Chicago Stone Greasers

Chicago Greaser Gangs

Capone Lords

SIMON CITY

RICE BOYS:

were on Rice and Pine, Chicago and Central, and on Kostner and Wabansia.

VENTURES:

Crystal and Long under the PVR's

PLAYBOYS (Also referred to as Polish Viking Playboys):

Wrightwood and Laramie in the mid 80's.

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.

Logan Square Heads

BELAIRS:

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.

Belairs were mainly between Armitage and North ave and between Sacramento and Central Park, much of the same area that was Simon City populated. The Belairs had a bell with wings for a logo. Many of their members became DC Eagles.

STONED YARDERS

DRUMMOND BOYS

GUZZLERS

CORTLAND STACYS

PREATORIANS

ASHLAND VIKINGS:

Late 1960's: Mostly Polish gang started to counter Black gangs on Taylor Street. Members of the Ashland Vikings wore cross tatoos on their wrists. The Ashland Vikings eventually became a Latino gang.

MEDILL MADMEN

Coal Yard

SAYRE SCHOOL BOYS

SAYRE PARK BOYS

KEELER AND IRVING PARTY PEOPLE

LELAND AVE PARTY PEOPLE

INSANE HOODS

WILSON BOYS

PARK 9ers

WHITE KNIGHTS

ROMAN SAINTS

Back of the Yards: The Saints were at Davis Square in the Back of the Yards, pretty much 43rd to 47th, Ashland to probably Damen, 43rd to 47th east of Ashland to Loomis.

The Saints started out Polish and eventually became a Mexican gang. In the mid 1980s, there were still quite a few Polish in the gang. Around 1969 or 1970, The Saints and the Dukes were allies against the Sherman Park Gaylords.

BYRON AND KOSTNER BOYS

HELLS DEVILS

Stooge Brothers

TOKERS

GREENVIEW BOYS

HEADS

ARISTOCRATS:

at Barry and Seminary.

UNKNOWNS

Young Destroyers

JCLs

BELL PARKERS

RIIS PARKERS

MONROE BOYS

LECLAIRE AND GEORGE

HOWARD STREET GREASERS

Furies

Almighty Furies

SAINTS

Originally, the Roman Saints were Polish.

DEFIANT ONES

NOBLE KNIGHTS

TWELFTH STREET PLAYERS

South Side Gangs

Racine Boys

CORNELL DUKES:

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.

MAD LADS:

(very large, very active, and very short lived). The Mad Lads were predominantly white, and wore gray sweaters and berets.

59TH STREET SUPREME RULERS

KINGSMEN:

they were from around 59th Street.

NIGHTINGALES:

(Midgets were LITTLE NIGHTINGALES) They hung by the grammer school on 52nd and Rockwell.

BURGER KING BOYS:

They hung at the Burger King that used to be on 55th east of Ashland.

REBELS:

47th Street and Ashland.

63RD STREET IMPERIALS

63rd STREET BEER CLUB

EMERALD KNIGHTS

55th emerald.

V's:

They hung around behind Gage Park High School.

LOAFERS:

Mostly Italian from 69th and Hermitage.

DUKES OF HERMITAGE.

Hung around Hermitage Park and 59th and Hermitage.

SAWYER BOYS:

They hung at Sawyer school at 53rd and Sawyer.

WHIPPLE STREET BOYS

ARTESIAN COBRAS:

(a greaser gang who evolved from the 59 Street Supreme rulers, and most of whom were weightlifting fanatics)

THE SETTLEMENT (1966-1968)

NORTH SHORE GREASERS a.k.a PRATT AND SHERIDAN GREASE:

Hung out in Rogers Park at Pratt and Sheridan. They were friendly with the Howard Street Greasers and the Thorndale Jagoffs. Two of their popular hangouts were the Crystal Cue and Howard and Paulina Billards.

A North Shore Greaser had this to say: I was just a kid hanging out at Sliver Sues pinball parlor on Farwell & Clark street in the late 70"s, i remember all the gang bangers that use to hang out there, lots of popes, Simon city royals, Latin kings, I remember all the fights, they would be like brothers to me because I was a pinball wizard and win games for them, so they wouldn't be kicked out of Silver Sues. guys like Tony, red, Timmy, Frenchy, ace, Twat, Ids, etc. They always smelled like peppermint schnapps, or pot, even though I was a jock they were always cool to me, respected for helping them in a sense, felt safe around them and in the neighborhood, they were all cool guys, like you see in the gang movies. These guys were real though. Me and my sister were leaving Silver Sue's one the night Arvella Thomas was murdered. She was a friend of ours and asked us for money to get home, but we didn’t have any. Next morning we went to Silver Sue’s and found out she was killed. So sad she was so nice. I was just 11 years old, but felt older hanging around all those older people.

The gangs from Amundsen were different because just about everyone had a mutual friend or a friend period in another gang. A prime example would be Waters Park on Campbell and Wilson. On any summer night you could easily see 100 plus hanging out including guys from "Grubb"(Welles Park), TJO, Blacktop (St. Mathias), Maniac Drifters, Unknowns, PVP, and a host of others. Gangs were respected for their "Truce Ability". Waters Park is now a forest.

THE TURF

THE PATCH

BLACKTOP

VIENNA BOYS

TAU GAMMS:

A huge group of guys mostly from Senn HS known as Tau Gamms gathered around Randl's Restaurant at Devon and california Aves nearly every night between 1958-61. A few of the names associated with the crowd were Danny Lonnegan and Freddy Glickstein. Following Tau Gamma's departure, various groups from Mather HS began to locate at the corner from '63 -66. The primary enemies were the Monks from Amundsen and Turf and TJO from Senn High School. Comments by classmates members and newspaper accounts of the time corroborate the existance of group at Devon and California.

