Almighty Vice Lord Nation
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| Almighty Vice Lord Nation | |
| In | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Edward "Pepalo" Perry |
| Years active | 1958-present |
| Territory | Chicago, Illinois; many large cities throughout the U.S. |
| Ethnicity | mostly African American |
| Membership | 3,600-30,000 |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, murder, mortgage fraud, credit card fraud, money laundering |
| Allies | People Nation |
| Rivals | Folk Nation |
The Almighty Vice Lord Nation (abbreviated AVLN, VLN or CVLN) is the second largest and one of the oldest street gangs in Chicago.[1] Their total membership is estmated to be more than 3,600, but may be as many as 30,000. They are also one of the founding members of the People Nation multi-gang alliance.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Origin and growth
In 1958, the Vice Lords "club" was founded by several African American 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.[1] The name is taken from the dictionary definition of "vice", meaning "to have a tight hold".[1]
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.[1] By 1964, they had grown significantly and law enforcement named them as a primary target for their various illegal activities, including robbery, theft, assaults, battery, intimidation, and extortion.[1] They were noted for their violent behavior and were feared throughout the Lawndale neighborhood.[1]
[edit] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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. The Rockefeller Foundation was unaware of the ultimate goals of the Vice Lords and actually approved the grant.[1] 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 clear that the Vice Lords were still violent criminals as narcotics were introduced to the Lawndale neighborhood, along with a rapid increase in crimes involving intimidation, extortion, and murders of business owners who refused to pay protection money.[1]
[edit] 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 camoflage 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".[1]
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.[1]
[edit] Subgroups
In addition to their presence in Chicago, the Vice Lords also have a large presence in cities such as Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; South Bend, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Memphis, Tennessee; Gary, Indiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Benton Harbor, Michigan.
In addition to the "foundation" group "Conservative Vice Lords", a number of factions and sub-gangs exist. These include the Cicero Insane Vice Lords, Ebony Vice Lords, Executioner Vice Lords, Imperial Insane Vice Lords, Mafia Insane Vice Lords, Renegade Vice Lords, Traveler Vice Lords, Undertaker Vice Lords, and Unknown Vice Lords.
[edit] Symbols and emblems
Vice Lord street gangs use a variety of gang graffiti symbols or emblems, to identify themselves and their gang 'turf' including:
- A hat cocked to the left side.(Left representing the People nations & the right representing the Folk nations)
- Rabbit wearing a bow tie (The Playboy 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 Disciples, 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. Stones, the Vice Lords utilize pseudo-Islamic ideology and symbolism in their gang motif
- Five point crown is another symbol which is widely used as a People Nation symbol.
- Pyramid with an eye above it.
- a six point star broken in half to disrespect Folk 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 to be given respect by all Vice Lord factions. They are usually called "Lord Almighty".
[edit] Willie Lloyd
At one time, Willie Lloyd (leader of the Unknown Vice Lord faction) proclaimed himself "King of Kings" and stated that he was the leader of the entire Vice Lord Nation. In 2003, two years after being released from a long incarceration, he was shot six times in the Garfield Park neighborhood. This was the third assassination attempt on Lloyd.
According to former Austin District police commander Leroy O'Shield in 1996, every murder committed in the 15th district could be directly linked to orders from Lloyd.
