Gangster Disciples
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The Gangster Disciples are the largest Chicago-based street gang that has more than 30,000 gang members in the Chicago city area and over 300,000 members in the United States. Even by its enormous number of members their rival gang the Latin Kings with about the same or more number of members have shown that they are clearly the ruling gang.[citation needed]
History
The history of the Gangster Disciples begins with Larry Hoover, who entered and rose through the ranks of the Chicago gang circuit in the 1960s and took control of the gang in 1974 by leading a series of increasingly powerful alliances.[1] He ended up running the gang from prison until he was transferred to a higher security wing in the 1990s[citation needed]. Larry Hoover was born in Jackson, Mississippi on November 30, 1950. He moved to Chicago with his family in 1955[citation needed]. At the age of 16, Hoover joined a gang of 50 older youths called the Supreme Gangsters, including Quadarrus Mosley, Larry Hoover's brother-in-law. [citation needed]. They hung around the corner of 68th and Green Street in the impoverished Englewood neighborhood, on the South Side of Chicago where Hoover lived[citation needed]. Hoover was kicked out of high school on the first day of his sophomore year, in 1965, after being shot in the thigh by a rival gang member [citation needed].
1960s: David Barksdale creates the Disciple Nation
David Barksdale, another South Side-based gang leader Jerome"King Shorty"Freeman,and Don Charles Jones created the Disciple Nation consisting of his Devil's Disciples street gang (the main branch of the 'nation'), the Falcon Disciples and others[citation needed]. During this time, Barksdale also controlled three other lesser gangs.[citation needed] Georgia also is one of the biggest disciple houses in the united states[citation needed] G.A contains one of the head folk members who ever lived .Earl porter aka King porter from middle Georgia. Raised in Chicago on the south side. Due to murder charges from Don Jones King porter was moved to Georgia to get away from the gang violence in 1987.David and Hoover tried to get king porter to come back to Chicago but he never came back.None of the King disciples heard from Earl ever since[citation needed]. His disciple branch was never complete. His brother Mike aka Mike Mayor was found dead after a three million dollar drug deal gone bad[citation needed].King Earl should have been the nations president but he left Chicago.The last time any of the leading head family members heard from King porter was when he served a four year sentence in prison for drug trafficking charges in Atlanta GA[citation needed].
1963: Name changes during gang mergers
In 1963 Barksdale and king porters farther Charles Jones changed the name of the Disciple Nation to the Black Disciples[citation needed]. The Black Disciples and the Gangster Nation were two separate alliances that were similar to the present day Folk Nation alliance. Before an individual gang could become a part of the Gangster Nation or Black Disciples, they had to alter their names to reflect membership in the alliance[citation needed]. To be a part of the Disciple Nation, a street gang had to adopt the last name of Disciple (although there were exceptions like the Black Souls, West Side Cobras, and Del Vikings) [citation needed].
1967: Hoover Joins the Supreme Gangsters of Chicago
Eventually, Hoover became the leader of the Supreme Gangsters[citation needed]. In 1967 Hoover and his Supreme Gangsters overcame the King Cobras, who outnumbered the Supreme Gangsters, and Hoover caused most of the Cobras to join his gang of SG's[citation needed]. Eventually Hoover was able to organize the Gangster Nation, an alliance of sorts, which consisted of several different gangs in the Englewood neighborhood including The Supreme Gangsters (the father/main branch of the 'nation') and the Imperial Gangsters [citation needed].
Late 1960s: Alliances grow between gangs...into a 'nation'
During the late 1960s the Gangster Nation was growing but still lagged behind the development of the Black Disciples and the Blackstone Rangers[citation needed]. However, Barksdale and Hoover had a powerful alliance. Jeff Fort, who was the leader of the Blackstone Rangers at that time, invited Larry Hoover to absorb his Gangster Nation into the Blackstone's and offered Hoover the position of Ambassador, which was a much lesser position than the position Hoover held as Leader of the Gangster Nation [citation needed]. Fort offered to rename the Gangster Nation to the Gangster Stones, but Hoover declined this offer. Instead, Hoover and Barksdale combined forces and created the Black Gangster Disciple Nation(BGDN) in 1969 [citation needed]. The BGDN was at that time an alliance and not a gang. The Black Disciples were separate, and the Gangs that joined the BGDN Alliance had their independence--similar to the Supreme Gangsters and the gangs that joined the Gangster Nation in the 60s[citation needed]. The BGDN was essentially one entity because the president, David Barksdale, and the vice president, Larry Hoover and Charles Jones worked together constantly, acting as one "nation."[citation needed]
Right before the BGDN was formed there was the BGD which was the Black Gangsters Disciples which Larry Hoover started[citation needed]. He changed the name of the Gangster Nation to the Black Gangster Disciples and soon expanded throughout the South Side. During this time right before the merger in 1969, the BGD's and the BD's were at war. So Barksdale and Hoover became enemies in the late 1960s[citation needed].
Early 1970s: BGDN enters the drug trade
When the BGDN was formed the wars ended and they instead combined forces in an attempt to eliminate the Blackstone Rangers[citation needed]. The Chairman Larry Hoover needed a way to take over the drug game in Chicago. In 1978 the Englewood community was selling the most heroin and cocaine in Chicago. "Clever Larry" needed the drug game to spread, at the BGD picnic held at Washington Park Hoover met other loyal Gangsters from the westside who were willing to join the general on major Lumpsome of heroin , and crack cocaine that was shipped from Englewood to Garfield Park, 22cd and state, Fosko park, And Franklin Park[citation needed]. Mant of the Plans had died out within the time period of 15 years the first westside joint was Frankilin Park to get indited. The Drug Lords were Tennessee aka James B. Georgia aka Frank Gordon, and Kentucy aka Kenton Kendricks. Agter the west side went down Gangster Disciple had to keep the drug flow on the south side[citation needed]. Hoover said " Chicago Police is too hot on the westside" We move in silence for now on......
