, Donnie (2004). "Black Peace Stone Nation". Gangland. Holy Fire Publishing. pp. 71–72. ISBN   0-9761112-4-1.
  15. ↑ Jacobs, James B. (1978). Grassroots Independent Voters of Illinois. University of Chicago Press. pp. 140–42. ISBN   0-226-38977-4 . Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  16. ↑ Timmerman, Kenneth. Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson (2002).
  17. ↑ McPherson, James A. (June 1969). "Chicago's Blackstone Rangers (II)". Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  18. ↑ The Blackstone Rangers, uic.edu; accessed July 15, 2020.
  19. ↑ "The Almighty Black P Stone Nation", books.google.com; accessed July 15, 2020.
  20. 1 2 Schmidt, William E. (1987-11-05). "Chicago Journal; U.S. Squares Off Against Tough Gang". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Don Terry (1991-05-19). "In Chicago Courtroom, Nation's First Super Gang Fights for Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  22. ↑ Rossi, Rosalind (1992-08-24). "How the Law Won War With El Rukns". Chicago Sun-Times . Jeff Fort, serving 155 years at the federal prison in Downstate Marion
  23. ↑ "GANG CHIEF GUILTY IN RIVAL'S SLAYING". The New York Times. 1988-10-20. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  24. ↑ Rossi, Rosalind (1988-11-15). "75 more years for Fort 4 other Rukns draw stiff terms". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 3.
  25. ↑ "Crime Elite Moving To Rockies 'Alcatraz'". The Washington Post. 1994-12-27.
  26. ↑ Khan, Azmat (2012-02-14). "Meet The Interrupters". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 2020-03-01.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.