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EspañolGANGSTER DISCIPLES
The 'Gangster Disciples' are a largely African-American, Chicago-based street gang estimated to have 30,000+ members.
Originally formed on the South Side of Chicago, the Gangster Disciples now have an enormous presence in the Chicago area, as well as in major Midwestern cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis. Their presence has also been reported in other midwestern cities such as St. Louis, Missouri,Racine, Wisconsin, Des Moines, Iowa, Waterloo, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska. They also have a heavy presence in southern cities such as Houston, Little Rock, Memphis Jackson, and a fast growing presence in Fayetteville, North Carolina. They are by far the largest group that makes up the Folk Nation coalition of street gangs, which includes the Black Disciples, Maniac Latin Disciples, Spanish Cobras, Satan Disciples and a number of smaller gangs.
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, a heart with wings, horns, and tail, and a three-pointed crown. To display the pitchfork or crown prongs-down is considered an insult. Origins of the use of the six-pointed star have been disputed. Some say that there is no connection with the Jewish star of David, other than a remembrance of the gang's co-founder 'King' David Barksdale; however, other accounts add that it is also a tribute to Chicago's Black Hebrew Israelite movement. This may be seen as analogous to other facets of African American organized crime's varying levels of connection to Black religious sects such as the Nation of Islam.[1].
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. He ended up running the gang from prison until he was transferred to a higher security wing in the 1990s.
Hoover's early gang life
Larry Hoover was born in Jackson, Mississippi on November 30, 1950. He moved to Chicago with his family in 1955. At the age of 16, Hoover joined a gang of 50 older youths called the ''Supreme Gangsters'' . They hung around the corner of 68th and Green Street in the impoverished Englewood neighborhood, on the South Side of Chicago where Hoover lived. 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 .
1967: Hoover Joins the Supreme Gangsters of Chicago
Eventually, Hoover became the leader of the Supreme Gangsters. 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 SGs. 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'), Imperial Gangsters, African Sniper Gangsters, Raven Gangsters, High Supreme Gangsters, Russian Gangsters, Maniac Gangsters, Mafia Gangsters, 75th Street Syndicate Gangsters, Outlaw Gangsters, 95th Street Supreme Gangsters, the Dells Gangsters, West Side Supreme Gangsters, Racketeer Gangsters, East Side Syndicate Gangsters, Gent-Town Gangsters, and the Black Pimp Gangsters of the West Side .
1960s: David Barksdale creates the Disciple Nation
David Barksdale, another South Side-based gang leader, created the 'Disciple Nation' consisting of his ''Devil's Disciples'' street gang (the main branch of the 'nation'), Falcon Disciples, Royal Disciples, Renegade Disciples, Executioner Disciples, Boss Pimp Disciples, East Side Disciples, Sircon Disciples, and the Motown Disciples of Detroit (which later expanded to Southern Michigan and became known as the South Monroe Disciples of Monroe, Michigan). Later came the Dutchtown Disciples, Gonzato Disciples, Six-Tray Disciples, Maniac Disciples and Four-Tray Disciples . During this time, Barksdale also controlled the Del Vikings, the Black Souls, and the West Side Cobras .
1963: Name changes during gang mergers
In 1963 Barksdale changed the name of the Disciple Nation to the 'Black Disciples'. 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. 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) . Likewise, to be a part of the Gangster Nation, a gang had to adopt the last name of ''Gangster'' .
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. 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 Blackstones and offered Hoover the position of Ambassador, which was a much lesser position than the position Hoover held as Leader of the Gangster Nation . 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 . 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. The BGDN was essentially one entity because the president, David Barksdale, and the vice president, Larry Hoover, worked together constantly, acting as one "nation".
Right before the BGDN was formed there was the BGD which was the Black Gangsters Disciples which Larry Hoover started. 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 BGDs and the BDS were at war. So Barksdale and Hoover became enemies in the late 1960s.
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. However, their ultimate goal was to form a coalition that would dominate the illegal drug trade. Soon gang members were either using drugs, or profiting from the selling of drugs. These illegal activities caused a great degree of social (and financial) instability in the communities effected by the influx of gangs and drugs. Eventually the BGDN was engrossed in the drug trade. More tragedy would soon befall the BGDN in the early 70s.
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 Andrew Howard 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. 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. Afterward a new president needed to be appointed and it was to be between Hoover or Jerome "Shorty" Freeman.
It was decided that Hoover should be the new President. Two years later in 1976, Freeman disbanded from the BGDN to make the Black Disciples a separate organization.
Hoover asserts BGD influence while in prison
It was very frustrating for law enforcement when they saw how the BGDs were still functioning full force and making massive profits on the streets and still growing in numbers even with Hoover in prison. 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. No disciplinary action was taken against Hoover, due to lack of cooperation from his fellow gang members in testifying against him.
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.
Tense relations between Hoover's Folk Nation and Freeman's spinoff Black Disciples
Because of their past relations with the BGDs the 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. The Satan Disciples joined Folk because they were related to the Black Disciples. The Latin Disciples joined because they formed an alliance with the BGDs 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. The Spanish Cobras good friends the Orchestra Albanies joined Folks that year because Cobras did. Hoover then offered Simon City Royals 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. Two Six also joined Folks that year. Hoover 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. By this time the BGDs 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.
1990s: Interalliance wars between BDs and BGDs; Gangster Disciples forms
In 1991 the BGDs and the BDs started shooting at each other which started an interalliance war. This war set a violent example for all gangs under the Folk nation, and subsequently several interalliance wars broke out within the Folk Nation. Also the BGDs 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 BGDs and BDs went to war, the BGDs were so angry with the Black Disciples that they 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. Also in the early 1990s the GDs 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.
2000s: New Frontiers
The Gangster Disciples have attempted to change their image. At one point, Hoover changed the group's name to "Growth and Development" and tried to portray himself as the leader of a community organization. They set up a political action committee to attempt to court politicians and try to gain support for legislation they saw as useful.False flaggers (people claiming to be members that arent) and renegades (one time members who do not abide by the GD leaderships rules),and the general public/media refuse to accept that the GDs have officially changed their name. Also, relaxed recruitment policies,and the fact that the GDs are the most false flagged gang in the country (over 30% of those claiming membership are not actual GDs) have allowed some alleged gang members to become U.S. soldiers in the Iraq War. According to a Chicago Sun-Times article in 2006, GD graffiti has been spotted all over Iraq, from concrete blast barriers to armored vehicles to firebase guard shacks. Other gangs also have members in Iraq, and some experts estimate that up to 2 percent of soldiers on active duty (as many as 20,000) have sworn allegiance to some gang. It has been claimed that at least one U.S. soldiers death, the beating death of seargent Juwan Johnson on base in Germany, was at the hands of members of the Gangster Disciples in an initiation rite. Johnson, 25, had a purple heart from his service in Iraq.[2].
References
1. See Black Mafia
2. A discussion of gangs in Iraq can be found in McGraw, Seamus. ''Gangs of Iraq''. Radar Magazine, June 2007 (Accessed June 7, 2007 here)
External Resources
★ Well-organized and Extremely Violent from The Malefactor's Register
★ The Disciples from The Malefactor's Register
★ http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=130507&ran=1947 recent story from Pilotonline
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