Aces

MANIAC DRIFTERS:

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...

BASEMENT BOYS:

1968(included BASEMENT GIRLS and JUNIOR BASEMENT BOYS): 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." The Junior Basement Boys would eventually become Seeley and Ainslie Gaylords.

THORNDALE JAGOFFS/THORNDALE JARVIS ORGANIZATION:

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."

Senn Riots 1972: The Thordale Jarvis Organization was referred to in a 1972 Chicago Tribune article as the Blackstone Rangers of the the North Side with 200 active members.

IRISH CLOWNS:

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.

Hells Devils

CORP:

1960s and 1970s: 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.

MONKS

BANKERS:

The bankers were a bunch of Italian guys from North and Linder.

MASONS

a bunch of guys that hang at the church steps at Lemoyne and Mason. Most went to St. Petes, St Angelas and Young school. Most were good fighters, alot fought out the park at Hirsch and Laramie.

C-NOTES

SIMON CITY ROYALS

HIRCH STREET LORDS

INSANE POPES

PALMER BOYS

BLACKHAWK PARK ASSASSINS

ROYAL CAPRIS

TAYLOR STREET JOUSTERS

ALMIGHTY GAYLORDS

ICOs

Capone Lords

CONQUISTADORES:

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.

Uptown Rebels

JOKERS

Duke had this to say: I am Duke, a former Joker in the early 60’s. The Jokers’ turf was bounded by Western Ave, Chicago Ave, Division St, and Humboldt Park. Our “corner” was at Cortez and Washtenaw, at Lafayette School, where we played softball and hung out a lot at the East end of Humboldt Park. There were Senior Jokers, Junior Jokers, and Jokerettes. The Joker’s territory was invaded in about 1963 or 1964 by the Latin Kings one night and a general war erupted that lasted for several weeks, with several members of the Hirsh Street Lords and Chi-West joining in our defense. Some of us enlisted in the Marines when our neighborhood began to fall, including myself. Just to throw some names out there: Morel Brothers, Ustrak Brothers, Charlie M., Red, DuBose, Terry, McCarthy Brothers, Dilt, Duke, One-arm Herbie, Onopa, Sonny and Jeff, et al.Greetz.

HIRSH STREET LORDS

CHI-WEST:

Legendary leader: Jack the Jew

Formed around the year 1960 in the Tulley High School District of Chicago. Chi-West rumbled against Latino gang rivals like Latin Angels and the Spanish Kings. December 4th, 1962, Chicago Police broke up a rumble between Chi-West, the Latin Angels, and the Spanish Kings in the Chopin School Playground.. Chi-West was armed with molotv cocktails and bricks.

A Former Joker had this to say: I remember several nights during that period that I was in the back seat of a '54 Chevy, Molitov Cocktail in hand, cruising Division Street looking for the bad guys. I came within seconds of firebombing Moishe Pipics hot dog stand when word came in that some Latin Kings were inside. When we got there they were gone.

SEPTORS

DRAKES

The Septors and Drakes were greaser gangs in the area of Lawndale and Altgeld prior to the Gaylord's.

A-BOYS

COAL YARDERS

ASHLAND AND ADDISON

BLACK TOPS

KENMORE BOYS

TAYLOR STREET DUKES

TAYLOR SHARKS:

Italian mid 1960s. Hung around 24th Street and Central Park Avenue.

HAPPY GENTLEMEN:

Humboldt Park Jewish.

F-S-L Brentano Boy's

PULASKI PARK

DOVER LORDS

ABOs

LOCAL 13

SHABONA PARK BOMBERS

ELMWOOD PARK BOYS

HARLEM PLAYERS

PARK BOYS

FURIES

LATIN SOULS

MIGHTY GRAND

LAZY GENTS

GRAND AND NOBLE BOYS

DEVON BOYS

BRYN MAWR BOYS

ARMOUR HITMEN

YOUNG LORDS:

Became the Paragons. 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.

Dayton Street Dragons:

Dayton Street gang

Mohawks:

On Mahawk Street.

SENTINELS

Hung out on Touhy and California at Pauls Drive-In from 1963-1969 on Morse Avenue. At least half of us went to Sullivan High School. The other half went to Mathers High School.

Irish Bridgeport Stone Greaser

Bridgeport Stone greaser from irish Bridgeport

Chicago Greasers, Gangs and Clubs From Chicago, Boppin Gangs From Chicago

Chicago Greaser Gangs

Capone Lords

Logan Square Heads

Coal Yard

Stooge Brothers

Young Destroyers

Furies

South Side Gangs

Racine Boys

Aces

Gang Links

Howard Street Greasers

Simon City Royals

Insane Popes

South Brooklyn Boys

CNotes

Playboys

Taylor Jousters

Larkin: Insane Popes

Popes/Gaylords War

Cicero Gang Map

Greaser Links

Chicago Greaser: Interview 1970's

Great American Youth

Greaser Magazine: "Rising Up Angry:" Stone Greaser Grapevine

"The Outsiders"

References

"Lords of Kilbourn"

"Lords of Lawndale"

Hells Devils

Capone Lords

Uptown Rebels

F-S-L Brentano Boy's

Irish Bridgeport Stone Greaser