Latin Kings (gang)
|
Latin Kings
| |
|
In
|
Chicago, Illinois
|
|
Years active
|
1940 – present
|
|
Territory
|
Chicago, United States
|
|
Membership
|
King Motherland
Chicago faction - 20,000 to 35,000
Bloodline faction -
2,200 to 7,500[1]
|
|
Criminal activities
|
Racketeering, assault, arms
trafficking, drug trafficking, extortion, identity
document forgery, robbery, and murder
|
|
Allies
|
People
Nation, Black P. Stones, Nortenos, Bloods
|
|
Rivals
|
Folk
Nation, Crips, Surenos, Mexican
Mafia
|
The Almighty Latin King and Queen
Nation (ALKQN, ALKN, LKN) is said to be the largest and most organized Hispanic
street gang in the United States of America,[2][3]
which has its roots dating back to the 1940s in Chicago, Illinois.
Latin
Kings
History
The Latin Kings street gang was
formed in Chicago in the 1940s and consisted predominantly of Mexican and
Puerto Rican males. Originally created with the philosophy of overcoming racial
prejudice and creating an organization of "Kings," the Latin Kings
evolved into a criminal enterprise operating throughout the United States under
two umbrella factions—Motherland, also known as KMC (King Motherland Chicago),
and Bloodline (New York). All members of the gang refer to themselves as Latin
Kings and, currently, individuals of any nationality are allowed to become
members.
Latin Kings associating with the
Motherland faction also identify themselves as "Almighty Latin King Nation
(ALKN)," and make up more than 160 structured chapters operating in 158
cities in 31 states. The membership of Latin Kings following KMC is estimated
to be 20,000 to 35,000. The Bloodline was founded by Luis Felipe in the New
York State correctional system in 1986. Latin Kings associating with Bloodline
also identify themselves as the "Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation
(ALKQN)." Membership is estimated to be 2,200 to 7,500, divided among
several dozen chapters operating in 15 cities in 5 states. Bloodline Latin
Kings share a common culture and structure with KMC and respect them as the
Motherland, but all chapters do not report to the Chicago leadership hierarchy.
The gang's primary source of income is the street-level distribution of powder
cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Latin Kings continue to portray
themselves as a community organization while engaging in a wide variety of
criminal activities, including assault, burglary, homicide, identity theft, and
money laundering.[1]
Leadership
Latin King documents reveal that
Gino Gustavo Colon (a.k.a. "Lord Gino") is considered the leader or
"Sun" of the Chicago Latin Kings. They also refer to him as their
"Corona", which means "Crown". Currently he is serving a
life sentence in federal prison due to a 25-count indictment, which includes
charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and other drugs.[4]
Organizational
structure
The Latin Kings have a hierarchical
organizational structure, and they have sets in numerous states across the
country. These sets are referred to as "chapters" or
"tribes", with each reporting to an Inca, Cacique, Enforcer and
Regional Officer.[5] The head (or heads) of the entire
criminal organization are known as "Coronas" (crowns in Spanish).
Markings
An example of common Latin Kings'
vandalism - showing a crude depiction of a five-pointed crown and the saying,
"Amor de Rey".
The Latin King colors are black and
gold; gang markings consist of a 5 or 3-point crown, writings of LK, ALK, ALKN,
ALKQN abbreviations (or the whole words); and drawings of the Lion and/or the
King Master. Latin King symbolism is usually accompanied with the name and
number of the chapter, region or city of the gang. The Latin Kings are of the People
Nation, and therefore, represent everything to the "left" in
opposition to the "right", which is representative of the Folk
Nation.[7]
Kingism
The Latin Kings operate under strict
codes and guidelines that are conveyed in a lengthy constitution, known
internally as the Manifesto.[8][9]
According to the Latin King
Manifesto, there are three stages or cycles of Nation life that constitute
Kingism.[10] They are:
- The Primitive Stage:
wherein the neophyte member is expected to be immature and to be involved
in such activities as gang-banging and being a street warrior without the full
consciousness of Kingism.
- The Conservative or Mummy Stage: which is where a member tires of the street gang life
but is still accepting of life as it has been taught to him by the
existing system that exploits all people of color, dehumanizes them, and
maintains them under the conditions and social yoke of slavery.
