Chicago is considered the most gang-occupied city in the United States, with 150,000 gang-affiliated denizens,[1] representing more than 100 gangs.[2] Gang warfare and retaliation is 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 immigrant youth in the late 1800s. In the early 1900s, before the establishment of the Chicago Fire Department, decentralized, localized fire brigades were common throughout the city and would often fight with each other as well as amongst themselves.[relevant?]
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 westside 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 forced 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
