Almighty Vice Lord Nation
| Founded by | Edward "Pepalo" Perry |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Years active | 1958-present |
| Territory | Chicago, Illinois; many large cities throughout the U.S. |
| Ethnicity | mostly African American |
| Membership (est.) | 120,000 |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, murder, mortgage fraud, credit card fraud, money laundering |
| Allies | People Nation |
| Rivals | Folk Nation, Crips,BGDN,MLDS |
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 estimated to be more than 120,000. They are also one of the founding members of the People Nation multi-gang alliance.[1]
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]
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 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]. It has however been assumed that CVL, Inc. was undermined by gang members who didn't like the idea of the gang reforming. The Chicago police also never fully supported the organization to begin with. Even legit community organizations had a hard time getting the police to work with them. Many critics say this put a deeper wedge within the community and law enforcement, Which in turn exacerbated the gang problem even to this day.
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 of the devil".[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]
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, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio;Little Rock, Arkansas ;Indianapolis, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Memphis, Tennessee; Gary, Indiana; Jackson and Gulfport , Mississippi the two largest cities in the state ; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Along with the 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, Insane Vice Lords, Gangster Vice Lords, Black Vice Lords, Traveler Vice Lords, Ghost Vice Lords Mafia, Renegade Vice Lords,Traveling Vice Lords, Undertaker Vice Lords, Unknown Vice Lords, 12th street players and Gaston Point Vice Lord Mafia in Gaston Point, North Gulfport, Orange Grove, Olivet, Magnolia Grove and Sherwood areas of Gulfport, Mississippi.
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 represents the People Nation alliance and cocking to the right represents the Folk Nation alliance)
- Rabbit wearing a bow tie (The playboy logo)
- Martini glass
- A glove
- Top hat
- Cane
- Saracen Symbols of The Legendary Arabian Anti-Crusaders
- Five-points of the golden 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 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 disciples nation]].
- Five point crown
Each faction of the Vice Lords has their own 'Chief'elite and over seers. 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
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 four 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.
See also