- The New King Stage:
where the member "learns that his ills lie at the roots of a system
completely alien to his train of thought and his natural development, due
to the components of dehumanization that exist therein".
According to the Manifesto,
"The New King is the end product of complete awareness, perceiving
three-hundred and sixty degrees of enlightenment; his observations are free and
independent; his thoughts are not clouded by any form of prejudice...For him
there are no horizons between races, sexes and senseless labels",
including gang labels for recognition. The New King no longer views the rival
warrior as the cause of his ills; instead, he fights against the Anti-King
System (social injustices and inequality), a system which seeks to deny and
oppress his people: the Oppressed Third World Peoples.[10]
King
Motherland Chicago Latin Kings
The Chicago faction of the Latin
Kings is recognized as the largest Hispanic street gang, and the largest Chicago-based
street gang, in the United States. Although the original Chicago members were
of Puerto Rican descent, most members are now Mexican-American. Unlike MS-13
and 18th Street gang—whose great portion of gang membership exists in Central
and South America—the Latin Kings have a heavier presence within the United
States. The gang has over 25,000 [11][12] members
in the city of Chicago alone and have organized chapters in over 41 states and
several Latin American and European countries, including: Mexico, Spain,
Dominican Republic, Canada, Italy, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico, Portugal,
Brazil, United Kingdom and others. The Latin Kings are mostly of Latino
descent, with some Black, White, Asian and Middle Eastern members as well.
Violent
History
Violence is the hallmark of the
Chicago Latin Kings. In their beginnings, when they were not great in size,
their brutal history and propensity for violence distinguished them from other
Latino gangs in Chicago, making them equal players with the larger Black
"Super Gangs", such as the Gangster Disciples, the Almighty Vice Lord
Nation and the Black P. Stones. According to the article The Latin Kings
Play Songs of Love by John H. Richardson in the February 1997 issue of the
New York Magazine, "What also made the Kings different was their unique
mixture of intense discipline, revolutionary politics and a homemade religion
called Kingism--adding idealism and a bootcamp rigor to the usual gang camaraderie--a
potent mixture for troubled ghetto kids whose lives lacked structure and
hope".[13]
They also played a major role in the
formation and growth of the People Nation, and in recent times, the Almighty
Latin King and Queen Nation has grown to be the second largest gang within
Chicago.[14]
Federal
sting operations against the Chicago Latin Kings
2006:
Operation "Broken Crown"
A three-year investigation of the
Latin Kings by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF), entitled Operation Broken Crown, ended with the arrest of Fernando
"Ace" King, who was suspected to be one of the highest-ranking
members of the gang and at least 20 others.[15] The operation
was conducted in various areas in Chicago and the suburbs.
Prosecutors said the crack in the
case came from an informant named Jesse Guajardo, the alleged "Inca"
or leader of a southwest suburban crew of the Latin Kings, from whom the
witness purchased cocaine on about 10 occasions between 2000 and 2003. In just
18 months alone in 2003 and 2004, Guajardo, arrested in February, allegedly
purchased 150 kilograms of cocaine -– including as much as 50 kilograms at one
time for about $1.8 million -– from his alleged supplier, Jose Estrada,
according to federal charges.
The investigation by ATF and various
local, state and federal law enforcement partners when authorities began
executing 10 federal search warrants and arresting alleged leaders, members and
associates of the Almighty Latin King Nation (ALKN) street gang and individuals
who supplied them with and purchased narcotics.[15]
About 10 kilograms of cocaine and 86
firearms were either seized or purchased previously during the investigation,
authorities said.
King was sentenced in U.S. District
Court for the Northern Judicial District of Illinois before Judge David Coar to
240 months in federal prison for Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance,
and 120 months for Conspiracy to Possess a Controlled Substance. Judge Coar
allowed the sentences to be served concurrently.
2008:
Operation "Pesadilla"
Some 400 agents and officers fanned
out into the Little Village Community to arrest many of the 40 Latin Kings hit
with federal or state charges. Among those charged in the operation were the
"Supreme Regional Officer" as well as 32 "Incas" and "Caciques,":
top leaders in the gang's block-by-block organization.
