Black Gangsters of Chicago by RON CHEPESIUK

Author:RON CHEPESIUK
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781569804094
Publisher: BARRICADE BOOKS

LARRY HOOVER, WHO would become one of the most powerful gang leaders ever to operate behind the bars of a U.S. prison system, was one gang leader that the Illinois prison system sought to appease. “Hoover may have been in prison, but no one controlled a gang like he did,” said Mike Cronin, who has worked as a gang specialist with the CPD for twenty-five years.

As many law-enforcement officials would later attest, Hoover was a brilliant criminal mind and a student of gangster history. He studied the evolution of the American mafia from its humble early origins through its successful entry into legitimate business. “Hoover was an organizational genius,” said Rick Barrett, a retired DEA and Chicago gang expert who investigated Hoover’s gang.

Al Capone was Hoover’s hero, and he dreamed of some-day being the black version of Chicago’s legendary gangster. Many longtime Chicago Police Department detectives and gang specialists believe that Hoover reached Capone’s level. “I’m not taking anything away from Jeff Fort, but the Black Gangsters Disciples are the most powerful street gang in Chicago history,” said John Risley. “In my opinion, Hoover was the black equivalent of Al Capone. The BGDs were making more money than Fort’s gang, and they were more influential in other parts of the country.”

Hoover had a stutter, and he chose his words carefully. In his rare interviews, he appeared to be deliberate and thoughtful in manner. But anybody who belonged to the BGDs knew that Hoover was ruthless and had the power to make them disappear in a heartbeat.

It is remarkable that Hoover survived his teen years. Born in Mississippi in 1950, Hoover lived at 121 East 104th Street in Chicago in what is known as the “Hundreds.” Hoover’s name first appeared in the Chicago press as a result of a shooting at Francis W. Parker High School in the Englewood community. James High Smith and Leonard Longstreet, both eighteen, had entered the high school and were walking down the first-floor corridor when they spotted Hoover. Longstreet gave High Smith a small caliber revolver and said, “Burn him.” Students scurried as bullets flew. Hoover and Louis Jackson, eighteen, his associate, were wounded, and a stray bullet hit Mildred Sevels, fifteen, an innocent bystander.

The three victims were taken to St. Bernards Hospital where they were treated for their injuries. Sevels and Jackson were released, but Hoover was transferred to Cook County Hospital where he remained in good condition and was later released. The shooting appeared to be the result of warring rival gangs. At the time, Hoover was president of the Supreme Gangsters, while High Smith and Longstreet belonged to the Devil Disciples.

In April 1970, Hoover and two accomplices were charged with the murder of Roosevelt Bloxon, who was killed as he walked in the 600 block of Sixty-fifth Street. Bloxon had traveled from the southern U.S. to Chicago to visit some friends, and there appeared to be no motive for the shooting. The following month, murder charges against Hoover and the two others were dropped.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.