dec 31, 1953 - 1920's - 1954 LATIN KINGS & LATIN QUEENS EST.

Description:

Latin Kings goes back to the year 1954 in the Near West Side neighborhood at the intersection of Laflin and Van Buren. A young Cuban youth that was raised in Puerto Rico, Ramon Santos, put together a club of three boys (including himself) close to his age that included his step brother “Fast Eddie” who was Puerto Rican. The club was named the “Imperials” and was formed to defend against racial strife the boys faced against racist Italian and Greek gangs in the area that had deep anti-Puerto Rican sentiments.

The club quickly grew to include five members including King Papo, the other four members were Jose “Cadillac Joe” Rivera a Puerto Rican, Eddie “King Tiger” Rodriguez a Puerto Rican, and “Fast Eddie” a Puerto Rican and Joe Gunn a Mexican youth. Soon after that four more joined that included 19-year-old Julio “Compa” Munoz. The main symbol for the Imperials was a crown which gave birth to the crown the Latin Kings use today accept back then the crown only had three points.

The Imperials were a reclusive organization that mostly moved in silence to avoid the press and they did not seek social services like many other gangs in the neighborhood did at Hull House or other club houses.

Starting in the mid-1950s and escalating by the end of the decade many Puerto Rican families were fleeing the Near West Side community and the Old Towne neighborhood when the Carl Sandburg Village was built over the “La Clark” Puerto Rican settlement. La Clark and “La Madison” settlements began to clear out in 1959 as both settlements began moving into Wicker Park. Santos moved away from Laflin and Van Buren and came to Leavitt and Schiller in 1959 and many Imperials came with him. Other members would move into West Humboldt Park by Beach and Spaulding. Ramon Santos, now known as “King Papo” moved to Leavitt and Schiller right next to the playground at Albert R. Sabin elementary school located at 2216 W Hirsch St. while “Batman” moved to Beach and Spaulding in West Humboldt Park. The Imperials were the first Hispanic gang in Wicker Park or on the whole north side of Chicago in history!

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