Open Carry In Texas - For or Against?

I work in a gun free building. There has never been a violent crime of any kind committed on the premises to the best of my knowledge. Should management allow guns on the premises? I don't think so. Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX

This is what I mean about your parochialism. Because you live in a middle class bubble of white people at work and in your neighborhood you think the world of America outiside your personal bubble is all there is - but it's not.

Get out into the other America for a change and see how the other half of Americans live.

40% of all Americans never in their lives accumulate even as much as $3,000 dollars in savings. America is a country of drastic disparities of haves and have-nots. In addition as I've mentioned America has huge populations of African Americans and hispanics which have violence engrained into their cultures, and even when they attain wealth these tendencies for violence remain with them.

There used to be a very popular hispanic singer named Selena but she was shot to death by a disgruntled employee of her dress shop. There used to be a talented singer named Marvin Gaye, but one day his father got angry with him and shot him to death. Now there is a rapper named Jay-Z who stabbed his former manager several times with a knife in the doorway of a club. There used to be rappers named Notorious BIG and Tupac Shakur....what happend to them? Another rapper named Snoop Dog was involved in a fatal shooting for which he was indicted. This well known stories goes on and on because these are celebrities, but the same level of violence goes on in these minority communities among people who are not famous so you never hear about them. Go to Mexico and in most cities at night several bodies will be found in the streets from shootings. Mexican gangs in California do the same things.

When is the last time you've heard of a white country singer or white heavy metal band member stabbing his manager? Never.

This is what I mean about your parochialism. Because you live in a middle class bubble of white people at work and in your neighborhood you think the world of America outiside your personal bubble is all there is - but it's not.

Get out into the other America for a change and see how the other half of Americans live.

40% of all Americans never in their lives accumulate even as much as $3,000 dollars in savings. America is a country of drastic disparities of haves and have-nots. In addition as I've mentioned America has huge populations of African Americans and hispanics which have violence engrained into their cultures, and even when they attain wealth these tendencies for violence remain with them.

There used to be a very popular hispanic singer named Selena but she was shot to death by a disgruntled employee of her dress shop. There used to be a talented singer named Marvin Gaye, but one day his father got angry with him and shot him to death. Now there is a rapper named Jay-Z who stabbed his former manager several times with a knife in the doorway of a club. There used to be rappers named Notorious BIG and Tupac Shakur....what happend to them? Another rapper named Snoop Dog was involved in a fatal shooting for which he was indicted. This well known stories goes on and on because these are celebrities, but the same level of violence goes on in these minority communities among people who are not famous so you never hear about them. Go to Mexico and in most cities at night several bodies will be found in the streets from shootings. Mexican gangs in California do the same things.

When is the last time you've heard of a white country singer or white heavy metal band member stabbing his manager? Never. Originally Posted by pussycat

Your comments are ridiculous. I cited my building because it is one of 100s of thousands in the U.S. that are gun free zones and have no incidents. I asked whether or not my building should become a gun free zone because some people like Dante condemn gun free zones. I could have just as easily mentioned Travis HS in South Austin. Very high Hispanic population yet no major problems. Schools, banks, office buildings, bars, etc. in the poorest neighborhoods in the U.S. are gun free zones and they seem to make it through every day with no incidents. It's only when a rare negative incident in a gun free zone occurs that people on both sides of the fence go ballistic.

Oh, by the way, how many of the mass murders in gun free zones in this country have been committed by African Americans or Hispanics from poor backgrounds? Probably zero.

The Alnighter, I agree with your statement.

"Pussycat, your statement is offensive, racist and, honestly, has no place in this discussion".

What the hell does the fact that some well-known Hispanics and African Americans have been killed have to do with gun free zones or other gun rights, which has been the topic of discussion in this thread?

My second line manager at my company, one of the largest in the U.S., is a Senior Vice President who happens to be African American. I would enjoy hearing his comments on your statement:

"America has huge populations of African Americans and hispanics which have violence engrained into their cultures, and even when they attain wealth these tendencies for violence remain with them."

This is what I mean about your parochialism. Because you live in a middle class bubble of white people at work and in your neighborhood you think the world of America outiside your personal bubble is all there is - but it's not.

Get out into the other America for a change and see how the other half of Americans live.

40% of all Americans never in their lives accumulate even as much as $3,000 dollars in savings. America is a country of drastic disparities of haves and have-nots. In addition as I've mentioned America has huge populations of African Americans and hispanics which have violence engrained into their cultures, and even when they attain wealth these tendencies for violence remain with them.

There used to be a very popular hispanic singer named Selena but she was shot to death by a disgruntled employee of her dress shop. There used to be a talented singer named Marvin Gaye, but one day his father got angry with him and shot him to death. Now there is a rapper named Jay-Z who stabbed his former manager several times with a knife in the doorway of a club. There used to be rappers named Notorious BIG and Tupac Shakur....what happend to them? Another rapper named Snoop Dog was involved in a fatal shooting for which he was indicted. This well known stories goes on and on because these are celebrities, but the same level of violence goes on in these minority communities among people who are not famous so you never hear about them. Go to Mexico and in most cities at night several bodies will be found in the streets from shootings. Mexican gangs in California do the same things.

When is the last time you've heard of a white country singer or white heavy metal band member stabbing his manager? Never. Originally Posted by pussycat

#2 - Derogatory racial remarks are simply unacceptable, period. Disrespect another's ethnic background and you will most certainly regret it.

There is no room or tolerance for this type of BS on the board. Check your PM's.

sixx

When is the last time you've heard of a white country singer or white heavy metal band member stabbing his manager? Never. Originally Posted by pussycat

Mebbe yer jus' real good at 'membering when black 'r brown mewsicians dew bad stuff an' let it pass when us good ol' boys dew sump'in violent?

Sid Vicious stabbed an' killt his gurlfriend

Phil Spector shot an' kilt his gurl, too

Yanni din't kill his gurl, but he beat tha crap outta her

Pissy sissy-boy Jack White got jacked-up fer aggramahvated assault

Scott Weiland frum Stoned Templar Pirates beat his ol' lady, tew

Ol' Marky-Mark Wahlberg beat a cupple o' Vietnamese fellers an' left one o' them blind in one eye

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pled guilty as a muthafukkah to makin' death threats an' tryin' ta hire a hitman

Fred Durst frum Limp Bizkit wuz charged wif assualt wif a deadly weapon an' battery an' makin' death threats

An' Johnny Cash shot a man in Reno jus' ta watch 'im die!

#2 - Derogatory racial remarks are simply unacceptable, period. Disrespect another's ethnic background and you will most certainly regret it.

There is no room or tolerance for this type of BS on the board. Check your PM's.

sixx Originally Posted by sixxbach

Are you kidding? You need to read that again. There was nothing derogatory or racial in there. He was pointing out facts.

Are you kidding? You need to read that again. There was nothing derogatory or racial in there. He was pointing out facts. Originally Posted by dante0322

Dante,

I feel that if we were hanging out and I pointed at the sky and said it was blue, you would argue with me even if it was clearly blue.

I guess you are going to ignore the other 2 posters who agreed.

Feel free to RTM so admin can see. I stand behind my judgement.

sixx

Apparently you need to read it again then. What was posted was not racist and especially NO WHERE near what Whispy posts!

Dante,

I feel that if we were hanging out and I pointed at the sky and said it was blue, you would argue with me even if it was clearly blue.

Nope, I just call bullshit when I see it!

I guess you are going to ignore the other 2 posters who agreed.

Feel free to RTM so admin can see. I stand behind my judgement.

sixx Originally Posted by sixxbach

A written test? I can tell you are not a gun owner LOL.

Everyone has the natural right to defend themselves against rape, assault, malicious injury, or attempts at murder. What would having a license or test accomplish? Those who don't get a license are going to do what? Defend themselves with a knife when someone attacks them? When they're dead or worse then what will you say?

A firearm isn't something like a car which you drive on roads at 70 mph with other motorists. It's a discreet device you keep to yourself until you need it. Originally Posted by pussycat

1. Wrong - I am a gun owner. (and they get used once in a while too!)

2. A written exam to show understanding of the law surrounding self defense. Ignorance of the law is no defense.Carrying a gun is not guarantee of surviving an attack, it may or may not improve your odds depending on the situation. When you miss your attacker and hit someone 50 yards away trying to defend yourself what will you say?

3. How would open carry be discreet?

"Pussycat, your statement is offensive, racist and, honestly, has no place in this discussion".

Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX

It is NOT racist or offensive. Not all blacks or Latins cause problems but I can tell you that there is a lot you don't know and it is why we need to protect ourselves! You wouldn't last 1 hour in my old neighborhood!

INTRODUCTION

The Latin King gang is one of the most violent gangs in the United States today, with leaders unafraid to order "hits" on correctional officers and followers unashamed to obey their orders. The history of this gang is written in blood, with episodes so bizarre that they read like chapters from a pulp fiction novel. Members of the Chicago branch of the Latin Kings cherish a history that includes the theft of military ordnance; the murder and subsequent cannabilization of one disobedient inmate member; consorting with a notorious terrorist group; and a high school riot over a Coca-Cola poster.

Nor is their strange history complete: as we go to press in late September, 1996, the search continues for three guns believed to be hidden somewhere in Pontiac Prison. Law enforcement officials continue an urgent search for these weapons, in the belief they are intended for use in the assassination of correctional officers.

OVERVIEW

The Latin Kings began in Chicago over three decades ago and today its influence stretches into 34 states (AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, TX, UT, VT, WA, and WI). In Chicago today the Latin Kings (LKs) are the second largest gang (the GDs have held 1st place for some time, but are now waning somewhat). The Latin Kings have an estimated 18,000 members in Chicago alone.

There are actually two versions of this gang: (1) the Chicago original, and (2) the east coast splinter version. Both operate as violent formal organizations with lengthy written constitutions and by-laws and elaborate ceremonies. The Chicago version is the largest and has a very stable infrastructure where the loyalty of members is maintained by fear. The east coast version is newer and is off-shoot of the Chicago original, and it takes on more of a political tone. These are basically two different gangs today.

This profile focuses mostly on the original Chicago version. Thus, unless otherwise stated, any information provided here applies to the largest and oldest of the Latin King gangs: the Chicago original.