1973: Larry Hoover sentenced to prison; appointed president of BGDN
In 1973 Larry Hoover was sentenced to a life sentence on November 5, 1973 for murder. Joshua Shaw was the witness to testify against Hoover who claimed he saw Hoover and Antonio Strong Sr. kidnap William Young from 69th and Wentworth, Later Young was found shot dead in an alley way at 6814 S. Lowe on February 26th, 1973[citation needed]. Young was said to have stolen drugs from the BGDN's drug supply because Young was an addict. Howard and Hoover were given 150-200 year sentences each. Then in 1974 David Barksdale died of Kidney failure that was caused by complications from a gunshot wound that Barksdale suffered in a 1969 attempt on his life by an 11.9[citation needed]. Afterward a new president needed to be appointed and it was to be between Ed "Lil E" Isom or Earl King Porter [citation needed].
It was decided that Hoover should be the new President[citation needed]. Two years later in 1976, young King Porter angry at Don Charles disbanded from the BGDN to make the Black Disciples a separate organization after he got the ok from his father Don Charles Jones[citation needed].
Hoover asserts BGD influence while in prison
It was very frustrating for law enforcement when they saw how the BGD's were still functioning full force and making massive profits on the streets and still growing in numbers even with Hoover in prison due to young and powerful King porter[citation needed]. However, Hoover's exploits were not limited to the streets. While incarcerated at Pontiac prison in Illinois, Hoover incited an inmate riot that resulted in three dead correctional officers[citation needed]. No disciplinary action was taken against Hoover, due to lack of cooperation from his and King Killa Porters fellow gang members in testifying against him[citation needed].
The second great showing of power was Hoover's creation of Folk Nation. At this point, the BGDN was one street gang and not an alliance like it was in the 60s; therefore, Hoover wanted to create a new alliance that would unify several street gangs[citation needed].
Tense relations between Hoover's Folk Nation and Freeman's spin off Black Disciples
Because of their past relations with King Earl and BGD's Black Disciples joined the Folks Nation, as did the newly formed Black Gangsters that were a break away gang that used to be part of the BGD prior to 1978[citation needed]. The me Satan Disciples joined Folk because they were related to Porters Black Disciples. The Latin Disciples joined because they formed an alliance with the BGD's earlier in the 70s. Then all the gangs that were in the U.L.O (United Latino Organization) with the Latin Disciples joined Folks: Imperial Gangsters, Latin Eagles, and Spanish Cobras[citation needed]. The Spanish Cobras good friends the Orchestra Albanie's joined Folks that year because Cobras did. Porter then offered Simon City Royals Leaders Toddy and Mike Brewer a good business proposition if the Royals joined Folks; therefore the Royals joined Folks and they got their closest allies the North Side Insane Popes to join Folks too[citation needed]. The Royals and Disciples relationship helped both nations out alot both in prison and on the streets of Chicago. Two Six also joined Folks that year. Young King Porter had absorbed some of Chicago's biggest and fastest growing gangs. In the early 1980s, the Folk nation expanded and took in several other gangs[citation needed]. By this time the BGD's had opened up sets on the North Side of Chicago they even opened up a Latino faction known as the Spanish Gangsters Disciples. Throughout the 1980s Hoover held together the Folk nation while incarcerated behind prison walls as the BGDN recruited more and more members and opened up more and more sets all around Chicago and into the suburbs[citation needed].
1990s: Inter alliance wars between BDs and BGD's; Gangster Disciples forms
In 1991 the BGD's and the BD's started shooting at each other which started an inter alliance war. This war set a violent example for all gangs under the Folk nation, and subsequently several inter alliance wars broke out within the Folk Nation[citation needed]. Also the BGD's went to war with the Black Gangsters too which caused the Black Gangsters to sever all ties and even leave the Folk alliance. During the month of August in the year 1991 when the BGD's and BD's went to war, the BGDs were so angry with the Black Disciples that King Porter dropped the letter B from their initials which mean they were no longer known as the Black Gangster Disciples but now known as the Gangsters Disciples or GD or GDN[citation needed]. Also in the early 1990s the GD's became the largest street gang in Chicago. The power of the Gangsters Disciples was so great that they were bringing in millions of dollars from drug profits alone[citation needed].
Other Information of Interest
The Folk Nation
Originally formed on the South Side of Chicago, the Gangster Disciples now have an enormous presence in the St. Louis and East St. Louis area, as well as in major Midwestern cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Toledo, Racine, Milwaukee, Cincinnati. They are also now starting to move into some of the southern states such as Georgia, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina, North Carolina and even Florida. They are by far the largest group that makes up the Folk Nation coalition of street organizations, which includes the Gangster Disciples, F.I.F.(Forever In Follk), Maniac Latin Disciples, Spanish Cobras, Satan Disciples, Simon City Royals and a number of smaller organizations[citation needed].
Markings and symbols
Symbols used by the Gangster Disciples include the colors black and blue, a six-pointed star (Star of David), a three-pointed 'Devil's pitchfork' pointed upward and resembling the Greek letter psi, represent the 6 points of "honor" that they abide by[citation needed].
Notable Members
-Ca$his -GLC -DJ Paul -Crunchy Black -YG aka Buck -Noopy aka Da G -Yo Gotti
- ^ Florida Department of Corrections. "Street Gangs — Chicago Based or Influenced: People Nation and Folk Nation". State of Florida. Retrieved 2008-03-08.