Among those charged in the drug
conspiracy case was Vicente Garcia, 30, whose last known address was
Bolingbrook, Illinois, was extradited from Mexico [16] after
being identified by authorities as the gang's No. 2 leader. Garcia, succeeded
Fernando King as the gang's "Supreme Inca" after King was convicted
in another federal prosecution
The undercover recordings captured
Garcia issuing a decree that each Inca in the 24 Latin Kings sections
controlled by the Little Village region of the gang sell a quarter-ounce of
cocaine twice a month to generate revenue for the "Nation Box," a
kitty the gang used to pay for guns, drugs, funerals and legal fees,
authorities said. Investigators methodically built a case as the wired
informant made the rounds handing out drugs and collecting money from gang
supervisors month after month. Investigators dubbed their work Operation
Pesadilla, Spanish for nightmare.[16]
2009:
Operation Augustin Zambrano
Augustin Zambrano, alleged to be a
"Corona" of the Latin Kings, making him the highest-ranking leader
outside of prison and responsible for overseeing the illegal activities of all
factions of the powerful Chicago Latin Kings, is among 18 defendants charged in
a sweeping new federal indictment against the gang's alleged hierarchy.
Zambrano and other alleged leaders of the 26th Street Region of the Latin Kings
were charged with racketeering conspiracy for allegedly running a criminal enterprise
to enrich themselves and others through drug trafficking and preserving and
protecting their power, territory and revenue through acts of murder, attempted
murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, extortion, and other acts of violence.[17]
The charges result from a sustained,
coordinated investigation by multiple federal law enforcement agencies, working
together with the Chicago Police Department and other state and local partners,
to dismantle the hierarchy of the Latin Kings and other highly-organized, often
violent, drug-trafficking Chicago street gangs.
On April 6, 2011, Zambrano and three
associates were convicted in federal court of racketeering conspiracy and other
charges.[18]
Bloodline
Latin Kings
Leadership
In 1986, to avoid imprisonment for
his criminal activities in Chicago, Luis Felipe (a.k.a. King Blood) fled
to New York and started his own chapter of the Latin Kings known as the
Bloodline. He designated himself as Inca and Supreme Crown of the state of New
York. Soon after arriving in New York Felipe was arrested and convicted of
murdering his girlfriend. In 1995 Antonio Fernandez (a.k.a. King Tone) was
designated Inca and Supreme Crown of New York State and New Jersey, and the
ALKQN once again began a transformation.[19][20]
Street
Gang: 1984–1995
From 1986 to the internal power
struggle that erupted in 1994, the ALKQN solidified its role as a gang through
crimes such as murder, racketeering, and RICO Act charges.[20]
In 1991, Felipe was returned to
prison after a short release for parole violations stemming from the receipt of
stolen goods. However, Felipe continued to guide the ALKQN members, who now
numbered about 2000, both incarcerated and free. In 1994, with the rapid growth
of the Latin Kings, an internal power struggle erupted and violence within the
Kings ensued. Between June 1993 and February 1994, seven Latin Kings were
murdered. Following the outbreaks of internal gang violence, Luis Felipe and 19
others were charged with murder and racketeering; the indictments ended in 1995
with 39 Latin Kings and 1 Latin Queen indicted under the RICO Act.[20]
The details of the charges against
Felipe were later revealed: Felipe was charged with ordering the killing of
William (Lil Man) Cartagena. Cartagena was taken to an abandoned Bronx
apartment where he was strangled, decapitated, mutilated and his corpse set on
fire. Felipe allegedly murdered Cartagena for theft from the organization.[21]
Reformation:
1995-
In 1996, following the trial of Luis
Felipe, Antonio Fernandez [22] who was recently blessed as the Inca
and Supreme Crown of New York State and New Jersey,[23] kneeled with
other Latin Kings in front of the Federal District Court in Manhattan and is
quoted as stating: It's time for a fresh start ... Now they can't hold our
past against us. 1996 is believed to be the beginning of the ALKQN's
transformation from a street gang to a "street organization."