There are some unique aspects of the Latin King gang that are noteworthy and which will be detailed in the profile that follows. One of these is that this is a gang that has a connection to the F.A.L.N. terrorist group. Some evidence to this effect will be provided in this gang profile. Another trait of the Latin Kings is their ruthlessness, they are a particularly violent gang: to other gang rivals, and even to their own members. This gang profile will detail the case of how the Illinois Department of Corrections for years listed Carlos Robles as an escapee, escaping a couple days before his parole the official story went, but who was really "chopped up" in a meat grinder and served to the inmates in the "meat loaf" for dinner at Stateville Prison: the skull of the inmate would be found years later buried in Stateville's yard.

Our direct sources, quoted in this profile, included many "regular" members of the gang, in Chicago and in many other areas outside of Chicago, as well as high-ranking leaders of the gang (two who attained the status of being a "Prince" in the gang).

The NGCRC has scheduled a number of gangs for profiling in future issues of the Journal of Gang Research. The Latin Kings were not scheduled originally for this issue. What prompted us to give priority to the Latin King profile was the fact that this gang has a history of assassinating correctional officers and in early 1996 threatened to kill three more. We have every reason to believe the threats are genuine. To perhaps provide the basis for better prospects of prosecution against this gang, we accelerated the schedule to give attention to the Latin Kings at the earliest possible opportunity.

METHODOLOGY

There were several sources of information and strategies used for this gang profile. A large body of knowledge was accumulated on this gang, enough for an entire book. The primary source of information was that obtained directly from cooperative members of the gang, through intensive multiple interviews over time. Good informants and those with rank were therefore often interviewed repeatedly over a time span of four years.

Many "secret" internal documents of the LKs, both the Chicago original and the east cost version, were obtained for this gang profile. If published in their entirety, a minimum of 600 pages would be required for the length of this profile. We have spent a great amount of time in prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers in a number of states routinely getting information directly from LK members, but we do not have any delusions of grandeur that would motivate us to call this "ethnomethodological research of prison gangs". What we got are good informants, and plenty of them. Some of the best resources for information were those who were not in custody, but still wanted to "make a deal" or share their story.

Finally, quantitative research that is nationwide in scope allowed for capturing LK members in the general gang population. We have this information as well from a number of studies that allowed "picking out" or identifying LK members for special analysis. The NGCRC currently works in over 20 states with a large number of other investigators allowing for the collection of information on gangs like the Latin Kings, and it is not uncommon for such members to simply volunteer further information, that is information above that which we sought using a standard national gang assessment survey instrument.

In summary, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The methodology also had access to important historical information: the secret writings and files of the gang, and we were able to acquire a large number of the cultural artifacts of this gang to add to the National Gang Cultural Artifact and Weapons Exhibit maintained by the NGCRC.

One final comment is useful here and it is addressed to gang apologists. Gang apologists are typically very liberal persons in a confused state who come to the defense of gangs, the extreme version specializes in testifying for gang members in court or at parole hearings for gang leaders. Gang apologists claim that the media and others "demonize" gangs by giving them "bad labels". Here is what we have to say about this: if a gang like the Gangster Disciples or many of its other "Disciple" affiliates uses the symbols of the "Devil" (i.e., devil's head, devil's tail, devil's pitchfork, devil's horns, etc), then it is a gang that labels itself, the media did not do it; if a gang over time develops an earned reputation for "killing", it was not a criminologist or a criminal justice practitioner who gave them the label, they sought that label themselves. The NGCRC does not develop gang profiles on fraternities, sororities, or informal play groups like "Alfalfa and Spanky": the NGCRC develops profiles on known criminal gangs.

VALIDITY ISSUES: QUESTIONS WE WOULD ASK CHICAGO-BASED LATIN KING MEMBERS TO SCREEN THEM AS BEING RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Anyone can "claim" to be a gang member. Gangs call these persons "claimers". We had to develop certain questions, as we do with all gang profiles, to make sure we would not be wasting our time. We do not normally share this type of information as it is the kind of material more usefully shared in training provided by NGCRC staff. However, we will share a couple of these "lie tests" here. These would be useful questions to prosecutors trying Latin King cases where a gang apologist testifying for the defense acts as an "expert witness" and presents himself as a "scholar and research expert" on the Latin Kings.

When we would interview a cooperative person who reported his or her membership affiliation with the LKs, one of the first questions we asked was a cognitive item. This question measured the extent of knowledge about the gang itself, so an older member or someone who claimed to be in the gang for a considerable period of time should know the right answer. The question was "Who is Papa King and where is he today and how did he get there?". Papa King is a legend in the Latin Kings, also known as Papa Santos, he help found the Latin Kings.

Papa King is dead today, killed by his own gang in 1988. This was one of the few "organizational shakeups" in the Latin Kings. Countless members repeated the same oral history: "Lord Gino wanted the organization to go in one direction and Papa King wanted the organization to go in another direction and in the summer of 1988 Papa King was killed". Papa King was in his 40's when he died. There still remains, among some older members of the LKs, an enormous resentment over the killing of Papa King. It is a "sore" in the organization today that is still not fully resolved. Papa King was one of the five original "King of Kings", the other four were: Jose Rivera (now out of prison, AKA "Cadillac Joe"), Eddie Rodriguez (AKA "Tiger), Joe Gunn, and Fast Eddy. They were the first original Latin Kings.

If we had someone who considered himself an "OG", or original part of the organization, then we had another question based on the physical and cultural anthropology of the LKs. We asked the question, "what hair style did the Latin Kings use to identify themselves in the 1960s?". During their early stages as a gang, the LK's had one distinguishing physical trait: they would wear their hair in "Afro's". We knew this from early photographs of the LKs in our files and numerous interviews with older members who later became useful for purposes of prosecuting LK members. As one founder told us: "The LKs in the 60's had Afro's, huge Afro's, to identify themselves. Crow was the last LK to have a huge Afro. Crow (Rivera) was an Inca from Armitage and Kedzie. He died in Menard from an overdose. He swallowed a balloon filled with heroin and cocaine trying to smuggle it in during a visit, the balloon busted inside him".

One question each and every LK member must know the answer to regardless of how much time they have spent in the gang relates to a "sign" the LKs make in ritual greetings to each other. We would therefore ask: "What does this gesture represent: placing the clenched right fist on my heart?". To LKs it means one thing only: "I will die for you". In the Latin King constitution it is regarded as the "National Salute": "A fist upon our heart....it means, "I DIE FOR YOU " for you are flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, son of my mother who is the Universal Nature and follower of Yahve who is the Almighty King of Kings; it also means Love - Strength - Sacrifice".

Another question all current members should know the answer to if they have been exposed to any of the LK internal written "literature" is this: "What does Yahve mean?". In the LKs, "Yahve" stands for "God". "Yahweh" is how it is normally spelled. The LKs intentionally spell it differently as "Yahve". The Latin King constitution identifies "Yahve" as the "Almighty King of Kings", implying sacrilegiously that God himself is a Latin King, or not uncommonly as such gangs are prone to do: that their gang leader is a God.

Another question any member should be able to answer is this: "What are the holy days for Latin King's?". Many gangs have such "high holy days" where they celebrate various things of importance to their gang, such as their gang leaders birthday, or whatever. The answers to this question for validity purposes in assessing members of the LKs is in the LK written constitution and by-laws (see: George Knox, 2000, An Introduction to Gangs, expanded 5th edition). We can share some of this LK constitution here: "In recognition of our culture, each January the 6th will be recognized as Kings Holy Day - a day dedicated to the memory of our departed Brothers and Sisters; a day of sacrifice in which each and every member of the Nation will observe by fasting". In the Christian religion, of course, January 6th is the Ephihany or "Three Kings day". The LK constitution also specifies when the LK's "party": "The first week in the month of March of each and every year is a Nation holiday. This holiday is known as King's Week or Week of the Sun. This holiday is the Nation's anniversary and is a week of celebration".

What the LK's use themselves to "test" another member for validity is also a question the answer to which can be found only in the written constitution and by-laws of the LKs. It is the question: "What are the three stages of Kingism?". We do not need to share the answers here, the point should be clear: we had elaborate controls on the validity of our "data". We would routinely cut short interviews with persons who could not answer basic questions about the LKs. We would listen to, reward, and record information from those we judged by our assessment center approach to be knowledgeable members of the LK gang.

The NGCRC has for years functioned as a resource for state and federal prosecutors in gang cases by providing such insights on a large number of gangs. The NGCRC has a policy of not assisting the defense in gang cases, with one exception: cases where a member "flips" and provides testimony against his or her own gang, we have helped such persons who flipped against their gang, saving them from imprisonment and/or reducing their sentences and/or getting them out early.

THE GENESIS OF THE LATIN KINGS

The NGCRC accumulates a lot of historical material on gangs, official records from social service programs serving gangs, archived official records, etc. Prior to 1961 we have no record whatsoever of the Latin Kings. Up until about 1960 there were a great many active gangs in Chicago that had "gang outreach workers" assigned to them by social service agencies: Imperials, Egyptian Cobras (and Cobrettes), Braves, Vice Lords (Senior, Junior, Midget, Pee Wee, Vice Ladies; various chapters like the Maypole Vice Lords), Burpies, Aces, Flames, Iron Dukes, Tomahawks, Clovers, Vampires, Noble Lords, Vikings, Simon City Royals, Autocrats, Mumchecks, Lancers, Spanish Cobras, Latin Counts, etc. Similarly, there were many other gangs that had no such workers assigned to them as of 1959: Angels, Apaches, Bandit Counts, Barrons, Blue Notes, Chaplains, Cherokees, Clicks, Comos, Condors, Conquerors, Cool Click, Corvettes, Del Vikings, Diggers, Dolphins, El Commandos, Emeralds, Jr. Blue Flames, Jr. Romans, Jr. Saints, Jr. Vikings, Gladiators, Kansas City Gang, Latin Lovers, Little Loafers, Monarchs, Muscatels, Navahoes, Night Owls, Ohio Dukes, Old Angels, Pacers, Pharoahs, Primo Raiders, Ravens, Rebels, Red Devils, Red Lions, Regents, Romans, Royal Kings, Saints, Satan's Angels, Scorpians, Shady Oaks, Shy Lads, Skulls, Sex Club, Shamrocks, Sharks, Sixteenth Street Rats, Sons of Satan, Spanish Gents, Tarantulas, Taylor Bishops, Tigers, Texans, Tornados, Trotters, Valley Boys, Warriors, White Ghosts, and others.

