Gangster Disciples

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The Gangster Disciples are a Chicago-based street gang which has, over the years, grown into one of the largest criminal organizations in the United States.

Originally formed on the South Side of Chicago, they now have an enormous presence in that city, and in other Midwestern cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis, and Gary, Indiana. 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 smaller gangs. They also have a heavy presence in Southern cities such as Memphis.

Symbols used by the Gangster Disciples include a six-pointed star (Star of David) in remembrance of its co-founder 'King' David Barksdale (there is no connection to the Jewish symbol apart from the name of King David), a three-pointed pitchfork (pointed upward like the letter psi, to display it upside-down is an insult), and a love heart with wings, horns, and a tail. The gang's colors are black and blue.

The Gangster Disciples are known to be involved in about $100 million a year of drug trafficking.

Their main rivals are the Vice Lords and Black P Stones.

Their allies are the Gangster Two Six and any one else that is allied with the gangster nation

Contents 1 History 2 Outlaw Gangster Disciples 3 See also 4 External Resources

[edit] History

Larry Hoover is the infamous leader of the Gangster Disciple Nation (abbreviated GDN), taking control of the gang in 1974. Hoover was born in Jackson, Mississippi on November 30, 1950. He moved to Chicago with his family in 1955. At the age of 13, Hoover joined a gang of 50 older youths called the Supreme Gangsters^{[citation needed]}. They hung around the corner of 68th and Green Street in the 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 after being shot in the thigh by a rival gang member in 1965^{[citation needed]}.

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 become SGs^{[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'), 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^{[citation needed]}.

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, Motown Disciples of Detroit (which later expanded to Southern Michigan and became known as the South Monroe Disciples of Monroe, Michigan). Then came the Dutchtown Disciples, Gonzato Disciples, Six-Tray Disciples, Maniac Disciples and Four-Tray Disciples^{[citation needed]}. Also during this time, Barksdale controlled the Del Vikings, the Black Souls, and the West Side Cobras^{[citation needed]}. 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, basically similar to the present day Folk Nation. Before an individual gang could become a part of the Gangster Nation or Black Disciples, they had to alter their names a little^{[citation needed]}. To be a part of the Disciple Nation a street gang had to adopt the last name of Disciple (there were exceptions like the Black Souls, West Side Cobras, and Del Vikings)^{[citation needed]}. Likewise, to be a part of the Gangster Nation, a gang that joined had to adopt the last name of Gangster^{[citation needed]}.

During the late 1960s the Gangster Nation was growing but still 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 the absorb his Gangster Nation into the Blackstones and offered Hoover the position as an ambassador, which was a much lesser position than Hoover's present position as the leader^{[citation needed]}. Fort offered to rename the Gangster Nation to the Gangster Stones. Hoover declined this offer. Instead, Hoover and Barksdale combined forces and created the Black Gangster Disciple Nation in 1969^{[citation needed]}. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation (BGDN) at that time was an alliance and not a gang. The Black Disciples were separate, and the Gangs that joined the Black Disciple 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 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 greatly throughout the South Side shortly after. 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. Then 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. In 1973 Larry Hoover was sentenced to a life sentence on November 5, 1973 for murdering a drug addict. 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 got in 1969 during a failed attempt to take 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.

It was very frustrating for law enforcement when the saw how the BGDs were still functioning full force and making massive profits on the streets and still growing in numbers even with King Barksdale dead and King Hoover in prison (King the title given to the two because they were essentially kings of the street). Hoover's power was shown even more when he did two major things in 1978. One thing he did was he ordered an inmate riot at Pontiac prison in Illinois. The riot resulted in three dead correctional officers. There was no disciplinary action because all of his GDs refused to testify. The second great showing of power was when Hoover created the Folk Nation. At this point in time 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. Because of their past relations with the BGDs the Black Disciples joined Folk so 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.