Latin Kings and Queens begin
appearing en mass at political demonstrations in support of the Latino
community. To further its transformation and efforts to legitimize, the
organization begins to hold its monthly meetings (universals) at St. Mary's
Episcopal Church in West Harlem. At this time the membership of the Latin Kings
is believed to have swelled to 3,000 incarcerated and 4,000 free. The monthly
universals are drawing in an attendance of 500-600 regularly. Internal changes
to the organization begin to take place as Fernandez amended the ALKQN
manifesto to include parliamentary elections and new procedures for handling
inter-organizational grievances and removing death as a possible punishment,
replacing it with "vanishing", the act of being banished from the
movement.[20]
For the ALKQN, 1997 begins with
Felipe being sentenced to the harshest penalty passed down since World War II;
Felipe is sentenced to 250 years in prison, the first 45 to be spent in
solitary confinement. The other 39 members were sentenced to an average of 20
years in prison for their roles in the crimes. The year would bring further
legal troubles as Fernandez and 31 others are arrested in a raid in the Lower
East Side and charged with disorderly conduct. The Special Commissioner of
Investigation for Schools soon after charges the ALKQN with infiltrating the
school system, a school security guard with five years of service is dismissed
on charges of unprofessional conduct for his association. The year comes to a
close with Fernandez being arrested in December by the FBI for domestic abuse.[20]
The pending charges against
Fernandez were dropped in early 1998. Following the release of Fernandez, a
joint operation of the FBI,
New York City Police Department (NYPD), Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS), New York State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
comes to a close with the arrests of 92 suspected ALKQN members. The Latin King
leadership insists over half of those arrested are not members. The operation,
dubbed Operation Crown, cost the city over one million dollars and took 19
months to complete.
Fernandez was released after four
days on $350,000 bail, which was paid for by contributions from community
members. Over half of the arrested were charged with misdemeanors, other were
charged with weapons possession and drug trafficking. Fernandez was eventually
permitted, though on house arrest, to attend monthly universal meetings. It was
during his time on house arrest that the Latin Queens underwent a shake up in
leadership, dismissing many of the leaders in order to bring in more
politically focused members.[20]
The Latin Kings during this period
begin to gain legitimacy. First, Lolita Lebrón, who was a member of the Puerto
Rican Nationalist Party, appointed the New York State ALKQN to protect her
during a demonstration in front of the United Nations. Following the UN
demonstration, Rafael Cancel-Miranda, a Puerto Rican nacionalista who spent 25
years in federal prison, attended a monthly universal. Before years' end, Adelfa
Vera, Puerto Rican activist, attended a monthly universal and was given sacred
ALKQN beads by the present leadership. Adelfa was praised during the meeting
and stated "These kids are hope for our liberation struggle. I can die in
peace, because we found the continuation"[20]
In 1998 Fernandez [22]
pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell and distribute heroin. In 1999 he was
sentenced to 13 years in prison, which he is serving at Leavenworth Federal
Penitentiary in Kansas and was placed in solitary confinement. He was
eventually transferred again and placed in general population.
Latin
Queens
While originally the Latin Kings are
thought to be a male organization, it eventually began to absorb women and give
them an equal share. The Latin Queens constituted the female half of the ALKQN.[24]
The Latin Queen agenda is composed
of self-respect, independence, family support, ethnic identity and
self-empowerment. Seeking such goals has attracted a wide variety of females
who had been drug addicted, victimized and/or neglected by families, spouses
and partners. Sociologists studying the Latin Kings and Queens have observed
the different methods in which both groups attempt to "reclaim and
regulate" their environments. The Latin Queens are believed to focus more
on their private space issues such as home life and protection and nurturing of
their bodies, as opposed to the Latin Kings, who are more concerned with loss
of public spaces in their own communities.[24]
The evolution of the ALKQN has been
viewed by outside sources as being assisted by the addition and greater role in
which Latin Queens have played, exposing the ALKQN to a greater range of
cross-class supporters than would have been possible prior to their
integration.[24] In regions such as Spain, Latin Queens are helping to
legitimize the ALKQN through integration with government sponsored programs. In
Catalonia, the 200 person Latin Kings and Queens tribe was designated as the
Cultural Association of Latin Kings and Queens of Catalonia. The "cultural
program" designation was bestowed through government sponsored programs to
assist gangs with integration into society and is led by Latin Queen Melody,
Erika Jaramillo.[25]
References
1. "National
Gang Threat Assessment 2009". 2009-01-01. http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs32/32146/appb.htm.
Retrieved 2011-02-01.