The gang "Ambrose" did exist as early as 1960 according to these same historical records, and it fought with a Mexican/Puerto Rican gang at that time called the "Royal Kings". The Royal Kings operated in a number of areas and "hung out" for example at a snack shop located at Loomis and Filmore, they operated from Madison to 26th street, from Halsted to Western. The members were in the age range of 16 to 22. Another hangout for the Royal Kings was at Polk and Laflin, and operated in the geographical turf defined by Harrison to Roosevelt, and from Loomis to Ashland. The "Gaylords" existed back in 1960 as well, as did the Latin Counts.

By 1963 some additional gangs got detached social workers to work with them: Spanish Kings, Junior Sinners, the Jokers, and others, but still no record of the Latin Kings as an entity by the name "Latin Kings".

But by 1966 the "Latin Kings" were up and going strong throughout the City of Chicago. So our best estimate for the genesis of the Latin Kings is in the time frame of 1964-65. From our view of Chicago gang history, the YMCA "detached gang worker" program basically invented what today is known as a "shout out". The YMCA gang program used a newsletter distributed to gang members throughout the city called The Turning Point. Gangs like the Latin Kings and the Simon City Royals in 1966 could publish their "shout outs" in the YMCA newsletter. Here are some examples:

"BOOM: LATIN QUEENS REPORTING

This is Chiqrita reporting for those hip Jr. Queens. Everyone in the territory is keeping things tight and right. We all took a trip to Leaning Tower, it turned out to be big thrill. The trip was sponsored by Carlos Castro and Rory Guerra and it made a big hit with all the juniors. We're planning to cut out of the neighborhood on other trips, so soon as Carlos says the word. Nina has been getting raps from all the guys but she already knows who her man is. Olga is ready to get married as soon as G.I. Joe (RICCO) finishes his term in the Army. Theresa the Polock has been given the guys looks with green eyes. This is one of the Latin Queens reporting. We have seen lots of workers operating from the Y.M.C.A. We have seen Mr. Rivera and Mr. Bach and the rest of the workers. We respect them all."

"LATIN KINGS REPORTING

This is Robert reporting from the mightiest of the mighty Latin Kings. We had a boss time on our trip to Paw Paw, Michigan. We went swimming, boating and to town. We are planning to go horse back riding in a few days. A lot of the boys are splitting up. Gruk and Lora broke up. Apache is back from California with his strong raps. You know his rap. Whats happening, thats his rap. He keeps all his women up tight."

What basically went on in early Chicago gang history, if anyone is looking for advice on WHAT NOT TO DO in gang prevention, is that in the late 50's and early 60's kids who joined gangs or formed gangs got services, the badder the gang, the more "fun resources" they got, the incentive was there to continue as an organizational entity. This early "gang work" was done with good intentions by probably sincere social workers, but basically was not very well thought out on a more abstract level in as much as basically boiled down to "gang management" by means of providing attractive benefits to gang members. Clearly, the Latin Kings was one of these gangs our society inadvertently nourished as an organizational entity. Like a simple principle from what we know about "crowd control", gang members should be dealt with as individuals, not as a group or organizational entity is one fundamental lesson from the history of gangs.

It is possible, then, reviewing the above material that the southside faction of what is today known as the "Latin Kings" may have evolved from what clearly existed as the "Royal Kings". Secondly, the "Royal Kings" fought with the "Ambrose", and the "Latin Kings" (People) continued a pattern of enmity with the Ambrose(Folks) up to the present day. Early in its genesis, the Latin Kings on the northside at least, learned that the badder you act, the more benefits you get from government funded programs. We should not be surprised, then, that today as this gang profile is being written the Illinois Department of Corrections is in a crisis because of what amounts to the same thing.

Finally, we must report that there is no "perfect" historical chain of evidence here about the genesis of the Latin Kings. The truth is probably somewhere in-between the official records and the oral history of the gang. According to the oral history of the gang the very first chapter of the LKs was founded at 18th Street and Wabash, and it was founded by Papa King, AKA "Papa Santos". Before that Papa Santos was in the Young Lords from NYC. After Papa Santos left the southside, he moved to Levitt and Schiller on Chicago's northside, this became the original chapter of the LKs on the northwest side (this is different from the Northside chapter of the LKs). The first chapter of the LKs on the Northside is said have grown out of the Noble Knights. All of this is from the "oral history" recollections of old-timers in the LKs.

SYMBOLS

A "people" gang, the Latin Kings use the colors black and gold/yellow to represent their gang, and the most common symbol they use is a "crown" for "King". The "crown" may have three or five points. They also make exclusive use of the trademark symbol known as the "master", often with a tear drop. Some of these Latin King symbols are provided here in Figure 1. Figure 1 illustrates examples of the symbols for this gang obtained directly from members of the Latin Kings. Thus, each "drawing" was done by a different member. Like most gangs, where about a third of the members will "flip" and cooperate with authorities to the point of providing testimony given the right circumstances, it was not hard to get information on the Latin Kings.

We have an interesting story we use in our gang training program about the symbols of the Latin Kings that is valuable to include here. The Latin King hand sign is made by all fingers and thumb extended, but with the two middle fingers down; and of course the extended fingers or hand pointing up: this "puts up the crown". Rival gangs that want to "throw down the crown" or insult the Latin Kings use the same hand sign but upside down.

In the spring of 1994 (on 3-22-94) the Cocacola company had an advertising campaign that reached into public schools, posters displaying the words at the top called "Keys to the Future". The poster included minority youths in different dress styles, bubbles from the Cocacola, a number of different youthful "dress styles", including one youth in hip hop dress style who is definitely "signing" in gang language. The "gang representation" here was, we must believe, accidental; but included a youth in the advertising poster who was basically throwing down the crown by the upside down Latin King hand sign.

At Farragut High School that day (3-22-94) the posters were displayed throughout the lunch room. This just happened to be a school where a lot of Latin Kings are represented in the student population. When the students had their lunch period, and the Latin Kings saw the poster, a riot broke out. The Latin Kings were infuriated, ripping down posters, breaking up the cafeteria and the school, the police swarmed in, arrests were made, that inflamed the gang riot even more, and the students marched towards the police station to confront the police again.

It became a major disturbance. Needless to say the "Keys to the Future" posters rapidly disappeared from the market place. We still have one we use in gang training however, but we must remark that we have never had anyone from the advertising industry attend any of our sessions yet.

WHO's WHO IN THE LATIN KINGS

The original Chicago-based Latin King gang is a formal organization. We are grateful for the information provided here from a high ranking defector who is currently working with federal investigators to bring down this organization. The authors of this profile have been working with this intelligence asset for several years. Thus, it is fair to say that a strong positive relationship existed with this very reliable source who held a position near the very top of the organization, just under the Sun-King and the Corona positions.

At the very top of the Latin King gang is the Sun-King: Raul Gonzalez, AKA "Baby King". He was from Chicago's southside faction of the Latin Kings, but is now out of prison, and therefore as a Corona, has control of all Latin King operations outside of that in the correctional system. The "La Corona" controls the gang's activities now behind bars: Gustavo Colon, AKA "Lord Gino". These are the two top leaders of the Latin Kings and have held their positions unchallenged for many years. Underneath these two leaders are an assortment of positions and middle-management slots. We will only identify those positions of substantial "rank" in the gang as a whole. These are positions of authority and leadership that transcend individual chapters of the gang.

The "Crown Prince" is such a position that exists as an administrative assistant to the top leaders. The current Crown Prince is Pedro Rey, AKA "Forehead". His job is basically that of the chief overseer of the gang.

Both the Sun King and the Corona have their appointed "Advisors" as well. These are the personal executive assistants to the top leaders of the gang. Current such advisors to Lord Gino include: Charlie Padilla, AKA "Big C"; "Kike"; "Havao"; and "Compa". Current advisors to Baby King include: "Sex Machine", "Beretta", "Dino", and Rudy Rangel (AKA "Kato").

There is also the "Council of Princes". This group consists of leaders from various chapters of the gang who function as administrators of the operations of the organization and implement the policies and goals set by the Sun-King and the Corona. The current chairman of the Council of Princes is Pedro Rey, hailing from the Northwest side chapter of the LKs. Other members include: Caspar Rosario, AKA "Casper"; Felix Jusino, AKA "Lil Kato"; Rudy Martinez, AKA "El Cubano"; Juan Perea, AKA "Mustang"; Arturo Zambrano, AKA "Tino"; and Michael Contreras, AKA "Country".

Another important council in the LK organization that is also organization-wide is the "Crown Council". This body is led by the "Crown Chairman", currently Eddie Rodriquez, AKA "Tiger". The purpose of this group is that it is capable of making new laws for their gang or modifying old ones, and it also functions as a "court" or "trial procedure" for the gang. Current members of the "Crown Council" include: Paul Diaz, AKA "Popeye"; Willie Cabrera, AKA "The Beast"; Juan Padilla, AKA "Meme"; Radame Velasquez, AKA "Kato"; Edward Ranconi, AKA "Scar"; and Chris Novak, AKA "Novak". The ranks associated with names may not be accurate at the present time for the primary reason of aging effects: this profile was written years ago, and the version presented here is a sanitized version. It could very well be that some of the persons named in this profile and in all NGCRC profiles may not even be alive today, it is indeed possible that some have flipped and may no longer be active in their gang as well. Any name listing herein simply indicates that at the time of data collection (years ago) these individuals were indeed gang members involved in these leadership roles. Today we are certainly aware that some have "dropped their flag", or claim to have renounced gang life all together. Indeed one of the persons in this specific paragraph as recently as Spring of 2010 wrote to the NGCRC from his prison location, claiming that he is "not affilliated with a Security Threat Group anymore", of course he was writing to the NGCRC from one of the most secure prisons in the USA.

Chiefs of Security for the LKs provide the "enforcer" function for the gang and work together across the geographical territory controlled by the LKs. Current members include: William Gonzalez, AKA "Kong" representing the Northwest side; William Chacon, AKA "Spade" representing the Northside; and Moe Garcia, AKA "Moe", representing the Southside.

Treasurers for the overall organization are an important position, obviously, as they handle financial transactions. Current treasurers include: Jose Rivera, AKA "Cadillac Joe", who handles the Northwest side and suburbs; Sam Madhi, AKA "Arabian Joe", who handles the Southside; and Paul Diaz, AKA "Popeye", who handles the Northside.

