The Gangster Disciples are a largely Chicago-based street gang.
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. 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, including Quadarrus Mosely, Larry Hoover's brother-in-law. . 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') and the Imperial Gangsters .
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. During this time, Barksdale also controlled three other lesser gangs. Georgia also is one of the biggest diciple houses in the united states 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 diciples heard from Earl ever sence. His diciple branch was never complete. His brother Mike aka Mike Mayor was found dead after a three million dollar drug deal gone bad.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 prision for drug traffican charges in Atlanta GA.
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. 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 and Charles Jones 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,King Porters farther Charles Jones 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 on Charles and 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 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. 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 Earl King Porter . It was decided that Hoover should be the new President. 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.
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 due to young and powerful King porter. 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 and King Porters 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 King Earl and BGDs 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 Porters 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. Porter 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. 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. 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 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. 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.
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,Chicago, Toledo, Racine, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis. They are also now starting to move into some of the southern states such as Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina. They are by far the largest group that makes up the Folk Nation coalition of street organizations, which includes the Gangster Disciples, Maniac Latin Disciples, Spanish Cobras, Satan Disciples, Simon City Royals and a number of smaller organizations.
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, a heart with wings, horns, and tail, and a three-pointed crown upside down. To display the pitchfork down is considered an insult. Origins of the use of the six-pointed star have been disputed. Rumor states that the 6 pointed star represent the 6 points of "honor" that they abide by. 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].
References
Allies Maniac Latin Disciples Spanish Gangster Disciples Satan Disciples BOSS Pimps(sometimes) YLO Disciples New Breeds(sometimes) Other Folk Nation Sets
Rivals Black P. Stones Vice Lords Latin Kings Blue Fin Black Discples(are also known to have a tense relationship with the Folk Nation Black Disciples, unless when fighting People Nation sets such as the Black P. Stones) Bloods(although they are not the GDs common enemies, they are known to have tense relations with each other) Other People Nation Sets