2. "Gangland: Divide and Conquer DVD, View All , HISTORY
Shop". Shop.history.com. 2009-03-30. http://shop.history.com/detail.php?p=84732&SESSID=e03b641237f54a12a95b554249497659&v=All.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
3. "Latin Kings gang members charged in murder,
racketeering, drug offenses". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
2010-07-22. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20100722_Latin_Kings_gang_members_charged_in_murder__racketeering__drug_offenses.html.
Retrieved 2010-11-27.
4. Johnson,
Dirk (1997-09-21). "A Jailed Chicago Gang Leader Is Charged as a Drug
Criminal". NYTimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/21/us/a-jailed-chicago-gang-leader-is-charged-as-a-drug-criminal.html?pagewanted=1.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
5. September
24, 2008 7:45 PM (2008-09-24). "FBI: Arrests wipe out Latin Kings leadership".
Chicago Breaking News. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/09/drug-charges-coming-against-chicago-street-gang.html.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
6. Will
County State's Attorney James W. Glasgow (2007). Gangs: Awareness -
Prevention - Intervention. Department of Health and Human Services (I
think). (encountered via
LulzSec "Chinga La Migra" archive)]
7. Florida
Department of Corrections. "People
and Folk Nation Sets - Gang and Security Threat Group Awareness".
Dc.state.fl.us. http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/sets.html.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
8. The Almighty Latin King and Queen ... - Google Books.
Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=KhetLynY5jsC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=latin+king+manifesto&source=bl&ots=XjvY3150y-&sig=YSIZ34lK__yjmd4qLC75bYBG1Hs&hl=en&ei=8chsSryrJoXEMIfV-fgG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
9. "Eighteen Members of Almighty Latin King/Queen Nation
Named in Federal and State Charges, Reports U.S. Attorney".
.prnewswire.com. http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/09-06-2006/0004427820&EDATE=.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
10. The Almighty Latin King and Queen ... - Google Books.
Books.google.com. 2004-02-18. http://books.google.com/books?id=rXeTZvvoJRQC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=latin+kings+Primitive+Stage&source=bl&ots=t9YRCIsgAE&sig=wB5LugquOM3UMuxflu0f-yaN9D0&hl=en&ei=qr_FS7XlFKTuNLfItcQO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=latin%20kings%20Primitive%20Stage&f=false.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
15. "How the Feds Took Down the Latin Kings".
Myfoxchicago.com. 2009-03-16. http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/latin_kings_mar09.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
16. "Latin King fugitive found in Mexico".
Archives.chicagotribune.com. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-01-06/news/0901050310_1_latin-kings-fugitive-gang-member.
Retrieved 2011-06-02.
17. "Federal Bureau of Investigation - The Chicago Division:
Department of Justice Press Release".
Chicago.fbi.gov. 2009-10-01. http://chicago.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/cg100109.htm.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
18. Sweeney,
Annie (April 6, 2011). "Alleged Latin King Chief Found Guilty".
Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-latin-kings-verdict-20110406,0,7366546.story.
Retrieved April 7, 2011.
19. "The Almighty Latin Kings Nation (ALKN)".
http://www.knowgangs.com/gang_resources/profiles/kings/.
Retrieved 15 December 2008.
20. a b c d e f g Brotherton, David C. (February
2004). The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation: Street Politics and the
Transformation of a New York City Gang. Columbia University Press. xvi-xix,
158, 159. ISBN 0231114184.
21. Richardson,
Lynda (November 20, 1996). "Leader of Latin Kings Is Convicted in Slayings".
New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE7D9113AF933A15752C1A960958260.
22. a b "Latin Kings: A Street Gang Story - Trailer - Cast -
Showtimes - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/291023/Latin-Kings-A-Street-Gang-Story/overview.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
23. "Documentaries: Home".
HBO. 2008-11-26. http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/latin_kings/synopsis.html.
Retrieved 2010-04-15.
24. a b c Ferrell (November 2004). Cultural
Criminology Unleashed. Routledge Cavendish. pp. 67â€"69. ISBN 1904385370.
25. Drago,
Tito (September 21, 2006). "Latin
Kings Gang a "Cultural Association" in Barcelona".
Inter Press Service (IPS). http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34820.
No comments:
Post a Comment