The position of "Investigators" is a powerful position in the LK organization. The duty of the Investigator is to check into the background of all new LK members during their 30-day probationary period and report their findings to the Crown Council. They are the "eyes and ears" of the LK organization by gathering intelligence on rivals as well. Current "investigators" for the LKs include the following members: Freddy Quinones, AKA "Lil Freddy", who represents the Northwest side; Frank Periche, AKA "Flaco", who represents the Northside; and Juan Mendiola, AKA "Ricco", who represents the Southside.

There are also the "Finance Committees" and the "Business Committees". These parallel the controlling geographical influences of the gang, where the differentiation is between the Southside as one influence, and the North and Northwest sides as the other influence. It is important to note that "B.K." the Sun-King hails from the Southside; while "Lord Gino" hails from the North and Northwest side. This is an important differentiation that has affected the gang in its historical development and evolution over the years. It is equivalent to "what barrio are you from?".

The work of the "Finance Committees" and the "Business Committees" explains why it is so difficult to put a gang like the Latin Kings out of business in their drug trade operations. Those who sell the drugs might, in a lucky case, be able to trace the chain of accountability for drug conspiracy charges back to one of the operatives of the Business Committee, but would never be able to put a dent in the "Finance Committee". And it is the "Finance Committee" that purchases the drugs at wholesale. It is the "Business Committee" that distributes the drugs by selling them at retail prices. The "Finance Committee" would have the funds from the gang to make substantial purchases of the "pure product" directly from Colombian drug cartel sources in the case of cocaine products. While it is the "Business Committee" that would mix or "cut" the drug, package it and arrange for its sale and distribution.

Current members of the "Finance Committee" for the Northside and Northwest side include: Gustavo Colon (the Chairman); Rudy Martinez; Jose Rivera; Frank Periche; William Gonzalez; Sophia Matarazzo; and Oscar Burgos. Current members of the "Finance Committee" for the Southside include: Raul Gonzalez (Chairman); Michael Contreras; Rudy Rangel; Arturo Zambrano; Edward Ranconi; Juan Perea; Juan Mendiola; and Linda Guzman.

Current members of the "Business Committee" for the Northside and Northwest side include: Kike Rivera, AKA "Kike"; Edwin Rivera, AKA "Shorty"; Ramon Rivera, AKA "Baby"; Edward Mendez, AKA "Spanky"; Felix Jusino; Paul Diaz; and "Buff". Current members of the Southside "Business Committee" include: "Beretta"; "Sex Machine"; "Mando"; Linda Guzman, AKA "Queen Linda"; Juan Mendiola; Rudy Rangel; Juan Perea; and Edward Ranconi. Obviously, there is some overlap between these organizational functions that allows for interfacing between the two different geographical operations.

Finally, there is the "Secretary" of the Latin King Nation: Sophia Matarazzo, AKA "Sunshine". She takes the minutes of all inner circle meetings, keeps records of membership, and distributes the Latin King literature.

CHAPTER INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE CHICAGO-BASED LATIN KINGS

The organizational infrastructure of the Chicago-based Latin Kings is a command structure that is specified in writing in their constitution and by-laws. This infrastructure provides for a variety of leadership positions at the "chapter level". These are not equivalent in rank and status to the "gang nation" positions outlined in the section "Who's Who in the Latin Kings". Persons who hold the "ranks" described here have no authority outside of their street chapter or prison chapter of their respective gang.

The typical street chapter of the Latin Kings has the following organizational arrangement from top down: Inca, Cacique, Enforcers, Treasurer, Investigator, Secretary, Cleaners, Throwers, and the basic rank and file member. There may be a female associated group, called the Latin Queens, but must be attached to a male driven chapter, they do not exist on their own as independent operators. There may also be "pee wee" members, but they are not privy to the secret operations of the chapter of the gang and are not normally allowed to attend its weekly meetings. This has very important implications for those who consider themselves "experts on the Latin Kings". This warrants separate commentary below.

One of the two university professors conned by the GDs into testifying at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board hearing in February of 1995, for the release of Larry Hoover, Dwight Conquergood of Northwestern University, can be found in the print media presenting himself as a scholar and research expert on the Latin Kings. Conquergood's research methodology or way of getting information is called "ethnography", or getting close up to the culture by living in it or with it. Did he do that? Well, he did get funding to rent an apartment in Chicago, where he claims he was able to observe the goings-on of gangs including the Latin Kings. Naturally, he suggests that society should not place such harsh "labels" on gang members and that if they just had jobs that gangs like the Latin Kings would be less attractive lifestyles (see: "Trust Enables Professor to Study Gang Culture", by Scott Fornek, Chicago Sun-Times, June 12, 1994, p. 12). We seriously doubt someone who pays the bail money for gang members or acts in the capacity as a exploitable resource for them is going to get access to the "secrets" of a gang. Mostly, simply dealing with "pee wees" is not going to be a valid source of information about the gang.

We will shortly be detailing what really goes on inside a typical Latin King meeting. The "pee wees" are not allowed inside these meetings. Thus, only regular members are allowed inside the gang meetings. The "pee wees" and "associates" are, however, systematically "courted": they are given every possible positive impression the gang can give them, some of the associates, but not all, are invited to the meetings as a way of "courting" new members. Yet the truth remains: only when they become regular members will they discover the truth about the gang - it is a gang based on crime and violence as a way of life.

CHAPTER INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE LATIN KINGS INSIDE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES

The Latin King chapters inside correctional facilities operate much like those on the streets and share the bulk of the rules and regulations and the "literature" of their outside counterparts. The structure looks like this from the top down: at the very top is the Inca. Each facility may have an "Inca". This is a spot that does not necessarily "transfer" to other facilities or the outside. Underneath the "Inca" are the following positions: Cacique, Enforcer, Crown Chairman, Investigator, Treasurer, and Secretary. Where the gang in one facility is dispersed into different "cellhouses" or buildings, there will also be separate roles for: cellhouse chief, cellhouse enforcer, cellhouse treasurer, and cellhouse security.

STATISTICAL PROFILE OF THE TYPICAL LATIN KING MEMBER

Project GANGPINT in 1995 carried out by the NGCRC was able to survey about 2,000 gang members in several states. Some N = 82 members of the Latin Kings were able to be pulled out of this sample for the statistical profile provided here. Here are the major lifespan developmental milestones of the LK member:

Mean Age Developmental Factor in the Lifespan of the LK Member

8.8 Age first heard anything about "gangs".

8.9Age first met someone who was in a gang.

9.0 Age first "bullied" by someone in school.

9.9 Age first "bullied" someone else in school.

11.0Age first fired a pistol or revolver.

11.5Age first saw some killed or seriously injured by gang violence.

11.6 Age first arrested for any crime.

12.3 Age they first joined the gang.

12.6Age first got their own real gun.

12.8 Age first got a permanent tattoo.

15.6 Age at time we surveyed them for this profile.

23.0 Age they expect to get legally married to someone.

25.1 Age they expect to quit the gang.

57.8 Age they expect to die.

Other important trends found among members of the LK gang are as follows:

* Typical member has an average of 16.8 prior arrests.

* 95.1 percent worry about the safety of their family members.

* 89 percent think their parents/family worry about the LK member of the family being killed.

* 78.5 percent believed that "fear is the only effective means that you can use to control children".

* 72.8 percent felt "there is hardly anything lower than a person who does not feel a great deal of love, gratitude, and respect for his/her mother", while only 57.5 percent felt the same way about father.

* 55.1 percent have been in court-mandated psychological counseling or therapy.

* 33.8 percent have been in a drug/substance abuse counseling program.

* 91.0 percent indicated "I believe in God", and 28.2 percent expected to go to hell in the afterlife.

* 91.0 percent do not want their own children in the gang.

* 94.9 percent have been suspended from school, 65.4 percent have been expelled from school.

* 44.7 percent have tried to quit the gang.

* 64.8 percent have been "violated" by their own gang.

* 69.3 percent had other family members who are in a gang.

* 74.7 percent have fired a gun at someone to defend their gang turf.

* 57.3 percent have been a shooter in a drive-by shooting.

* 66.7 percent are willing to die for their gang friends.

* 73.3 percent have recruited other persons into the gang.

* Most confirmed that their gang has written rules and that their gang has adult leaders who have been in the gang for a very long time, and that their gang holds regular meetings, that their gang has a treasury, and that their gang has existed for about 20 years.

THE MEAT LOAF STORY

We first learned of this true story in 1992. We did not find out who the two guys that did the killing were until shortly before going to press with this profile: a hard core Cuban member of the LKs who came on the boat lift, described as "a cold blooded Cuban who killed without regard" and the other guy was a small white guy that Gino and BK took under his wing.

As of the fall of 1996 no one has ever been prosecuted for the murder. And to our knowledge the Illinois Department of Corrections still lists the victim as an "escapee".

This is a story of how ruthlessness one gang, the Latin Kings, can be in disciplining its own members. Our information comes from the 2nd in command (a Prince) of the gang at that time who is now a federal informant in the witness protection program. We have spent much time with this particular ex-member of the LKs over a three year period: including about 40 hours of face-to-face interviewing, and about 80 hours of telephone interviewing.

In 1981, the leader of Chicago's southside chapter, one Raul Gonzalez (AKA "Baby King") of the Latin Kings had a "run in" with a member of the northside chapter of the Latin Kings. What happened was that the leader "Baby King" was basically "disrespected" by an inmate known as Carlos Robles. Because Rolez was basically in the same gang, just in a different geographical unit, Baby King approach the leader of the northside chapter of the LKN, Gino Colon, and got his "blessing" to change Carlos Robles permanently before he is released.

About two years later, when he was in the Illinois State Penitentiary, inmate Rolez would get his "violation" for disrespecting the southside leader of the ALKN. Two of the most whacked out members of the southside LKN chapter were chosen for the "hit". Rolez was to be murdered. These were two gang members who were heavy PCP users.

The way the "hit" was carried out was quite clever. The two Whacko's intending to kill Carlos, basically told him they were throwing him a "going away party". Carlos was scheduled to be paroled in two days when the hit took place in July, 1983. As is common in corrupting correctional staff, the two hitmen got permission from the cellhouse guard to use the basement for the going away party. The basement of the cellhouse unit has the showers the inmates use.

