Puerto Rican Gangs in Chicago: Young Lords and Latin Kings

Introduction: Politics and the Origins of Puerto Rican Gangs

The history of Puerto Rican gangs in Chicago is indelibly linked to politics. Many gang members today might forget that fact, but the origins of those gangs and some of the more fundamental aspects of their formation were rooted in political conditions. Additionally, the racial situation in the United States contributed greatly to those early gangs. As each new immigrant group arrived in the country, it encountered a land diversified by nationality and ethnicity. The two most prominent Puerto Rican gangs in Chicago — the Young Lords and the Latin Kings — were organized along those lines of segregation and ultimately came to reflect it from a distinctly Puerto Rican perspective.

Early Immigration, Segregation, and La Hacha Vieja

Although there are accounts of Puerto Rican gangs existing as far back as the early 20th century and the 1930s, they did not truly emerge to prominence until the late 1940s and early 1950s. Perhaps the most seminal event in the formation of Puerto Rican gangs was Puerto Rico's change in status from a colony to a commonwealth. This political change meant that for the first time, elections were held in Puerto Rico and residents were able to participate in the political process by voting. Puerto Rican immigration to the United States thus began in earnest during this period. A number of Puerto Rican families migrated to Chicago specifically, and found themselves drawn together by the ethnic barriers that had typified the city for most of its history — at least since the latter portion of the 19th century, when most immigrants were of various European nationalities.

The earliest Puerto Rican gangs were therefore founded along basic familial ties and the commonality of their homeland. Many Puerto Ricans initially chose to relocate to Chicago rather than New York because New York was perceived as oversaturated, and Chicago offered more job opportunity. Significantly, most Puerto Ricans initially found employment as migrant workers when they arrived — an extension of the longstanding history of Puerto Ricans as migrant laborers in their homeland.

The Young Lords and Latin Kings: Formation and Territory

One of the earliest manifestations of Puerto Rican gang culture in Chicago — a tradition that would eventually give rise to the Latin Kings and the Young Lords — was a gang known as La Hacha Vieja. This gang was formed by Puerto Rican males, partly in response to the racial tension and ethnic segregation prevalent in Chicago at the time. It represented an assertion of Puerto Rican cohesion and served as a survival mechanism in the face of established gangs from other communities, including African-American, Mexican, and various European-origin gangs.

Another critical factor in the formation of Puerto Rican gangs in Chicago was geography. Gangs depend on territory for survival — Chicago's African-American gangs, for instance, have predominantly claimed the south side of the city. The early migration of Puerto Ricans centered on the west side, where La Hacha Vieja operated. However, due to gentrification, the Puerto Rican community eventually relocated from the west side to Lincoln Park and surrounding neighborhoods including Logan Square, Uptown, and Humboldt Park. This territory would become the very ground that the Young Lords and the Latin Kings claimed as their own, providing the geographic foundation for Puerto Rican gang culture in Chicago. The impact of gentrification on the locality of Puerto Rican gang territory illustrates the broader social forces at work in the city. Gentrification reflects shifting socioeconomic conditions and played a principal role in establishing the Latin Kings and Young Lords in Lincoln Park.