Vice Lords
Encyclopedia
The Almighty Vice Lord Nation (abbreviated AVLN, VLN, VL, or CVLN) is the second largest and one of the oldest street gangs in Chicago
. Their total membership is estimated to be as many as 30,000. They are also one of the founding members of the People Nation
multi-gang alliance.
youths originally from the North Lawndale
neighborhood of Chicago
. These youths met while incarcerated in the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles
(also known as the St. Charles Juvenile Correctional Facility). At the time, they were led by founding member Edward "Pepalo" Perry. The name is taken from the dictionary definition of "vice", meaning "to have a tight hold".
As the original Vice Lords group were released from incarceration, they quickly began to recruit other African American youths from their neighborhood and began engaging in conflicts with other "clubs" from various Chicago neighborhoods. By 1964, they had grown significantly and law enforcement named them as a primary target for their various illegal activities, including robbery
, theft
, assault
s, battery
, intimidation
, and extortion
. They were noted for their violent behavior and were feared throughout the Lawndale neighborhood.
In 1970, two Vice Lord leaders, Alfonso Alfred and Bobby Gore, applied for a $275,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation
. The Rockefeller Foundation approved the grant. At the same time, the gang was successfully consolidating smaller neighborhood gangs (including the Cherokees, the Morphines, the Commanches, the Continental Pimps, the Imperial Chaplains, the Clovers, the Cobras, and the Braves) into the Vice Lord Nation. As a result, their numbers swelled significantly. In spite of the positive press, it was soon discovered that the Vice Lords were still violent criminals. An introduction of narcotics into the Lawndale neighborhood during this time, along with a rapid increase in crimes involving intimidation, extortion, and murders of business owners who refused to pay for "protection" were perpetuated by the gang.
In the 1990s, the Vice Lords, while engaging in the usual activities, became much more sophisticated and expanded into mortgage fraud, credit card fraud, and money laundering.
; Cleveland, Ohio
; Indianapolis
, Indiana
; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
; Memphis, Tennessee
; Gary, Indiana
; Jackson, Mississippi
; and Minneapolis, Minnesota
.
Along with the "foundation" group Conservative Vice Lords, a number of factions and sub-gangs exist. These include the 4 Corner Hustlers, Cicero Insane Vice Lords, Ebony Vice Lords, Executioner Vice Lords, Imperial Insane Vice Lords, Mafia Insane Vice Lords, Renegade Vice Lords, Purple Hearted Vice Lords, Traveler Vice Lords, Undertaker Vice Lords, and Unknown Vice Lords.
symbol
s or emblem
s, to identify themselves and their gang 'turf' including:
Each faction of the Vice Lords has their own 'Chief' and ranking officers. However, high-ranking members that hold the title of 'Universal Elite' are given respect by all Vice Lord factions. They are usually called "Lord Almighty".
neighborhood. Lloyd soon became the faction's leader and recruited thousands of followers. Eventually he proclaimed himself "King of Kings" and stated that he was the leader of the entire Vice Lord Nation. However, his tenure was interrupted by a prison term for his part in the murder of a police officer in Iowa.
Lloyd continued to lead the gang on the outside through fellow inmates and prison employees affiliated with the gang. While incarcerated, Lloyd wrote The Amalgamated Order of Lordism, a 61-page manifesto on the Vice Lord command structure in the prisons and on the streets. He was incarcerated in 1971 until his release on parole in 1986, then was back in prison a year later on a weapons conviction until another parole in 1992. When he left prison in 1992, he was picked up by fellow gang members dressed in furs who were driving a convoy of five limousines. Later in 1992, he was involved in a protracted gang war over control of the Vice Lord Nation, involving kidnapping and the murder of rival members' children. Law enforcement intensified its efforts to remove Lloyd from the street, and from 1994 to 2001, he was again incarcerated for weapons violations.
During Loyd's quarter-century as gang leader, Vice Lord drug deals, extortion and other crimes reportedly led to thousands of homicides. In 1996, police had supposedly linked every murder committed in Chicago's 15th district back to orders from Lloyd.
Lloyd supposedly quit the Vice Lords after his release from prison, and became an outspoken critic of gang life. Lloyd attempted to earn a living as a gang mediator, and he became affiliated with a non-profit organization, as well as DePaul University
, where briefly, he was a guest lecturer, which was controversial, in part due to a "field trip" Lloyd had for his students.