Carlos entered the basement of the cellhouse with the two whackos for his "parole party".

They proceeded to use their homemade weapons. Not little "shanks" as homemade knifes are called, but rather the much larger Machetes, usually about two feet long and made out of heavy gauge steel.

First they cut off Carlos' head. Then one arm, then the other arm. With a little hacking, off went one leg, then the other. They chopped at the torso, cutting it into smaller pieces. The head was the only body part that could not be sliced up into smaller pieces. The arms and legs were then chopped into smaller pieces. Blood was everywhere. But all the two whackos did was turn on the showers and let the blood run down the drain. Basically washing off the body parts.

Members of their own gang, cooperating upstairs in the cell house, helped next. As the two whackos placed the body parts into plastic bags, a "diversion" fight was staged. This allowed the two whackos to go through the tunnel which led to what was then the butcher shop area of the prisons kitchen.

The Black inmate working in the butcher shop that day was a Gangster Disciple, and as a "Folks" gang, is always opposed to Latin Kings (a "Peoples" gang). The two whackos asked him for a favor, for which they would reward him with some drugs and cash money. They asked him to "grind" up the body parts in the older meat grinder that was there, a very large commercial grade meat grinder. On the menu for the evening meal that night at Stateville Penitentiary was "meat loaf".

The GD in charge of the butcher shop, once offered the drugs and money to grind up the body parts, simply asked "who is in the bag". The two whacko's replied "he is one of our own", not one of yours.

The GD agreed, and ground up the body parts with the pork and beef that was also going into the meat loaf for the evening meal.

Shortly before the bells rung for the inmates to go to evening chow in the inmate dining room, two gangs already had much advance warning about what not to eat that night. The GD's and the Latin Kings spread the word amongst themselves: don't eat on the main line tonight.

In the dining hall that night, only the gangs that did not know the real recipe for the meatloaf ate their food. Some inmate chow hounds were pleasantly surprised to find so many friendly Latin Kings and GD's offering their entre for the evening meal to other hungry inmates.

No traces of the skin, bones, teeth, or blood of Carlos Robles were ever found. That is for years. The skull bone apparently simply "rolled around" in the meat grinder like a basketball spinning on a net rim, and thus it had to be buried. The skull was dug up in 1995 in the yard at Stateville (see: "Skull Dug up in Stateville Prison", Chicago Tribune, April 16, 1995, p. 2).

To this day, the official position of the Illinois Department of Corrections is that "Rolez escaped a day before his parole when a tour of church visitors was in the facility". Did Carlos really escape one day before his parole?

Or do we believe the gang that killed him?

Why do you think some people call meatloaf "mystery meat"?

I guess our message to the other prison gangs is that you really are what you eat, in this case at least.

This has been a true story. One of the two whackos is still serving his life sentence in Stateville. The other whacko has since been released and is now happily married and could be working as a chef at a government center employee cafeteria somewhere.

ONE BOOK WAS BASED ON THE LATIN KINGS

Another commonality between gang types (People, Folks, Crips, Bloods, Other) is an issue that has previously appeared in the at least one contribution to the literature in Felix Padilla's The Gang as an American Enterprise(1992, Rutgers University Press, 109 Church Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901). In his ethnographic study of the Latin Kings in Chicago, he concluded that some gang members become alienated from their "gang work" (i.e., selling drugs). That is they feel just as exploited financially as they would feel if they worked at a local fastfood franchise, being paid the minimum wage: the real profits go to the top owners of the enterprise, not to the workers.

So Padilla (1992) asserts, we believe correctly, that the economic income activities of the gang become sometimes viewed as exploitive. Or as other authors in the Journal of Gang Research have argued: gangs imitate other social forms. This is the only way we can account for the fact that in September of 1996 the Gangster Disciples came out with their own book: claiming now that Larry Hoover is a kind of "God" who speaks with thunder and that he leads a group formerly known as "Gangster Disciples" but who are now all about "Growth and Development" for their community: it is a public relations gimmick, plain and simple, and gangs that have that kind of money can easily do what corporations do when they face "heat": they engage in a public relations function.

This theme is easy to understand in analyzing the historical minutes of one chapter of the LKs that will be detailed later in this gang profile. The LKs are meticulous about keeping "minutes" of their meetings and accounting for money, who owes what, and how much is spent on what. Our analysis is certainly consistent with that of Padilla (1992). However, this "exploitive" aspect is not in anyway unique to the Latin Kings. It is an aspect that gang members find out about only when they join gangs and to our knowledge applies to most such centralized authoritarian formal gangs that exist in the United States today.

HOW THE LATIN KINGS TOOK DOWN A NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY

In the late 1970's the Latin Kings took down a national guard armory making away with a number of military weapons. This contributed to some of the Chicago gang folk lore in the 1980's about how the Latin Kings were a "heavily armed" gang and had powerful military weapons. We asked a leader who had spent 20 years in the gang, before being forced to basically testify against his own gang in a situation comparable to that in the movieAmerican Me except this particularly member was not going to accept being killed and he flipped instead, to tell us how the Latin Kings took down the armory and here is his story:

"In 1977 or 1978 we hit the armory at North Avenue and Kedzie. We got an M-60, thousands of rounds of ammunition, two crates of M-16's, and a crate of hand grenades. The next day after the burglary, the cops went postal on us. They were all over the Humboldt Park area for a couple of days, it looked like martial law. We took the M-60 to hid it at Hector's house, so what does Hector do, he has it on its stand, the tripod, in his attic, and it is visible through the window to the outside street...two gang cops stop on Spaulding and Beach, they look up at Hector's attic window, and they see the M-60 in plain view. So the cops got the M-60 back, but not any of the hand grenades or the M16's. We tried one of the hand grenades in Humboldt Park, it left a crater. We sold one crate of the M16's to the Spanish Lords and the Unknowns who were allies at the time. And we kept one crate of the M16's for ourselves. A lot of the M16's are still out there. I know, my brother still has one of them."

THE LATIN KING CONNECTION TO THE F.A.L.N. TERRORIST GROUP

We had first heard of a possible linkage between some members of the FALN terrorist group and the Latin Kings back in 1990 when one cooperative member of the LKs claimed such a connection existed. We discounted it at the time, but information developed over the years and culminated in hard evidence. The typical report we would get from LK members was this: "When Luis Rosa was imprisoned at Stateville the SGD's (Satans Gangster Disciples) tried to pull him their way because he is a bomb expert, but we got him to ride under our flag instead, he taught us how to make some wicked shit down there, Rosa taught us how to make some shit with batteries and remote control with a cell phone, taught us stuff about wiring bombs, taught us how to make homemade napalm, it was toxic substance, like a gluey toxic substance, some killer shit to make Molotov cocktails out of". Luis Rosa was one of 11 FALN members arrested in 1980 in Evanston, Illinois and later convicted.

Luis Rosa is listed in the Libertad, an extreme leftist publication of the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Political Prisoners of War (2048 W. Division, Chicago, IL 60622, email address: ncprpowpp@aol.com), as serving a 105 year sentence at Joliet presently (IDOC #N02743, DOB 8/6/60).

We continued to be skeptical of such accounts. Then they appeared over and over. Then we got lucky. In our historical approach to developing gang profile information we routinely collect old photographs of the gang, and gangs like the LKs are very predictable in this regard: they love to pose for pictures that members keep in their gang photo albums. We have collected dozens of these photo albums over the years, and literally thousands of such photos, usually paying a small fee to the LK member to acquire these artifacts. We got lucky in one of the photo albums when we found the photograph showing a group of Latin Kings posing in the yard of Stateville Penitentiary that included, guess who, Luis Rosa.

THE MOLOTOV COCKTAIL: A FAVORITE ARSON TECHNIQUE OF THE LATIN KINGS

In Illinois arson is one of the only six crimes for which there is no statute of limitation: prosecution may commence at any time. The Latin Kings seem to have had a particularly strong history of using the Molotov cocktail in arsons against: (1) rival gang member homes, (2) homes or businesses of citizens who testify against Latin Kings, and (3) buildings where the family of suspected informants in their own gang may reside in.

We can illustrate one particularly gruesome case from Joliet, Illinois involving this MO of the LKs.

On November 21st, in 1993, in what used to be a quiet neighborhood on Joliet's east, but poorer, side of town, 91-year-old, Nicolasa Esquibel was confined to a bed for health reasons. Living in the same house was a young gang member that the Latin Kings wanted to send a message to. The message was gunfire and a Molotov cocktail. The young "folks" gang member residing there was not even home at the time. But Nicolasa Esquibel was. Because she was bed-ridden, she was burned alive when the Joliet chapter of the Latin Kings decided to "light up" her house. Nine members of the Latin Kings were brought to trial, four were convicted of arson-murder, two were convicted of theft charges (one of whom had his case overturned completely as was set free: Eddie Olender), and three others were acquitted. Two of the local LK leaders brought to trial were Anthony Montoya and Fidel Nino. Nino got a 75-year sentence, Montaya got a 80-year sentence, Freddie Gonzalez got a 40-year sentence, and Mario Gonzalez got a 35 year sentence for the arson-murder. Just as we were going to press with this gang profile, Anthony Montoya won a new trial because of prosecutorial errors in the Will County, Illinois trial (see: Jerry Shnay, "2nd Case Overturned in Fatal Fire: Will County's Errors May Free 2 Others", Chicago Tribune, 1996, September 17, 1996). Earlier in 1996, Fidel Nino had his case overturned for prosecutorial misconduct as well.

For this reason, arson investigators need to know about the gang profile of the LKs. Also, as gang members are prone over time to "give up the story", it is also useful that prosecutors in states where arson has no statute of limitations to consider prosecuting such older cases that can be linked to the LKs.

LATIN KINGS ON THE CHICAGO POLICE FORCE

The controversy that unfolded in Chicago in the fall of 1995 was not limited to the Latin Kings, but basically boiled down to the fact that there were active gang members who were also Chicago police officers. The information seemed overwhelming, from 1992 to 1995 "at least 15 cops have been charged with crimes, forced to resign" who were from "some of Chicago's most notorious street gangs, including the Gangster Disciples, the Latin Kings, and the Latin Lovers" (see: Jorge Oclander, "Gangs Move Into Police Ranks", Chicago Sun-Times, October 6, 1995, pp. 1, 22-23. For example, two officers charged with robbing a store in the summer of 1995 of $700 to $1000 worth of fireworks were identified by the CPD's Internal Affairs Division as being Latin King members (see: Jorge Oclander, "Something Fishy Going On: Neighborhood Wary of Gangs' Link to Cops", October 9, 1995, pp. 1, 8).

