Vice Lords Prison Gang (2024)

Table of Contents

  • Who Are the Vice Lords?
  • What is the History of Vice Lords?
  • What Crimes Have the Vice Lords Committed Recently?

Who Are the Vice Lords?

The Vice Lords have been known by many names and many acts since being founded in the Chicago-area juvenile detention facility at St. Charles around 1957. Also called the Almighty Vice Lords and the Conservative Vice Lord Nation, the gang has morphed from petty crime to drug trafficking to white collar crime over the course of decades.

The gang has consolidated other groups and spread to nearby states, now claiming more than 30,000 members. High-ranking members may be called “Lord Almighty”.

  • 30,000 Members

What Are the Vice Lords Gang Associates, Initiation & Gang Signs?

Vice Lords Prison Gang (1)

The Vice Lords are known by a variety of names that represent its “sets” or chapters. The Vice Lords are founders of the People Nation, an umbrella organization for a large number of allied gangs. Vice Lords also go by names like Insane Vice Lords, Traveling Vice Lords, Imperial Insane Vice Lords, and more.

Joining the gang and leaving it generally both involve getting a beating from fellow members.

Leadership includes positions called:

  • Supreme Chief-King of Kings
  • Prince of the Nation
  • Minister of Justice
  • Free and Accepted Almighty Minister
  • Kings of the Nation
  • Universal Elites
  • Ambassadors
  • Minister of Command
  • Precinct Elites
  • Lieutenants
  • Minister of Literature

Gang symbols that may be seen on graffiti tags and tattoos include a Martini glass, a Playboy bunny, a top hat, and pseudo-Islamic symbols such as a pyramid with an eye above it. They have a complex gang handshake that involves multiple twists and slaps.

What are the Vice Lords Colors?

Blackand gold are the official colors of the Vice Lords gang. These hues can be noticed in their attire, accessories, and graffiti and are frequently connected to their gang membership. It's vital to remember that gang affiliations, such as the one between theNorteños Gang andSureños Gang,and associated talks should always be cautious and based on current local facts because gang affiliations might change over time and between different geographic areas.

What is the History of Vice Lords?

Vice Lords Prison Gang (2)

Original Vice Lord gang members Alfonso Alfred and Bobby Gore gained notoriety in 1970 for applying for and receiving a Rockefeller Foundation grant that is said to total $275,000 (other sources say the total came from several grants from a variety of organizations). Some derided that funding as a ruse while others see it as a (failed) turning point for the gang and its neighborhood.

In the mid-1960s gang violence around Chicago had reached such a terrible peak that Dr. Martin Luther King moved to the Vice Lords’ Lawndale neighborhood and hosted a gang gathering event in an attempt to quell black-on-black bloodshed. Rioting and looting had torn the neighborhood apart to the point where police found it impossible to work with local residents. Finally, a Chicago alderman, George Collins, found an answer: he offered to help black youth open a restaurant if the turf wars stopped.

At the same time, a white college student studying the issues entered the scene and acted as an emissary to the gang. David Dawley worked with local residents to channel neighborhood redevelopment grants and financial aid for inner city youth into many programs and physical facilities, including a teen center, an ice cream shop, an Afrocentric clothing store, and more in Lawndale. At the same time, smaller gangs were being incorporated into the Vice Lord Nation as subsets.

While the neighborhood revitalization efforts were temporarily successful, they ultimately were undercut by competing for national efforts to curb urban ills. Urban rioting and unrest was common in the mid- and late 1960s, coinciding with the Civil Rights Act and Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. These took place in cities of varying sizes from Cairo to Akron to Detroit. At the same time, the Lawndale area was also losing many jobs traditionally held by Black laborers, which added to the unrest.

Over the course of several years, the Almighty Vice Lords became the Conservative Vice Lord Nation, a progressive community activism group that taught residents ways to contact and negotiate with landlords, created job opportunities, and raised public awareness. Some wanted more, however, and due in part to the national trend toward black sovereignty, it is believed that the organization and the neighborhood never had the important structural underpinning to escape its crime- and gang-riddled past. Some point to young, up-and-coming Vice Lords who sought the lawless power of violence over community activism as the reason Lawndale returned to violent chaos; others point to Mayor Richard J. Daley’s 1969 War on Gangs.

In the 1980s many of the Vice Lords adopted Islamic culture, religion, and beliefs, morphing the gang to the Almighty Vice Lord Nation.

The story of one lifelong member, Willie Lloyd, is typical of the Vice Lords: he joined the gang around age 12 and got caught with a bunch of other gang members who were holding up patrons of a Davenport, Iowa hotel in 1971. They were caught, and Lloyd went to prison for 15 years, during which his reputation on the street intensified. Much of his life involved doing time in prison and improving gang finances through extortion and drug trafficking. Then other Vice Lords turned against him when he asserted his leadership, so he became a mediator and college lecturer on the topic of street gangs.

