Gangster Disciples
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[edit] 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.[1] He ran the gang from prison until he was transferred to a higher security wing in the 1990s. 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. Hoover and his Supreme Gangsters hung around their neighborhood at the corner of 68th and Green Street in impoverished Englewood on the South Side of Chicago. 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.
The gang is estimated to have over 64,103 members in the chicago-city area, and 150,000 members in the country, and even 400,000 members world-wide. The gang has also been seen in the game Saints Row; the 3rd Street Saints, one of the street gangs in the game, were supposedly based on the Gangster Disciples but this is still unknown. The gang has a very strong presence on the eastern coast of the USA.
A testament to the gang's international reach, graffiti characteristic of the Gangster Disciples has been reportedly seen in U.S. military bases in Iraq.
The gang is considered a criminal organization and is one of the most violent gangs in the USA. It is considered the strongest gang in the Folk Nation.
[edit] 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 one being Disciple Nation Gangs in Tacoma Washington, Southside Villain Folks. Today, Georgia is one of the biggest disciple houses in the United States with its prisons containing one of the most important folk members who ever lived, Earl Porter, aka King Porter from middle Georgia. Porter had been raised in Chicago on the South Side, but 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 Disciples heard from Earl ever since. His disciple branch was never complete. His brother Mike a.k.a. Mike Mayor was found dead after a three million dollar drug deal gone bad. King Earl should have been the Nation's 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 prison for drug trafficking charges in Atlanta, GA.
[edit] 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. The Chairman Larry Hoover needed a way to take over the drug game in Chicago. In 1978 the Englewood community was selling the most heroin and cocaine in Chicago. "Clever Larry" needed the drug game to spread, at the BGD picnic held at Washington Park Hoover met other loyal Gangsters from the west side who were willing to join the general on major Lumpsome of heroin and crack cocaine that was shipped from Englewood to Garfield Park, 22nd and State, Fosko Park and Franklin Park. Mant of the Plans had died out within the time period of 15 years the first west side joint was Franklin Park to get indicted. The Drug Lords were Tennessee aka James B. Georgia aka Frank Gordon, and Kentucy aka Kenton Kendricks. After the west side went down Gangster Disciple had to keep the drug flow on the south side. Hoover said "Chicago Police is too hot on the westside"...
[edit] 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[who?] 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 Ed "Lil E" Isom 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.
A brief biography featuring varying viewpoints on Larry Hoover appeared on an episdoe of American Gangster on BET. Hoover is now serving his life sentence in a Federal super-maximum security prison in Colorado.
[edit] Symbols and emblems
Gangster Disciples follow a strict code and use symbol's and hand signs to let others know who they are and who they are "down" with
- Star of David A reference and homage to David Barksdale formed using fingers on both hands
- Heart with wings
- Shepard's cane inverted
- A three pointed pitch-fork aiming upwards
- An inverted Pentagram (Peoples Nation symbol when not inverted)
- The letter G or letters GD, IGD or BGD
- The numbers 7-4 (G is the seventh letter of the alphabet and D is the fourth)
- The numbers 2-7-4-14- BGDN the second seventh fourth and fourteenth letters
- Recently the words Power and Money have taken an important meaning
- The letters MMM which represent Money Mac and Murder (known as the 3 M's)
Any of these can be incorporated into drawings, onto notes, hand signals, into a private alphabet, or displayed in various forms on clothing and private or public property[2]