CHRISTIANITY: ONE WAY OUT OF THE GANG

We have not been able to get consistent agreement on this issue in debriefing LK members, but at least one high ranking leader of the LK gang told us that one way out of the gang is for a member to convert to Christianity. As he explained: "in the Latin Kings....unity is very strong in this gang....membership is very loyal to those in command, often borne out of fear, because the gang will kill its own members routinely, so the first and foremost law of the gang is once a King, always a King: the only exception is to go to the Corona and ask for permission to retire on the basis you are a Christian, but you better not backslide, or get caught faking, because the penalty is death..."

Another member reiterated this possibility of getting out of the gang through a religious conversion: "guys do it in the joint all the time, if you make a sincere conversion, they will not even violate you out, but if they find out you were faking it, then it's a death violation".

GOING UNDERGROUND: A MORE COMMON WAY OUT OF THE GANG

Simply "disappearing" and cutting off all ties to the gang and moving to a new city where there is no known LK activity is a more common way out of the gang. One LK member who "dropped his flag" in this fashion provided substantial information on the Latin Kings that is reported elsewhere (see: An Introduction to Gangs, 1994, by George Knox, Wyndham Hall Press). This LK member after shooting a rival gang member simply panicked, thinking he may have killed the victim, and moved out of state to attend college. This LK member returned a few years later and took a job in the Cook County Court system (having no arrest record, because he quit the gang shortly after doing the shooting which was a part of his initiation into the LKs). His nightmare, however, was that he would be walking the hallway of the court building someday and see his old homies from the LK gang.

FLIPPING: A SURE FIRE WAY OUT OF THE GANG

Flipping is a sure fire way out of the gang. Flipping can mean "dropping your flag" and joining another gang or providing testimony against the LKs. If a LK member joins another gang, the member will always face an uncertain future. The Latin Kings are described by one ex-member of the gang as being "a ruthless organization where the main focus is economics, they've gone from being a one-chapter group to being a nationwide organization". The only way we have been able to verify that someone becomes a true "ex" member of the gang is to testify against other members of the same gang. As in the Aryan Brotherhood where the motto is "kill to get in, die to get out", the Latin Kings use the expression: "once a King, always a King". In other words, you can run, but you cannot hide, if they catch up with you, there will be a reckoning. It is routine for the LK gang to put a "money bag" on its members who flip and cooperate with investigators, that is a "hit". This is why in Illinois and elsewhere new improvements have been made in the state criminal code to provide for "witness protection and relocation assistance".

THE FEMALE AUXILIARY UNIT OF THE GANG: LATIN QUEENS

For the past twenty years in Chicago female students who attended Chicago public schools have had to live with the fear of the well-earned reputation of the female members of the Latin Kings. The female members are called "Latin Queens". They exist to aid and assist the male members. Not surprisingly, it is not exactly a feminist organization, the men run this gang. But as one high ranking source told us who had become a resource for federal investigators: "Latin Queens make our gang similar to an extended family...we treated our Queens like they were our true sisters...the penalty for disrespecting a Queen is death...you can disrespect a male member, and depending on the situation --- whether the guy had any rank, etc --- you can walk away alive...but you can get killed just for calling a Latin Queen a bitch especially if she is married to a Latin King...we trained them to be just as ruthless as we were....we trained them to never back down from business...you will have to do it.....they fight with any rival gang females and with guys....they will shot at them, the whole nine yards....".

ALLIES AND ENEMIES OF THE LATIN KINGS

The Latin Kings are a "people" gang, they use the "5 pointed star", or more appropriately the 5 pointed crown, but still maintain today an alliance structure with other people or brother gangs. Consequently, the Latin Kings have as their "enemy" all "folks" gangs.

The Spanish Cobras are perhaps one of the single largest enemies of the LKs, the Spanish Cobras are a folks gang, they are an enemy because the LK's gave the Unknowns the greenlight to kill the Spanish Cobra leader (King Cobra, "KC", about 1979).

The Latin Disciples would probably be the second main enemy of the LKs, because they still believe the LKs were behind the hit of their leader "Hitler", even though the LKs say it was the C-Notes who really killed "Hitler".

The Maniac Latin Disciples, or MLDs, are one such folks gang that are an enemy to the Latin Kings. As one LK member explained: "The MLDs are very violent....something they replicated from the Latin Kings.....they seek to be as ruthless as the latin kings, their primary enemy....their existence depends on ruthlessness because they are not as large an organization as the Latin Kings...they used to be called the Latin Scorpians from Rockwell and Hirsch in Chicago".

Another gang that basically emerged to a criminal gang almost overnight simply because of violence with the Latin Kings is seen in the case of the Orchestra Albany gang (i.e., the OA's). As detailed by a LK member: "Orchestra Albany started as a Puerto Rican salsa band until the Latin Kings from Arlington and Kedzie went over and attended one of their block parties...the OA's colors were brown and gold....the Latin Kings were there in their war sweaters....LKs mistook the brown and gold for black and gold and thought the OA's were perpetrating and misrepresenting Latin King Nation colors...a fight broke out and then shots rang out, one of the OAs got killed, and they turned from a street band to a street gang over night, and a few nights later the OA's killed "Queen Lefty", she was the first Latin Queen to ever get killed". There is no group more hostile to the Latin Kings today than the OA's. The OA's arose as a criminal gang because of violence from the Latin Kings.

The Maniac Latin Disciples is another fierce rival to the Latin Kings, a folks gang obviously.

A standard MO of the Latin Kings is to drive in a car, with about 4 Latin King occupants, and go out "hunting" for an opportunity for a drive-by. It is often an initiation ceremony as well.

The single largest or best ally of the LKs is the "Insane Unknowns". The gang originally called themselves Unknown Latin Kings, but changed their colors to Black and White, and became the Insane Unknowns.

The Spanish Lords, a people gang, are one of the LK allies; as a LK member told us: "the Spanish Lords are like a second cousin to us.....their chief was Corky...he OD'd in Stateville in 1989....but their gang has been around since the 60s.....they have never been too deep though".

The Cullerton Deuces were running with the LKs at one time and then the entire gang (the Cullerton Deuces are not a very large gang) "flip flopped" its alliance system: changing from a People gang to a "Folks" gang when a confrontation with LK's left one of the CD's dead.

The "Metros" is another Illinois gang, operating in East St. Louis, Illinois, and in the IDOC, that the Latin Kings have an alliance with. According to one of our sources in the Latin Kings: "Gino was the one who first hooked up with them, Gino had the job of driving a garbage truck in Menard where he is currently serving his sentence, that's how they move drugs from one cellhouse to the other in Menard, and it was there that we established a cooperative linkage with the Metros".

A LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC FUNCTION OF THE LATIN KINGS

Some of this information on the economic structure and function of the Latin Kings was previously made available in the book length report from the NGCRC "Project GANGECON" (THE ECONOMICS OF GANG LIFE: A Task Force Report of the National Gang Crime Research Center, Co-Principal Investigators: George W. Knox; Edward D. Tromanhauser; James G. Houston; Brad Martin; Robert E. Morris; Thomas F. McCurrie; John L. Laskey; and Dorothy Papachristos, 1995). The Latin Kings are known to own or control a number of what might appear on the outside to be "legitimate businesses", typically "cash" businesses, such as: Beeper communications, a dance hall, a pool hall, etc, which are cash businesses, perfect as well for laundering money from the gang's drug proceeds. Explained one high ranking member of the LKs: "we had a lot of businesses, we had a car wash right across the street from Humboldt Park, we had to shut it down when the feds found out we were selling drugs out of there, but we also had video stores, apartment buildings, restaurants, you name it, hell we are one of the biggest enterprises in Chicago today -- drugs -- and we have been holding it down for thirty years, so what do you think."

One reason, a high ranking member of the LKs told us, why little may be known about the financial aspects of gang life is that this is a sub rosa and secret activity. Many gangs, do however, have "dues" requirements:

"Every member has to pay a certain amount,say $5.00, and in the Latin Kings a treasurer will go around to the chapters to collect the dues. It is always kept balanced, so if somebody goes out and takes care of business, he is supposed to be provided with bond money and a lawyer (they keep lawyers on retainer),the guys at the top have certain crews in each chapter that sell drugs directly for them...the sellers they get a percentage of everything they sell...and then of course they are allowed to make their own money also...but whatever they sell for the organization the profits end up in the hands of the guys at the top...the council I sat on...a lot of this structure still remains the same....except we branched out to some new cities...and the money is coming in everyday seven days a week. It is always wise to....a lot of it is spent, it is a risky business, you might as well enjoy what you can make while you've got it. Its a big thing to have a nice ride. They spend $19K on the car and spend another $10k on toys: stereos, car phone, etc. We had a couple of those, with door panels secretly fitted, if the car was going to hold 5 keys of cocaine, if they got pulled over , five oh (the police) would not have a clue as to where to look. When we would go do drops or pickups we always had a chase car, 4 guys armed to the teeth just in case something happened they would be right there, a security measure so to speak."

"The only way a lot of these guys can hide their finances you can never put anything under your name, it has to be a third party....I had a relative who was heavily involved in real estate....we let him handle a lot of our finances....we always kept bank accounts under fictitious and false names...I don't know how they are doing it...but the bankers we dealt with, they never question it..."

"The people they are dealing with, they have their own way of getting around modern banking regulations..."

"The first very large sum of cash I saw at one time while in the Latin Kings was one I saw for about two bills....that's two million dollars...later I learned that was small. it was split up 8 different ways...the ones that had their investments in it...it was counted out...and split up...no big thing..." "Trying to pass laws against gangs that exist because there is money in it is like trying to outlaw ice cream....what people want they are going to get...whether its bud (reefer, marijuana, etc)...or harder drugs....Al Capone taught us that. There is always going to be somebody else to step in...you can't put the gang out of a business that has faces no regulations....the boys might be arrested....but the business will go on. Gang business is pure business...no regulations other than what it agrees to, just the opposition or competition to worry about."