In August 2003, Lloyd was shot four times in Garfield Park
. This was the third assassination attempt on Lloyd. Lloyd became paralyzed from the neck down due to injuries from the shooting. Rumors persisted that Lloyd still wanted to collect a "tax" from the Vice Lords as its leader, even though he had supposedly left gang life. Lloyd has given interviews stating that he believes his attackers included some of his former henchmen.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Their total membership is estimated to be as many as 30,000. They are also one of the founding members of the People Nation
People Nation
People Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago area. They are rivals to the Folk Nation.The People Nation were formed much in the same way as the Folk Nation. In 1978, the El Rukns People Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago...
multi-gang alliance.
Origin and growth
In 1958, the Vice Lords "club" was founded by several African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
youths originally from the North Lawndale
North Lawndale, Chicago
North Lawndale located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, is one of the well-defined community areas in the city of Chicago.-History:...
neighborhood of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. These youths met while incarcerated in the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles
St. Charles, Illinois
St. Charles is a Chicago suburb in Kane and DuPage counties of Illinois, United States, and is roughly west of Chicago on Illinois Route 64. According to a 2004 census estimate, the city has a total population of 32,134. The official city slogan is Pride of the Fox, after the Fox River that runs...
(also known as the St. Charles Juvenile Correctional Facility). At the time, they were led by founding member Edward "Pepalo" Perry. The name is taken from the dictionary definition of "vice", meaning "to have a tight hold".
As the original Vice Lords group were released from incarceration, they quickly began to recruit other African American youths from their neighborhood and began engaging in conflicts with other "clubs" from various Chicago neighborhoods. By 1964, they had grown significantly and law enforcement named them as a primary target for their various illegal activities, including robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
, assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
s, battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
, intimidation
Intimidation
Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened.Criminal threatening is the crime of intentionally or...
, and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. They were noted for their violent behavior and were feared throughout the Lawndale neighborhood.
CVL, Inc.
In an attempt at softening their public image, the Vice Lord leaders changed the gang's name to "Conservative Vice Lords", which today serves as the foundation of the entire Vice Lord Nation. They developed new logos and advertised themselves as a community outreach group. They went as far as to petition for a community outreach chapter named "Conservative Vice Lord Incorporated. This attempt was successful enough that the group began to receive a large amount of positive publicity from various politicians and community leaders. CVL, Inc. established a number of recreational areas for neighborhood children which were then used as meeting houses after they had closed for the day.In 1970, two Vice Lord leaders, Alfonso Alfred and Bobby Gore, applied for a $275,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
. The Rockefeller Foundation approved the grant. At the same time, the gang was successfully consolidating smaller neighborhood gangs (including the Cherokees, the Morphines, the Commanches, the Continental Pimps, the Imperial Chaplains, the Clovers, the Cobras, and the Braves) into the Vice Lord Nation. As a result, their numbers swelled significantly. In spite of the positive press, it was soon discovered that the Vice Lords were still violent criminals. An introduction of narcotics into the Lawndale neighborhood during this time, along with a rapid increase in crimes involving intimidation, extortion, and murders of business owners who refused to pay for "protection" were perpetuated by the gang.
1980s and beyond
After public pressure, a federal investigation into CVL, Inc.'s use of the Rockefeller grant money was conducted and as a result, several leaders were arrested and sent to prison. By the early 1980s, Perry and Alfred were dead and Gore was in prison for murder. The younger Vice Lord leadership attempted to conceal the gang's true intentions with another camouflage campaign, this time by adopting Islamic ideologies. By the mid 1990s, they had created a large document called Lords of Islam which addressed new rules for the gang. Their headquarters, located near Pulaski and 16th Street, is referred to as the "Holy City".In the 1990s, the Vice Lords, while engaging in the usual activities, became much more sophisticated and expanded into mortgage fraud, credit card fraud, and money laundering.
Subgroups
In addition to their presence in Chicago, the Vice Lords also have a large presence in other cities throughout the United States. These include Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
; Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
; Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
; Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
; Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
; Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
; and Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Along with the "foundation" group Conservative Vice Lords, a number of factions and sub-gangs exist. These include the 4 Corner Hustlers, Cicero Insane Vice Lords, Ebony Vice Lords, Executioner Vice Lords, Imperial Insane Vice Lords, Mafia Insane Vice Lords, Renegade Vice Lords, Purple Hearted Vice Lords, Traveler Vice Lords, Undertaker Vice Lords, and Unknown Vice Lords.
Symbols and emblems
Vice Lord street gangs use a variety of gang graffitiGraffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
s or emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
s, to identify themselves and their gang 'turf' including:
- A hat cocked to the left side.(Left represents the People Nation alliance and cocking to the right represents the Folk Nation alliance)
- Rabbit wearing a bow tie (The PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
logo) - Martini glass
- A glove
- Top hat
- Cane
- Five-point star - The five points represent (clockwise from top): Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom and Justice.
