Chicago Gaylords

The Chicago Gaylords, also known as the Almighty Gaylords, is a Chicago street gang which was most active during the mid and late 20th century. It originated in the neighborhood of Grand and Noble. The original president of the Gaylords selected the name after reading about the Gaylords in the public library (the Gaillards, later anglicized to Gaylord, were people from Normandy who lived near the Château Gaillard, constructed by Richard I).[4] They were a part of the People Nation alliance.[5]

Almighty Gaylords
Foundedmid 1930s
Founding locationChicago, Illinois, United States
Years active1940s - present
TerritoryChicago
EthnicityMostly European Americans[1]
Membership350 - 500[2]
ActivitiesExtortion, kidnapping, auto theft and human trafficking
AlliesPeople Nation, Latin Kings, Insane South Side Popes, 12th Street Players, Indiana Aryan Brotherhood,[3] Vice Lords, Latin Brothers
RivalsFolk Nation, Insane Deuces, Simon City Royals, Insane Spanish Cobras, Maniac Latin Disciples, C-Notes, Insane North Side Popes

Origins and history

The Chicago Gaylords, one of Chicago's oldest street gangs,[6] was a club founded by World War II veterans and the majority of the original members were Italian, Irish, and Greek Americans. This ethnic makeup reflected the population of the Grand and Ogden area at the time, that was known as one of Chicago's "Little Italies." The gang was founded when gay meant happy or cheery, and might have been named after an Italian singing trio at the time called the Gaylords. [7] There were many such clubs in Chicago during the post World War II era, and had their own clubhouses and baseball teams. The Gaylords' clubhouse was on the corner of Ohio and Noble Street.

The Gaylords grew in the 1960s as middle class whites left for the suburbs, leaving poor whites behind to fend for themselves in increasingly black and Hispanic inner city slums. [8] At the height of the Gaylords reign in 1979, they had were listed as the fourth most powerful gang in Chicago with about 1,500 members and were noted as "Chicago's largest white street gang...considered a violent, bigoted outfit."[9] In 1970, they were suspected for being involved in the murder of a black Chicago citizen named Joe Henson, but no charges were brought: a later feature article in the Chicago Reader alleged police and political coverup.[10]

During their peak period, the Chicago Gaylords held sets (or sections) on the North Side, West side and the South Side of Chicago. By the early 1980s it was said the Gaylords were the third largest gang in Chicago with 6,000 members.The West side sections included Ohio and Noble, Ohio and Leclaire and Monticelllo and Augusta. Their South Side sections included Back of the Yards and West Englewood (around 55th & Ashland, Sherman Park), Pilsen (18th & Western), and Bridgeport (Throop Street). Their North Side presence included Belmont Cragin, Manor Bowl, Reinberg School, Chopin Park, Blackhawk Park, St Gens., Humboldt Park (Moffat & Campbell); Logan Square (Palmer & California, Lawndale & Altgeld); Irving Park (Albany & Byron); Kilbourn Park (Roscoe & Kilbourn); Kelvyn Park (Kilbourn & Wrightwood); Dunham Park (Montrose & Narragansett); Ravenswood (Seeley & Ainslie); and Uptown (Sunnyside & Magnolia, Lawrence & Broadway). Two of the most powerful Gaylord sections existed in Logan Square: Lawndale and Altgeld (L-A section) and Palmer and California (Palmer Street).[9]

By the early 1990s, the Gaylords were in decline, as many of their leaders went to prison and the last of whites were leaving the inner city for the suburbs. In 2011, police and federal agents arrested 9 members of suburban Gaylords factions on charges of drug dealing, gun trafficking and violent intimidation.[11]

Gang structure
Divisions Within SetsAge Group
Slylords/Palmer PudsUnder 13
Midget13 to 15
PeeWees16 to 18
Juniors18 to 20
Seniors21 and older

Gang colors

The sets, or sections, started by Kilbourn Park wore black and light blue. Sections started by Palmer street wore black and gray. South Side sections started by the 18th and Western section like 55th and Ashland and Sherman Park wore black and brown.

References
  1. Store, ProPublica Data (April 19, 2018). "Chicago Police Department Data on Gang Members". ProPublica Data Store.
  2. Othen, Christopher (April 30, 2017). "Almighty Gaylords Update".
  3. Thacker, Matt. "Alleged hate group members suspected of burglaries". News and Tribune.
  4. Scott, Michael (September 4, 2004). Lords of Lawndale: My Life in a Chicago White Street Gang. AuthorHouse. ISBN 1418482196.
  5. Florida Department of Corrections. "Street Gangs — Chicago Based or Influenced: People Nation and Folk Nation". State of Florida. Archived from the original on 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  6. "The Young Lords and Early Chicago Puerto Rican Gangs". UIC Gang Research Website. University of Illinois. 27 January 2002. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  7. https://christopherothen.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/the-almighty-gaylords-of-chicago/
  8. https://chicagoganghistory.com/gang/almighty-gaylords/
  9. Kilian, Michael; Fletcher, Connie; Ciccone, E. Richard (1979). Who Runs Chicago?. St. Martin's Press. p. 165. ISBN 031287023X.
  10. Bogira, Steve (February 29, 2012). "The color of his skin". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  11. Heinzmann, David (August 23, 2011). "18-month gang investigation leads to arrest of 9". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
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