Regarding drug sellers for the Latin Kings: "a lot of em were exploited...we treated a lot of ours good though...they made 20 cents on the dollar...the other 80 percent was split upstairs...we made sure they had the props...we set them up in apartments so they did not have to work on the streets...i was given the responsibility to oversee our operations in 5 states...all some of the outlying groups were lacking was product which we quickly provided them with....the territories in question were virgin territories, and were considered neutral turf, but other organizations did exist there and when they learned what we were doing...they wanted a piece of the action and they wanted a war if they did not get a piece....i went out there to start a business, i had a sit down with the heads of these other organizations, let them know the product being sold is being sold to you guys and not their customers, we are doing this on neutral ground, we started selling them products at lower prices and a higher quality than they could not get elsewhere...they eventually ended up becoming our allies...which had the effect of strengthening our own network..."

About gang economics behind bars: "When I flipped.... a guy in (the prison) was holding some of my money and would not give it to me because I was in seg waiting for transfer...it was $3800 bucks...he had it hid in his tv....I asked the warden if they could collect it for me...and they sort of agreed if I would tell them where the money was hidden...I told them, but they burned me....they gave me a bogus move...they gave me a hundred bucks as like a little reward for the tip....the warden said it was all dirty money....we cant prove it was yours...we'll give you a hundred bucks...we'll put the rest in the inmate fund...."

A LOOK INSIDE THE FINANCIAL RECORDS OF A LATIN KING CHAPTER

The present researchers had access to what must be regarded as very sensitive documents already in the hands of law enforcement agencies, because we obtained this information again from the gang member involved who had "flipped" and turned this same information over to law enforcement agencies investigating and prosecuting members of the same gang. Appendix A contains the exact transcripts of this information that were as accurate as we could transcribe them. These are hand-written documents, not typed original source documents that are laboriously transcribed in Appendix A. We have intentionally omitted certain specific information about addresses and full names and telephone or other numbers relating to the same internal record information. For reference purposes, Appendix A is provided at the end of this gang profile.

The information being referred to in Appendix A is therefore very genuine and reflects the detailed membership, dues, internal structural change, and expenses associated with one Chicago chapter of the Latin Kings. There are many such chapters or sets, which exist non-contiguously not only within the City of Chicago, but the entire Chicago metropolitan area extending deep into the midwestern United States.

The "data" here therefore consists of actual genuine documents maintained by the gang as its official records. We have included only a transcription of a six month period of activity during 1990 for the purposes of illustrating some issues about the economic functions of gangs. We feel that a short analysis of these documents in Appendix A provide the basis for discussing the legitimacy of some hitherto unexplored aspects about gang economics.

About this "data", it was in handwritten form, transcribed literally in Appendix A for purposes of cross-reference here. Here are some of the trends in this data:

*** Associates of the gang, whose names appear in records, do later become full gang members.

*** A very democratic process operates in voting for sanctions and for promotions in rank.

*** A frequent activity of the gang is order maintenance: sanctioning its own members for infractions and not meeting financial obligations.

*** Such sanctions typically are "violations" or monetary fines. The violations are beatings from up to four members of the gang lasting specific time limits: 30 seconds, 60 seconds, etc. The fines sometimes involve situations where the individual gang member may lose a gun owned by the gang, that is a gun purchased from its treasury money (i.e., paying a $50.00 fine for losing a $150.00 pistol).

*** The gang does seem to benefit from the underground economy in having opportunities over time to purchase firearms at reasonable prices. This type of gang is a rational, calculating, and self-supporting enterprise is the image that emerges from the data in Appendix A. It has costs for maintaining its operations, it collects dues, and keeps accurate account of its gang treasury money, its income sources over time and its expenditures over time.

*** The gang does spend its treasury money on guns, gang clothing, spray paint to "fix the hood", and in what appears to be a structured general welfare benefit program to its needy or incarcerated members.

*** The gang has this general welfare benefit character by being able to provide money to its needy members in or outside of jail/prison. The gang does in this sense function as an economic benevolent society for its members in a small but very symbolic way.

*** The gang becomes politically correct in voting to have "non-smoking" meetings, and then sanctions several members for subsequently smoking behavior. Violations are also given for being late to, or missing, required meetings. The required weekly meetings are held promptly and neatly organized as any formal or voluntary organization might behave. The notes and ledgers are also meticulously maintained by the gang secretary. Where this type of organizational meeting differs from others that might be held in the same neighborhood (religious or political meetings, community groups, advisory groups, etc), is that internal control can be achieved by the use of violence against detractors to organizational effectiveness.

*** The gang spends money on parties, and does maintain a relationship to the larger Nation (other chapters or sets, i.e., attending the yearly gang picnic, having other chapter gang members visit their own meetings, etc).

*** All of the gang income to the treasury is dues money. The gang is steadfast about requirements for paying regular dues. It even passes new laws to punish deadbeats.

*** The amount of cash in the treasury varies over this six month period from a low of $1.00 to a high of $437.00 at any one particular time during this period. And averaged about $200 during the six month period.

*** Typical expenses included in this gang's ledgers included: (1) the purchase of guns ($75.00/357 revolver; $70.00/22 revolver; $150.00/32 pistol; $250.00/9mm pistol), (2) payments to incarcerated members as direct payments of cash ($192.00) in small increments to several different members, and (3) misc. operating expenses (spray paint, gang t-shirts, etc $277.00).

*** The gang spends an inordinate amount of time with internal conflicts and with disciplining its members. Cohesion, compliance, and conformity are maintained through the use of violence by the gang against its own members.

*** These findings are based on the written minutes of weekly punctual gang meetings over a six month period, and suggest clearly the importance of understanding the gang in terms of its internal friction in relationship to its own fiscal solvency. This type of level three formal organization gang does have regular meetings, and does require dues to be paid regularly from its members.

Apparently, there is another side about gang life in America that has not emerged in anthropological studies of younger gang members who may not be at all knowledgeable of this larger picture. "Shorties" or "Peewees" as associates of a real gang might be easily approached by such anthropological techniques, but these type of data sources are the least likely to actually be knowledgeable about the larger financial and economic issues of gang life today. Someone who pays dues, is someone who might be privy to the kind of economic functions that gangs may have today. A peewee or very young wannabe or associate may not be required to pay dues because they are not considered genuine or official members of the gang, and therefore will never be attending gang meetings on a regular basis to overhear "Nation business".

THE 1989 ASSASSINATION OF OFFICER LAWRENCE KUSH

On July 1, 1989 a correctional officer at the Stateville Correctional Center, Lawrence Kush, Jr., was assassinated by the Latin Kings while on the job. Attacked from behind with pipes and other weapons, Kush would die a day later, but was one of 30 officers on a "hit list" prepared by the Latin Kings (see: Jerry Thomas, "Gangs a Rising Threat to Prison Guards", Chicago Tribune, November 28, 1993). Why did the Latin Kings target correctional officers? Clearly, all evidence points to one thing: the officers were doing their job, and that meant they were a threat to the inside drug business of the Latin Kings.

The key issue readers need to understand here is that any ordinary member of the Latin Kings, or even one with "rank" or power, cannot on his own order or undertake a "hit" against anyone, especially a correctional officer. This type of serious activity must be "approved" of by the top gang leaders. This is important to understand because of the fact that the top gang leaders of the LKs have never been held accountable as of this date. Let us share some information from middle-management leaders of the Latin Kings who were in fact in this same penitentiary and were directly knowledgeable of the Kush assassination:

"Kush was the type of officer who came to work to do his job, he was young. He was not like Officers ____ and ___ who were shake-down artists, who really started it, they started fucking with Lord Gino, Lord Gino told them I was doing time before you were born, so fuck off, they didn't back off, in fact they searched Lord Gino's cell, Lord Gino had a strainer in his cell used for mixing and preparing cocaine and it had cocaine residue on it, Kush wrote up Gino, then Gino told our mob: I want Kush hit today."

Said another high-ranking source in the LKs:

"Gino summoned me to the law library where carried out our executive meetings and he said I want Kush hit. I was not in agreement with him, you can deal with him on the outside is what I tried to argue, I suggested sending Kush pictures of his wife and children. Then Gino got kind of pissed that me and ____ may have been obstructing his authority, by not endorsing the hit on Kush, and he said If you two guys try to have this hit blocked I will have you both hit. In our gang you cannot order a murder of a correctional officer without it being approved and called by the top leader (Lord Gino)."

Three inmates were indicted for the murder of Officer Kush: William Cabrera, David Starks, and Salvatore Giancana. These Latin Kings were prosecuted in Will County, Illinois, and there was some thought among our informants that the prosecution was bungled. First it took about four years to bring the killers to trial. By then one, Sal Giancana, had already died. That left Starks and Cabrera. Starks was spared the death penalty (see: Jerry Shnay, "Inmate is spared death penalty: Prisoner convicted in guard's death awaits sentencing", Chicago Tribune, March 15, 1994). Secondly, the one ranking LK gang member that did flip in the case and provide the testimony for prosecution of the three killers was someone we interviewed for this gang profile, and this person clearly indicated that he had provided substantial information that could have been used to go after the top leaders of the LKs, but the evidence was not used.

PREVIOUS FAILURE TO PROSECUTE THE LATIN KING LEADERS IN THE KUSH ASSASSINATION BRINGS ABOUT ANOTHER CRISIS IN THE ILLINOIS PRISON SYSTEM IN 1996

On January 12th, 1996 a LK member named Florencio Pecina was an inmate in the Pontiac prison, who was holding a knife in his hand in a threatening manner and when a correctional officer demanded he surrender the weapon refused to do so, and a watchful armed officer backing up the unarmed officer fired a fatal shot at Pecina. This is straight-forward as any inmate knows, it was a justifiable homicide: the same thing would occur on the street if a police officer faced the same incident. But the Latin King leadership had become bolder having successfully insulated their leadership from prosecution in the Kush assassination. So soon the word came down from the LK top leadership: retaliate.

Latin Kings throughout Illinois, but especially in the Pontiac Prison, began chanting "Three for One". This echoed the LK leadership approval for retaliation against employees of the Illinois Department of Corrections and meant: if you killed one of ours (Pecina), we will kill three of you (IDOC staff or officers).

