Almighty Black P. Stone Nation
| Founded | 1958 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Woodlawn, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Ethnicity | predominantly African American |
| Membership | 30,000–42,000, (Chicago)[1] |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, murder |
| Allies | Vice Lords, People Nation |
| Rivals | Folks Nation |
| Notable members | Jeff Fort Eugene "Bull" Hairston |
The Black P. Stone Nation aka BPSN is a Chicago-based street gang estimated to have more than 30,000 members. The gang was originally formed in the late 1950s as the Blackstone Rangers. In later years, an Islamic faction of the gang emerged, naming themselves the "El Rukn tribe of the Moorish Science Temple of America" (or simply El Rukn).[citation needed] The group's founder is Jeff Fort.[2] The BPSN finances itself through a wide array of criminal activities and is part of the large Chicago gang alliance known as the People Nation.[3]
Contents
Territory[edit]
The BPSN originated, and is based, on the South Side of Chicago in the Woodlawn neighborhood.[4] As of today, the gang has a strong presence in the Northwest Indiana communities of Gary and Merrillville with a growing presence in Portage, the northern area of Crown Point, as well as the western area of Hobart.
Intergang relations[edit]
Their main rivals are the Gangster Disciples (GD), and to a lesser degree, the Black Disciples (BD). Rivals include the entire Folk Nation. Their allies are the Vice Lords, Latin Kings, and other People Nation gangs, Black Separatist groups, the Five Percenters, and Los Zetas. Separate factions of the gang include Titanic Stones, Apache Stones, Jabari Stones, No Limit Stones, Maniac Stones, and Jet Black Stones. There are several gangs that branched off of the Black P. Stone Nation including Gangster Stones, Rubinite Stones, Corner Stones, Latin Stones, and Familia Stones. All these branches have many factions. BPSN has branched out to many different parts of the US, especially in the Midwest and the South, and cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. The Familia Stones, also known as the Puerto Rican Stones, a break-off of the Black P. Stone Nation predominately made up of Puerto Ricans, has even branched out to Puerto Rico.
History[edit]
The Blackstone Rangers were founded at the St. Charles Institution for Troubled Youth by Jeff Fort and Eugene Hairston as a community organization for black youth in the Woodlawn area of South Chicago. Between 1961 and 1963, they evolved into one of the most dangerous and powerful gangs in Chicago.[5] Fort seized upon the gang's changed mission, renaming it the Black P. (Pyramid) Stone Nation. He transformed the BPSN into a black nationalistic group, and continued to involve the gang in street crime and drug trafficking. BPSN co-founder Eugene Hairston was incarcerated on drug charges in June 1966 and was eventually murdered in the early 1980s. Fort was arrested for mismanagement of government grants totaling $927,000 from the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity in March 1972. Fort was released in the early 1980s, but was later re-incarcerated on drug charges. At some time in the 1980s, Fort converted to Islam and imbued the BPSN with Islamic overtones. It was then that he adopted the name of Abdullah-Malik and the rank of "caliph".[6]
Following meetings during 1986 with Libyan operatives from Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi's government, Fort was arrested. In 1987, Fort was tried and convicted for conspiring with Libya to perform acts of domestic terrorism. He was sentenced to 80 years imprisonment and transferred to the USP Marion, the federal supermax prison in Marion, Illinois.[7][8][9] In 1988, Fort was also convicted of ordering the 1981 murder of a rival gang leader and was sentenced to 75 years in prison to be served after the completion of his terror conspiracy sentence.[10][11] While Fort continues to exercise considerable influence over the BPS from prison, the various Black Stones splinter groups suffer from rampant infighting without a clear leader. There are two major groups that have split with the BPSN The Mickey Cobras were supporters of Mickey Cogwell, a co-founder of BPSN killed by Jeff Fort. The Titanic Stones were supporters of Eugene Hairston who had a falling-out with Fort.
Media[edit]
- The FBI investigation into Jeff Fort and his El Rukns gang for terrorism was featured in an episode of The FBI Files entitled "Terror For Sale", such as the gang's purchase of a LAW Rocket (actually a dummy rocket) from an undercover agent posing as an arms dealer.
- Malik Yusef, the spoken word artist, poet, musician, film producer and actor based in Chicago, Illinois is a former member of the widespread Islamic street gang.
Notes[edit]
- ^ "National Gang Threat Assessment 2009". United States Department of Justice. January 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011.
- ^ Florida Department of Corrections. "Street Gangs — Chicago Based or Influenced: People Nation and Folk Nation". State of Florida. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
- ^ Kenneth O'Reilly, Racial Matters: The FBI's File on Black America, 1960 - 1972 (New York: Free Press, 1991), 409.
- ^ Lance Williams, "The Black Pyramid Stone: Black Power, Politics, and Gangbanging," University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, February 12, 2001.
- ^ McPherson, James A. (May 1969). "Chicago's Blackstone Rangers (I)". Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- ^ Robert W. Dart, "Views from the Field: The Future is Here Today: Street Gang Trends," Journal of Gang Research 1.1 (1992), 87-90.
- ^ "Five Draw Long Sentences for Terrorism Scheme". The New York Times (Associated Press). 1987-12-31. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ Don Terry (1991-05-19). "In Chicago Courtroom, Nation's First Super Gang Fights for Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Rossi, Rosilind (1992-08-24). "How the Law Won War With El Rukns". Chicago Sun-Times. "Jeff Fort, serving 155 years at the federal prison in Downstate Marion"
- ^ "GANG CHIEF GUILTY IN RIVAL'S SLAYING". The New York Times. 1988-10-20. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ Rossi, Rosalind (1988-11-15). "75 more years for Fort 4 other Rukns draw stiff terms". Chicago Sun-Times: pp. 3.
Further reading[edit]
- 2011 The Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of an American Gang Natalie Y. Moore (Author), Lance Williams (Author) ISBN 978-1-55652-845-3
- Cooley, Will. "'Stones Run It': Taking Back Control of Organized Crime in Black Chicago, 1940-1975," Journal of Urban History 37:6 (November, 2011), 911-932.
External links[edit]
- FBI file on the El Rukn
- Black P Stones in Los Angeles by Streetgangs.com
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