What Crimes Have the Vice Lords Committed Recently?

In May 2015, state and federal law enforcement carried out a roundup of six Detroit-area Vice Lord gang members accused of attacking the family of a member who wanted to leave the gang. In that situation, gang members first met to discuss their strategy and gather weapons, then drove to the man’s house and opened fire on several members of his family, wounding them. They were charged with a number of crimes including racketeering.

Vice Lords Prison Gang (2024)

FAQs

What does 22 12 mean for Vice Lords? ›

The term 22-12 is a code used by the Vice Lords, a street gang, representing the initials 'V' and 'L' of their name. The code has specific meanings within their culture, which may include identification or internal communication.

What is the CVL gang in Chicago? ›

Origin and growth. In 1957, the Vice Lords gang was founded by several African American youths originally from the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. These youths met while incarcerated in the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles (also known as the St.

What is the disrespectful name for Vice Lords? ›

Vicky Lous: Derogatory term to identify the Vice Lords. Five in the sky, six must die: People (nation) in heaven, Folks must die. Six is high, five must die: Folks have the power and will kill the People.

What does the 5 point star mean in the vice lord? ›

3. 5 pointed star: The five-pointed star is a common symbol used by the Vice Lords. It represents their identity and allegiance to the gang. 4.

What is the significance of 22 1222? ›

The number 1222 symbolizes harmony in relationships, financial stability, and spiritual growth. Embrace its energy for a balanced life. In numerology, the number 1222 carries special vibrations that can helps in manifesting money, manifest love, and spiritual growth.

What are the Vice Lord rules? ›

Other Vice Lord members are known as "soldiers" or "foot soldiers." Vice Lords must follow the orders of their leaders. These orders from Vice Lord leaders include, but are not limited to, retaliation against rival gangs, orders to assault other gang members, armed robberies, and other crimes and acts of violence.

What is the biggest gang in Chicago? ›

What is the most dangerous street gang in Chicago? The largest would be the Gangster Disciples, so by default they cause the most mayhem. However the Vice Lords and Latin Kings are very prevalent and violent as well and there are numerous other gang affiliated with the ones listed .

What gang is the 5 star in Chicago? ›

Members of the Black P. Stone Nation (BPSN) ride under the "five pointed" star, they are therefore "Brothers" or "People". The BPSN was first known as the Blackstone Rangers gang. In the Blackstone Rangers there were two gang leaders: Jeff Fort and Eugene "Bull" Hairston (AKA "King Bull", and "King Ball").

What is the biggest biker gang in Chicago? ›

According to the Chicago Reader, the Outlaws were estimated to have more than 1,500 members by 2014. However, the club has developed a treacherous reputation. As of November 2023, the U.S. Justice Department classifies the Outlaws as one of 300 “outlaw motorcycle gangs,” or OMGs.

What are Vice Lords known for? ›

Criminal Activity: Members of the Vice Lords are primarily recognized for their drug trafficking activities and violent acts to protect their drug trade and territory. Members are actively involved in numerous criminal activities including murder, drive-by- shootings, and weapons smuggling.

What does the 5 point crown mean for the Bloods? ›

The most commonly used Bloods symbols include the number "5", the five-pointed star, and the five-pointed crown. These symbols are meant to show the Bloods' affiliation with the People Nation, a large coalition of affiliates created to protect alliance members in federal and state prison.

What does piru stand for? ›

The gangs have made Piru a backronym for Pimps (or People) in Red Uniforms, a reference to members of the Bloods, who Piru gangs are allied with.

What states are Vice Lords in? ›

Traveling Vice Lords
  • Almighty Gang (St. Louis, MO, United States)
  • Groovy Gang (Chicago, IL, United States)
  • MVP (Chicago, IL, United States)

What are Vice Lords' numbers? ›

Vice Lords – Identifiers: • Colors Red and Black. • Five-point stars. • Numbers 5 and 3-22-12.

What is the Vice Lord oath? ›

Vice Lord Oath

In the name of the Almighty, I solemnly swear that I, as a representative of the Almighty Conservative Vice Lord Nation, will not dishonor my most sacred weapon meaning Lord unity, nor under the threat of death willi deny those who stand beside me.

What does the angel number 1222 mean? ›

If 1222 keeps popping up everywhere, take it as a sign that you are meant to move up in your position in life—as long as you know what your priorities are. Take this time to build your confidence through trial and error. Let yourself dream a little bigger and move towards higher, riskier goals. This is *your* life!

What are vice lord numbers? ›

Vice Lords – Identifiers: • Colors Red and Black. • Five-point stars. • Numbers 5 and 3-22-12. • Letters VL, AVLN, VLN, CVL.

What do Vice Lords represent? ›

Criminal Activity: Members of the Vice Lords are primarily recognized for their drug trafficking activities and violent acts to protect their drug trade and territory. Members are actively involved in numerous criminal activities including murder, drive-by- shootings, and weapons smuggling.

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