Throughout the spring and summer of 1996, the tension mounted and escalated, rioting ensued, institutions went on complete "lock down", and well up until the time of going to press with this gang profile, the threat to kill three IDOC employees continues, as does the search for handguns and ammunition believed to have been smuggled in by the Latin Kings to carry out this retaliation (see: Gary Marx, "Fearing that inmates have weapon, state squad scours Pontiac", Chicago Tribune, September 8, 1996, p. 4). Currently, the "three for one" threat has escalated to a crisis condition.

Have the LKs tried to carry out the "three for one" threat after the death of Pecina? Yes. In February of 1996, a LK member was ordered by Pedro Rey, a LK middle management leader, to kill an IDOC officer, but the member turned himself in and the assassination was prevented. About two weeks later, an officer in Pontiac was severely wounded in a knife attack but recovered from his wounds.

The "back drop" for this "three for one" threat was the political fall out from the infamous "Richard Speck tapes", these were videotapes of Richard Speck and another inmate known as "Hooks" having sex and snorting from a bowl of cocaine, tapes believed to have been made by GDs, that showed the inmates having run of the prison; other tapes emerged showing gang "parties", with open sex going on with female visitors in the family visiting room. The Illinois legislature investigated, the media attention spiraled upwards, and finally in the late summer of 1996, the IDOC itself implemented stiff reforms as the legislative investigation "cooled out" until after the election. In late September, 1996 IDOC officials were still overturning every source they could to locate the guns believed to have been smuggled in by the Latin Kings.

We have been interviewing one high ranking member of the Latin Kings for over three years, spending over 40 hours with him as he is an enormous intelligence asset for federal investigators, and this is what he had to say about the "three for one" threat: "they are definitely going to carry it out, the man behind the three for one deal is no one other than Lord Gino. A Latin King member, no matter what his rank, in Pontiac cannot on his own have an officer hit. Only Lord Gino can order it. So if Lord Gino sent that order down it is not a matter of if the hits will take place, but when the hits will take place".

The logic here is that anyone in the LK organization who carries out the "3 for 1" threat will probably gain immediate elevation in their rank and status in the gang, and there are plenty of such individuals around eager to please their top gang leaders and get a "promotion" at the same time. Asked to examine some scenarios for timing, more than one source suggested the attack would be likely to occur on a commemorative date: a date when Latin Kings remember a "fallen comrade", or an anniversary for when a Latin King member was killed.

The other historical factor of importance here is the individual history on Florencio Pecina. Pecina had himself developed a "reputation" for being able to literally get away with murder. Here is the background on this issue from one of his fellow LK members: "Pecina got away with a murder in Stateville....he only served 30 days in the hole for killing a guy they found out was actually serving time for being a child molester.....they cut off his penis and put it in his mouth; when we discovered one of our own had a rap sheet that included child molesting I had recommended that we send him to PC, but they hit the guy anyhow; if they say they are going to hit 3 officers they are going to do it, Gino does not care, he is not worried about being indicted, his soldiers are going to carry out his orders regardless of the consequences".

THE LATIN KINGS ARE A RACIALLY INTEGRATED GANG

We have routinely found white and Black members of the LKs, as well as members whose families recently moved to Chicago from Iraq, Palestine, Poland, Asian countries, etc. In regard to ethnic composition, the LKs are predominantly Latin (Mexican and Puerto Rican, and Cuban), but clearly their membership is a veritable "rainbow" when it comes to ethnicity and race.

THE EAST-COAST VERSION OF THE LATIN KINGS

Pedro Millan (AKA: "Chico"), a Chicago-based Latin King, moved to New York and Spanish Harlem in 1978 and is said to have spread the gang to the east coast at this time. He was soon joined by Luis Filipe (AKA "King Blood"). Pedro moved to Connecticut, and formed another chapter of the LKs out there. Pedro Millan did have Papa King's blessing to start a new chapter in New York, but Pedro did not have the blessing of Lord Gino to operate as an equal in status, i.e., a "Corona" or "Chief Crown". Pedro was supposed to go through Lord Gino being from the Northside LKs, but he went to Papa King instead for the blessing to be a "missionary" to spread the LKs to the east coast.

So theoretically there is more than some potential for friction between the east coast version of the LKs and the Chicago original. The primary reason is this: the east coast version has its own written lengthy constitution and by-laws, and as well as an assortment of "gang forms" such as "handling deaths and paying for the burial of LK members". Chicago has never tried to compete with Connecticut and New York for who is the supreme command of the LKs. The issue is who is the "national crown". If the east coast members and their leaders meet the Chicago members and Chicago leaders, there could be friction. A worse scenario, however, would be that an amalgamation or consolidation/merger scenario might unfold where a true national council would develop for an even stronger LK gang system.

The east coast version of the LKs has gained a great deal of media coverage in recent years and they seem to enjoy it. The Chicago original LKs are skilled at avoiding any media coverage and shy away from the media as if reporters and TV crews were the plague.

A couple things can be said about the East Coast version of the Latin Kings. Their written constitution and by-laws and other internal documents reflect the highest level of organizational skill we have seen in any gang anywhere in the world. This east-coast version of the LKs is a gang that emulates a federal bureaucracy in its detail given to policies and procedures and illustrates a high level of sophistication in its micro-management of membership behavior (i.e., standards, guidelines, etc). In fact, when we first saw the East-Coast LK constitution around 1991 we thought it was an experiment gone bad: perhaps a federal project or something where the "sting" got out of control or went awry, because the gang's internal documents and by-laws, forms, etc could not have been written much better if a federal attorney had done so. So in terms of displaying a sense of organizational sophistication, at least on paper, the East-Coast version is clearly superior to its Chicago original. Figure 2 illustrates this kind of exceptional "style". Figure 2 is an internal memo of the east coast Latin Kings restructuring the gang by means of appointing "regional commanders".

OVERALL THREAT RATING FOR THE LATIN KINGS

The Latin Kings are a Level Three gang organization: they exist as a centralized, authoritarian, violent formal organization complete with a written constitution and by-laws. As a gang they have often taken advantage of any political corruption they could, but do so on a "case by case" basis: where it helps, they do it for business, and in this sense fit the more classic pattern of organized crime. From a perspective of size of the gang, its penetration of communities outside of its epicenter (i.e., Chicago), and its propensity for violence, we would give this gang an 8 on a zero to ten point scale (the higher the number the higher the threat), making it one of the most threatening gangs in the United States today.

Dante, give it a rest. We were having a somewhat decent discussion on open carry and other gun control issues. Out of nowhere Pussycat posts the following:


America has huge populations of African Americans and hispanics which have violence engrained into their cultures, and even when they attain wealth these tendencies for violence remain with them.

There used to be a very popular hispanic singer named Selena but she was shot to death by a disgruntled employee of her dress shop. There used to be a talented singer named Marvin Gaye, but one day his father got angry with him and shot him to death. Now there is a rapper named Jay-Z who stabbed his former manager several times with a knife in the doorway of a club. There used to be rappers named Notorious BIG and Tupac Shakur....what happend to them? Another rapper named Snoop Dog was involved in a fatal shooting for which he was indicted. This well known stories goes on and on because these are celebrities, but the same level of violence goes on in these minority communities among people who are not famous so you never hear about them. Go to Mexico and in most cities at night several bodies will be found in the streets from shootings. Mexican gangs in California do the same things.

When is the last time you've heard of a white country singer or white heavy metal band member stabbing his manager? Never.

The first paragraph is a negative stereotype of African Americans and Hispanics, most of whom are hard-working individuals trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. The second and third paragraphs simply have no place in this thread.

Thanks SpeedRacerXXX.

You are right, the derogatory racial remarks have no place in this thread. This thread was ON TOPIC for about 7 pages. Let's get back on topic. Consider this a friendly warning.

sixx

I'm opposed to open carry and have given my reasons why. The thread turned to broader issues of gun rights and the level of violence in society and the need for self-protection because of posts made by Speedracer. He's the one who claimed that because he feels safe in his life that guns are unnecessary. I pointed out that in my own experience and in the crime figures that America is, and always has been, a violent society. However I was challenged again when Speedracer pointed out that other countries have less violence than America. I then expanded on that by pointing out that ethnic groups in America from those countries with low violence have the same level of violence in America. Germans in Germany have the same level of violence as German Americans. Koreans in Korea have the same level of violence as Korean Americans. French in France have the same level of violence as Americans of French ancestry. Nigierians in Nigeria have the same level of violence as Americans of Nigerian ancestry. This was not a racial slur. This is explaining why crime is high in some societies and low in others. I didn't say that to insult any member of those groups. Nor did I say that people of European ancestry don't also commit violence. Just look at the biker shootout in Waco as one of many examples of that. However if we want to understand the facts then we have to look at the numbers because every country and society has gun violence, even those in which guns are banned. To understand the facts we have to look at the numbers reflecting the whole picture in each society. Looking at this particular incident here and there helps us understand nothing.

I'm opposed to open carry and have given my reasons why. The thread turned to broader issues of gun rights and the level of violence in society and the need for self-protection because of posts made by Speedracer. He's the one who claimed that because he feels safe in his life that guns are unnecessary. I pointed out that in my own experience and in the crime figures that America is, and always has been, a violent society. However I was challenged again when Speedracer pointed out that other countries have less violence than America. I then expanded on that by pointing out that ethnic groups in America from those countries with low violence have the same level of violence in America. Germans in Germany have the same level of violence as German Americans. Koreans in Korea have the same level of violence as Korean Americans. French in France have the same level of violence as Americans of French ancestry. Nigierians in Nigeria have the same level of violence as Americans of Nigerian ancestry. This was not a racial slur. This is explaining why crime is high in some societies and low in others. I didn't say that to insult any member of those groups. Nor did I say that people of European ancestry don't also commit violence. Just look at the biker shootout in Waco as one of many examples of that. However if we want to understand the facts then we have to look at the numbers because every country and society has gun violence, even those in which guns are banned. To understand the facts we have to look at the numbers reflecting the whole picture in each society. Looking at this particular incident here and there helps us understand nothing. Originally Posted by pussycat

I was responding in detail to your note when my system crashed and I lost the response. So I'll simply ask you one question at this time regarding your statement:

Nigerians in Nigeria have the same level of violence as Americans of Nigerian ancestry.

Please supply us with the source of the facts of the statement, which to me, again, is totally racist. I'd be willing to bet that all Nigerians who emigrated here in order to find a better life for themselves and their families would take great exception to that statement.