In 1991 the BGDs and the BDs started shooting at each other which started an interalliance war. This war set a bad example for all gangs under the Folk nation and 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. In 1993 their was a GD picnic held in Kankakee, Illinois that about 10,000 GDs attended to hear Larry Hoover speak over a phone from prison. This event was a political based event. Hoover created the concept of Growth and Development in 1993 which stated that the GD's were no longer involved in criminal activities. In 1995 operation Headache was launched that took down 39 high ranking GDs. The goal was to hurt GD leadership and cripple the gang's operations. One result of Headache was that Hoover now had to serve a life sentence and he was moved to a more secure prison. 263 informants along with bugging of visitor's badges were enough to convict Hoover and the other leaders.

[edit] Outlaw Gangster Disciples

As of May 19, 2005, the Outlaw Gangster Disciples were formed on the South Side of Chicago in the Kenwood neighborhood, (47th and Michigan), and they now have an enormous presence in that city, and in other Midwestern cities such as Milwaukee, St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland, Ohio. They also have a light presence in Southern cities such as Memphis,Tennessee and Gainesville, Florida. Their numbers are severely small, (estimated 9,157) which is only expected due to the fact they're a newly formed street gang. Their movement bisected the largest group that makes up the Folk Nation coalition of street gangs, (Gangster Disciples), taking away an estimated 34.7% of its members, leaving their numbers at roughly 20,000 members.

Among the Gangster Disciples bylaws, the GDs go by a certain creed of knowledge. As of 1993, Hoover created the concept of Growth and Development which stated that the GD's were no longer involved in criminal activities. Due to this change, the knowledge was since then credited as the 720 knowledge, as opposed to the previous 360 knowledge. Over the phone at a picnic held in Kankakee, Illinois, hoover stated that the GD's image of "shoot first, ask questions later" was being done only to establish territorty. Now that the territory has been established, the GD's wish to better their communities; hence the term "Growth and Development", (GD), the 720 knowledge.

Symbols used by the Outlaw Gangster Disciples include the six-pointed star (Star of David), a three-pointed pitchfork, and a love heart with wings, horns, and a tail. Where the Outlaw Gangster Disciples differ from the Gangster Disciples,(besides their beliefs), is in their colors. The Outlaw Gangster Disciples gang's colors are black and grey. Where it used to be black and blue, the Outlaw Gangster Disciples droped the color blue due to the fact that they believe the California-based Crip gang steals their knowledge and gives it to anyone who asks. Where it is known that some Gangster Disciples affiliate themselves with Crips, the Outlaw Gangster Disciples have a strong non-affiliation policy when it comes to any Crip sets

The current leader of the Outlaw Gangster Disciples is unknown, but after questioning of affiliated members, it is known that their organizational structure is identical to that of the Black Disciples. The lowest ranking members are soldiers or representatives. The permanent leadership ranks include: Minister, Assistant Co-Minister, and the Demetrius. One rank above the ordinary members is the First Demetrius. One rank above the First Demetrius is the Assistant Co-Minister. The known top boss of the gang is the King, also known as the "crowned king". Its only known perminant ranking members are; Demarcus Jones:Demetrius and an 11.9 by the name of Darion Sharkey.

The initial reason for the spliting of the Gangster Disciple/Outlaw Gangster Disciple faction, is the following of the 720 knowledge. Where the Gangster Disciples wish to follow the new 720 knowledge, the Outlaw Gangster Disciples ("bandits") are members who oppose the 720 knowledge (Growth and Development), and choose to remain headstrong to the 360 knowledge ("shoot first, ask questions later).

• Gangster Disciple Information and Pictures
• [http://chicagogangs.org/index.php?pr=TATTOOS_GDk Gangster Disciples Tattoos

[edit] See also

US gang graffiti in Iraq

[edit] External Resources

• Well-organized and Extremely Violent from The Malefactor's Register
• The Disciples from The Malefactor's Register
• Gangster Disciple Forum - contains information on the folk nation and gansgter disciples