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For other uses, see Latin kings (disambiguation). Criminal organization| Founded by | Papa Santos |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Chicago,Illinois  |
| Years active | 1940 - present |
| Territory | New York USA |
| Ethnicity | mostly Hispanic |
| Membership (est.) | 10,000-15,000 |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, murder |
The Latin Kings is a Chicago/New York based street gang consisting of mainly Latino members. They are part of the People Nation alliance. It began as a social organization for the advancement of the Puerto Rican community in the Chicago area in the 1940s and has since spread to U.S. cities, throughout Latin America, and into Europe, specifically Spain.
By the 1970s, the Latin Kings came to be dominated by individuals engaged in criminal activity, and in particular, narcotics trafficking.
The Chicago Latin King History
The first evidence of the Latin Kings was 1961, but became organized on wider scale by 1966. The Latin Kings started in the Humboldt Park section of the North Side in Chicago, Illinois and stood for Puerto Rican Pride and Independence from the United States. Members soon became involved in criminal activities. At the time, the Vice Lords and Gaylords were the Latin Kings' only enemies. Since then, many Latino Gangs started appearing in Chicago and started feuds with the Latin Kings.
Urban gangs, including the Latin Kings, would receive benefits for working and meeting with social workers. These perks included trips, boating, horseback riding, and other activities. The more dangerous the government perceived a gang, the more likely the gang was to receive benefits. The Latin Kings took advantage of these perks by acting "bad" and gaining government sympathy. Today, the government no longer provides perks of any kind to gangs.
In Chicago, the Latin Kings have 25,000 members and are the largest Latino gang in the city. Their symbols include the five point star (which represents their alliance to the People Nation), the Master, Lions, and a five point crown. A perfect example of the Latin Kings' violence (to rival gangs and their own members) can be found in the book My Bloody Life: The Making of Latin King. The book was authored by a former Chicago Latin King.
The New York City Latin Kings History
In 1986, Luis Felipe, calling himself "King Blood", joined the Latin Kings in Chicago. Felipe was born in Cuba to a prostitute mother; he never knew his father. As a child, Felipe turned to crime early, and landed in Cuban prison in the late 1970s for a murder when he was a teenager. After Fidel Castro allowed unhappy Cubans (including some prisoners) to leave Cuba, Felipe emigrated to Miami and then to Chicago. While in Chicago, Felipe developed an addiction to heroin; that addiction introduced him to the drug-dealing Latin Kings. His daredevil attitude and his early exposure to crime helped him to rise quickly through the King ranks. This drew the Chicago Police Department's attention, and to avoid incarceration, in 1981, Felipe fled to New York, where one year later he was convicted of killing an ex-girlfriend and sent to New York state prison for 9 years.
On January 26 1986, he formed the Almighty Latin King Nation of New York State at the Collins Correctional Institution. Within a few years, the Latin Kings spread through the New York State Prison system and onto the streets. By the early 1990s, New York City was home to several hundred members, a number which grew into the thousands throughout New York State and New Jersey by the mid-1990s. He used hand written letters to send messages outside of prison. When Felipe wanted to take down some one he wrote it down. He wanted more and more people to be taken down. But later he realized that his writing down came back to haunt him.
Black and Gold is the color of the gang. Black represents death; gold stands for the sign of the sun.
Latin King Identifiers
City of Members of the Latin Kings are identified by their black and gold-colored clothing. Symbols or Tattoos include Five-Pointed Crown, The Master ( King Character from Deck of Playing Cards), Lions, 5-Point Star. Other abbreviations used are A.L.K.N, L.K.N., A.L.K.Q.N, L.K.,12-11, LK-5, 5-Point Crown with ALKQN across the points and LK-5 below it
References
External links
- Latino Gangs: The Latin Kings
- Operation Crown - The Political Persecution of the Latin Kings
- HBO Documentary -Latin Kings: A Street Gang Story
- documentary film Black and GOLD
- Book The Almighty Latin King and Queen NationStreet Politics and the Transformation of a New York City Gang