- Crescent moon (Teutonic)
- Scimitar
- Pitchfork pointing down - The pitchfork is a symbol of the Gangster DisciplesGangster DisciplesThe Black Gangster Disciple Nation is a gang which was formed on the South-side of Chicago in the late 1960s, by David Barksdale, leader of the Black Disciples, and Larry Hoover, leader of the Supreme Gangsters. The two groups united to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation .The gang has made...
, the inversion is a sign of disrespect - Broken heart with wings - As above, the heart with wings is a symbol of the Gangster Disciples, breaking it is a sign of disrespect
- Like the Black P. StonesBlack P. StonesThe Almighty Black P. Stone Nation is a Chicago-based street gang estimated to have more than 30,000 members. The gang was originally formed in the late 1950s as a civil rights organization called the Blackstone Rangers...
, the Vice Lords often utilize pseudo-Islamic ideology and symbolism in their gang motif - Pyramid with an eye above it.
- a six point star broken in half to disrespect Folk NationFolk NationThe Folk Nation is an alliance of street gangs, based in the Chicago area, which has since spread throughout the United States, specifically in the Midwest and the South. They are rivals to the People Nation....
. - Five point crown
Each faction of the Vice Lords has their own 'Chief' and ranking officers. However, high-ranking members that hold the title of 'Universal Elite' are given respect by all Vice Lord factions. They are usually called "Lord Almighty".
Willie Lloyd
As a teenager growing up on Chicago's West Side in the 1960s, Willie Lloyd joined the Unknown Vice Lords, a faction based along 16th Street in the LawndaleLawndale, Chicago
Lawndale may refer to either of two neighborhoods on the far west side of the city of Chicago.* South Lawndale, Chicago* North Lawndale, Chicago-See also:* Neighborhoods of Chicago* Community areas of Chicago:Category:Chicago neighborhoods...
neighborhood. Lloyd soon became the faction's leader and recruited thousands of followers. Eventually he proclaimed himself "King of Kings" and stated that he was the leader of the entire Vice Lord Nation. However, his tenure was interrupted by a prison term for his part in the murder of a police officer in Iowa.
Lloyd continued to lead the gang on the outside through fellow inmates and prison employees affiliated with the gang. While incarcerated, Lloyd wrote The Amalgamated Order of Lordism, a 61-page manifesto on the Vice Lord command structure in the prisons and on the streets. He was incarcerated in 1971 until his release on parole in 1986, then was back in prison a year later on a weapons conviction until another parole in 1992. When he left prison in 1992, he was picked up by fellow gang members dressed in furs who were driving a convoy of five limousines. Later in 1992, he was involved in a protracted gang war over control of the Vice Lord Nation, involving kidnapping and the murder of rival members' children. Law enforcement intensified its efforts to remove Lloyd from the street, and from 1994 to 2001, he was again incarcerated for weapons violations.
During Loyd's quarter-century as gang leader, Vice Lord drug deals, extortion and other crimes reportedly led to thousands of homicides. In 1996, police had supposedly linked every murder committed in Chicago's 15th district back to orders from Lloyd.
Lloyd supposedly quit the Vice Lords after his release from prison, and became an outspoken critic of gang life. Lloyd attempted to earn a living as a gang mediator, and he became affiliated with a non-profit organization, as well as DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, where briefly, he was a guest lecturer, which was controversial, in part due to a "field trip" Lloyd had for his students.
In August 2003, Lloyd was shot four times in Garfield Park
Garfield Park, Chicago
Garfield Park, Chicago may refer to:*East Garfield Park, Chicago, a City of Chicago community area*West Garfield Park, Chicago, a City of Chicago community area...
. This was the third assassination attempt on Lloyd. Lloyd became paralyzed from the neck down due to injuries from the shooting. Rumors persisted that Lloyd still wanted to collect a "tax" from the Vice Lords as its leader, even though he had supposedly left gang life. Lloyd has given interviews stating that he believes his attackers included some of his former henchmen.
See also
- US gang graffiti in IraqUS gang graffiti in IraqGang presence in the United States military is a phenomenon in which members of American street gangs such as the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings and many others either join the United States Armed Forces, or are recruited to join the gangs while already in the military. In 2008, FBI gang investigator...
- People NationPeople NationPeople Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago area. They are rivals to the Folk Nation.The People Nation were formed much in the same way as the Folk Nation. In 1978, the El Rukns People Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago...
- Folks NationFolk NationThe Folk Nation is an alliance of street gangs, based in the Chicago area, which has since spread throughout the United States, specifically in the Midwest and the South. They are rivals to the People Nation....
- Conservtive Vice Lords 2010