About Vice Lords

The Vice Lords are a Chicago street gang with a large nationwide network and membership possibly numbering into the tens of thousands. Their criminal activities range from petty theft to credit card fraud. Over the years, they have worked as community activists and been the subject of federal investigations. The Vice Lords are a well structured organization with bylaws and a system of leadership. In the past few decades, they have adopted an Islamic image to distinguish themselves from their rivals.

History

Founded in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago in 1953, the Vice Lords were a group of youths who had met while incarcerated at the Illinois State Training School for Boys. Under the leadership of Edward "Pepalo" Perry, their membership grew quickly and they perpetrated various illegal activities such as robbery, extortion and assault. By 1964, law enforcement officials named the Vice Lords the largest threat to civil society in Chicago.
In response to the public outcry, the organization changed its name to the Conservative Vice Lord Incorporated and launched community outreach programs. They established a series of recreational centers for children which doubled as meeting houses in the evening. In 1970, the Rockefeller Foundation issued a $275,000 grant for the Conservative Vice Lords to help them in their community efforts.
However, by 1980, a federal investigation proved that the money was used for illegal activities and many prominent leaders were sent to prison. At this same time, the Vice Lords consolidated smaller gangs in the Chicago area, creating a large criminal network. They adopted Islamic imagery and began to move into more sophisticated criminal activities such as mortgage fraud and identity theft.

Significance

The Vice Lords are one of the largest gangs operating in the United States. They have created a network of alliances that have chapters in almost every major city in the Midwest. They have a membership of 3,600 in Chicago and possibly 30,000 nationwide.
The organization also helped found the People Nation, a vast alliance of street gangs. The Islamic imagery the Vice Lords adopted has spread to the other African-American gangs in the alliance while the Latino gangs have adopted Catholic symbolism. With the strength of the Vice Lords, along with other gangs such as the Latin Kings and the United Blood Nation, the People Nation has mobilized against its rival, the Folk Nation. The conflict between the two groups has become a focal point for public understanding of gang violence.

Function

Criminal activities are the main reason for the existence of the Vice Lords. Working not unlike the Chicago gangs of the 1920s, the organization uses the power of its network to intimidate business owners through extortion and racketeering. Lower level members take part in more traditional robbery and theft practices, while the leadership operates in mortgage fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
Violence against rival gangs is also a standard operating procedure. Assassinations and full scale gang warfare is a mainstay of the Vice Lords. Groups and individuals fight each other for territory and respect. Vengeance is also a motivating factor, as many members spend time in prison for other individuals actions, they seek revenge or are assassinated upon release.

Features

Imagery is an important facet of gang life. The Vice Lords adopted Islamic symbols as part of their distinguishing themselves from other groups. The crescent moon and scimitars are popular tattoos and decorations, along with the Playboy bunny. The People Nation draws attention to their left side to distinguish themselves from the Folk Nation. They roll up a pant leg on the left side or cock their hat left to show their affiliation with the alliance.
The Vice Lords also separate themselves from most gangs with their elaborate leadership structure as laid out in their charter "Lords of Islam." The overall network is divided into many factions, each with a leader called the "Chief Elite." The leader then has several overseers beneath him. Very high ranking members who work with multiple factions are known as "Universal Elite" and are often referred to as "Lord Almighty." At times, individuals have declared themselves "King of Kings," effectively claiming sovereignty over the entire Vice Lords Nation, but those individuals are usually assassinated.

Considerations

The prison system is awash with members of various gangs, but the Vice Lords is one of the largest operations within the walls of penitentiaries. They have an elaborate system of securing goods and services within prisons as well as ways to profit from their incarceration. The People Nation and the Folk Nation both have factions opposing each other on the inside, leading to increased violence within the correctional system.
However, there are many organizations that have been founded by ex-Vice Lords for community outreach and rehabilitation of gang members. Often sponsored by churches, these former criminals work with communities to prevent children from joining gangs and helping transition individuals back into society after long stretches of prison time.

Resources

• Vice Lords
• Chicago's Vice Lords
• Conservative Vice Lords