d.). The term Folks was thought to be chosen as a name because of the word being an acronym. It stands for Follow the Orders and Laws the King Sets. The King at this time was Larry Hoover. He was the one who had the idea to unite and control all of the gangs in Chicago. Nations in the Folks alliance demonstrate their affiliation by identifying everything to the right side. They wear hats with the brim broke to the right, they keep their right pants leg rolled up, they have bandanas that hang out of their right pockets and they wear earrings in their right ear (Folks Nation, n.d.).
It was during the 19th century that the Ku Klux Klan began their work of violence against African-Americans. The first division of the Ku Klux Klan was started in Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1866. It is still one of the oldest gangs in America. Most of the leaders were previous members of the Confederate Army. The first Grand Wizard of the KKK was Nathan Forrest. He was an exceptional general during the American Civil War. It is one of the most clearly anti-Semitic organizations that there is today. They abhor all who are different from them, namely African-Americans (Russ, 2010).
Congress passed the Ku Klux Act in1871 which gave the president power to interfere in troubled states with authority to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in countries where KKK gang disturbances had occurred. Due to the fact that its purpose of white supremacy in the South had been achieved, the organization nearly disappeared. But in 1915, the Ku Klux Klan was renewed by William J. Simmons. The KKK gang membership has increased at times and decreased at others since it started holding group meetings and setting crosses on fire. There are several different Ku Klux Klan gang groups. These include Alabama White Knights of the KKK, America's Invisible Empire Knights of the KKK, American Knights of the KKK and Imperial Klan's of America. They harass people that they personally feel are immoral to the white race (Russ, 2010).
The KKK had reached a membership total of over 4 million under the leadership of Hiram Evans by 1925. This leadership included state officials in Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon and Maine. The gang broke up and its membership numbers decreased to 30,000 in the 1940's after they lost their leader David C. Stephenson to a murder conviction, but in the 1950's the Civil Rights Movement brought restoration to the KKK gang. In more recent years, the KKK gang is on the rise again tying itself to anti-immigration. This is a very dangerous gang. Just in 1998, a KKK gang member was convicted for murder. Sam Bowers had been brought to the courts four previous times with juries scared to reach...
Dangerous gangs of poor and pissed off African-American males were killing one another at a record rate in Philadelphia. In 1969, agencies stepped in and persuaded many gangs to sign peace treaties with each other. The 20th and Carpenter street gang refused to sign the treaties. They continued to terrorize their South Philly neighborhoods. They later organized into a smalltime crime organization. They called their selves the black mob, or the black Mafia. Later, after they joined the Muslim mob they became the Nation of Islam (Russ, 2010).
The Nation of Islam was led by Robert "Nudie" Mims. He was a former 20th and Carpenter gang member who turned into a Muslim mob enforcer. One example of how dangerous this gang is took place in 1972. The Nation of Islam killed four people and wounded 26 others in Atlantic City. They opened fire on members of a rival black heroin trafficking ring from Philadelphia. Shortly after, Lonnie Dawson took over the gang, but not until the local mob boss, was murdered in 1975. The Nation of Islam began to traffic drugs and in the early 1980's, Dawson was caught and ordered to serve over 100 years in prison for murder and running a drug ring. He was sent to Illinois to America's Supermax Penitentiary in the 1990's where the gang began to spread. Originating in Philadelphia, this hard core gang has spread and appears to be on the rise (Russ, 2010).
No matter which gang one is talking about there is one thing that can be agreed upon about all of them- they are all dangerous. Most gangs have members that are both in and out of prison and thus run their operations in both places. They are usually involved in criminal activity and serve no social purpose whatsoever.
References
Folks Nation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2010, from Folks Nation Web site: http://folks-
nation.com/
MS-13: Prison Gang Profile. (2006). Retrieved May 25, 2010, from Inside Prison Web site:
http://www.insideprison.com/prison_gang_profile_MS-13.asp
Prison Gangs. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2010, from United States Department of Justice Web
site: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/gangunit/gangs/prison.html
Russ, J. (2010). Security Threat Groups (Gangs) in Prisons. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from Police Link Web site: http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/56552-security-threat-groups-gangs-in-prisons
The Aryan Brotherhood Prison Gang. (2010). Retreived May 25, 2010, from Gangs or Us Web
site: http://www.gangsorus.com/aryan_brotherhood.htm
