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Interview with a 1970s greaser: Chicago Greaser!
Read about Greasers in the 1970s and 80s in the book "Lords of Lawndale".
"The Outsiders", by Susan E. Hinton, was a great book, and the first movie produced was a good movie. But the new Directors-cut which was previewed in New York the weekend of September 10th, was an absolute classic Greaser Flick. I saw a vast improvement in music, character development, and did an excellent job of following the book. I would rate the new version as a Five Star Movie
Interview with a 1970s greaser: Chicago Greaser!
Read about Greasers in the 1970s and 80s in the book "Lords of Lawndale".
Chicago | Gage Park | Chicago Ridge and Oak Lawn
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Greaser |
Cragin Park Playboys/pvr's (Playboys/Ventures/Rice Boys unity), they lasted up until the early 90s. The Playboys also had sections on Division Street. There was a big set of PVR at Galewood Park.
The Bel-Aires were ran by this guy "Crazy Tom" president they hung on St.Louis and Armitage and the Cortland Stacies were one of the rivals, they hung in the hood of Moffat and Campbell.
Started in 1961 by a group of guys from Amundsen High, who had to defend themselves against another area gang called the "Preatorians", who they had got into a fight with at a party. They formed their gang as a mutual protection "society". Most of the original guys graduated in 1962. Some ended up joining the Marines.
Italian and German gang from the North & Clybourn area. North Ave. was the border line between the gangs from Cabrini Green on the south side and Whites on the north. Both groups had some serious humbugs over crossing North Ave. The Corp were jammed against the Latin Kings and Young Lords. Most of those dudes went into the military.
Prior to the construction of the Cabrini-Green Housing project, the area that was destroyed to make room for the towers was a Sicilian Ghetto known as "Little HELL", which was known for its two families per apartment, and one bathroom per floor tenement buildings. The Sicilians who were forced to move from this area ended up in the neighborhoods of Grand and Noble, and Grand and Harlem.
The Irish Clowns were hanging around Damen & Winnemac, Damen & Montrose, Welles Park, John C Coonley School & A few other places.. I don’t believe they ever held a corner as they hung & partied with several older clubs: Basement Boys, Maniac Drifters, Early Seeley and Ainslie Gaylords, Coonley Boys, etc. There was some kind of a unity similar to the U F O. It was called United White Front, which started in the late 70's primarily as a front to stand off the Montrose & Paulina Latin Kings & the Latin Eagles who were the only threat to the hood at the time. I believe this unity started about the time Honkey R.I.P from s/a was killed. Whether it was related or not, I'm not sure. But there was also a point in the late 70's when they went to war with the Lawrence & Rockwell Popes who I thought were a part of the United White Front or whatever it was called as they had the Kings just west of them on Lawrence also.
By 1980 the Irish Clowns were pretty much history. Many still hung around the neighborhood, flipped into other clubs, and went with McQueeny on his adventures.
Other major players in the Irish clowns were Maddog Schraeder... Rowdy Rhoadie, Hillbilly, The Eanes Bros.
The Clowns did wear sweaters Green and Gold. You could still see older guys styling them at the downtown St Pat's Parade at late as 1990 when the parade was still a big street party. They became a legit social athletic club in the 80's when many became cops, fireman, govt workers or went to college. They are still around as a SAC with sports teams and charity work.
Started by a guy named Bobo and several other of the guys from Mcpherson School around 1970. There were some real good guys in this club. They hung out at the snack shop on the corner of Damen and Lawrence. The younger Drifters like the Samuel Brothers started the Seeley and Ainslie Gaylords after the Drifters broke up...
Here is what an ex Basement Girl had to say about their club: "We hung out in the cold weather in the basement while the guys practiced in the band and in the alley of the house on Damen & Montrose. The guys were in a band called the Astetic Vistas. My ex was the guitar player. They played at USO, churches, and various places, We all had all lot of fun. There were some unexpected gang fights. I started in 1968 and in approx. 5 years everyone got married, mostly to each other, thats when the Junior Basement Boys started the end."
On a Monday, April 23rd 1979, in a rumble between the Howard Street Greasers and the Howard Street Latin Kings, a Howard Street Greaser stabbed a Latin King to death with a cane-sword that contained a 30 inch blade, in Rogers Park.
A Retired Stone Greaser had this to say: "The Howard Street Greasers started in the late 60's. They formally disbanded in approx 1976 not long after Ace the pres went to Pontiac. Some of them did join the Royals. Some joined the Satan Disciples. Some of them joined the Popes. And some joined up with what was left of the TJO's. All I can say was that they were down when I hung out with them. I first met some of them by the El tracks at Howard St Station. I had just got off the train and some vicelords jumped me. I pulled my knife and was fighting back, next thing I know there's about 8 or 9 Stone Greasers backing my play. Vl's took off faster than light. They told me they were Howard Street Greasers and welcomed me to the hood."
Cha Cha was the big leader of the Young Lords and was part of the group that took over the McCormick Theological Seminary around 67 or 68 in an effort to get a playground at Halsted and Armitage.
A Chicago Newspaper wrote an article about the "Thorndale Jarvis Organization" in which a Chicago Policer referred to the gang as a "bunch of jag offs", from that time forward they changed their name to the "Thorndale Jag Offs". A retired member had this to say: "When I was a teenager in Uptown in the 60's the TJO's and Turf were very active at Senn High School and the surrounding communities. The Turfers wore steeled toed work boots in all seasons and were known as garden variety street brawlers. I think most of them got that out of their systems and went on to a more normal lifestyle. The TJO's were legendary in their time. I remember the leaders, but will leave out names in this forum. The TJOs were involved in burglary and a variety of criminal enterprises, similar to the Simon City Royals of recent decades. A prominent member, made the headlines in 1975 when he was part of a spectacular escape at the Cook County jail. Long prison terms for a number of key members pretty much ended the reign of the TJOs in the mid and late 70's as I recall. In early 1963 I believe Chicago magazine did a story on street gangs in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The Simon city gang was in its infancy at the time and got some mention in the article. In the hot summer of 1966 gangs were in the news on a daily basis. The old Chicago American did a lengthy series on Chicagos street gangs in either July or August of that year. That paper became Chicago Today in 1969, it was a tabloid similar to the Sun Times. Before the paper folded in 1974 veteran reporter Jack Mabley did a story on a SCR branch active around Hamilton elementary in the Lake View neighborhood."
Mayor Daly's hometown - Bridgeport - is home to many Stone Greasers.
Bridgeport is divided up into two sections: Irish Bridgeport and Italian Bridgeport.
Ashland Avenue was the main shopping area. All the hangouts and stores were from 47th to 59th Street. Glodblatt's, Meyer Brothers, Coco's meat market, Universal Candies, Tic Toc Restarant, laundrymat to do clothes, Swiss cleaners, Barber shop, Currency exchange so many more.
Were a pretty large gang from the mid 60's to mid 70's. Their turf was 4700 South to 5100 South, and Ashland west to the Railroad tracks at 2200 west.
(very large, very active, and very short lived). The Mad Lads were predominantly white, and wore gray sweaters and berets.
(a greaser gang who evolved from the 59 Street Supreme rulers, and most of whom were weightlifting fanatics)
Chicago | Gage Park | Chicago Ridge and Oak Lawn
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The History of Stone Greasers
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