The Conservative
Vice Lords of the 1960s represented the hopes of youth
of Lawndale for a better future. In a few short years,
the Vice Lords "turned conservative" and built
legitimate business, ran social programs, and planted
grass where broken glass had once laid. African
American youth in Lawndale were on a path to a future
that rejected drugs, violence, and destruction.
Pep:
Founder of Lawndale's
Conservative Vice Lords
This
story was not new. Irish and other immigrant youth had their
own gangs called "social athletic clubs." These
gangs fought other gangs and were responsible for much of
the killing in the 1919 race riots. Mayor Richard J. Daley
was president of one such gang, the Hamburg Athletic Club,
for 15 years. Under Daley and other Democratic Party leaders,
these white gangs were brought into the system through patronage
and other forms of support.
The
Vice Lord's story turned out differently. The remarkable 1960s
CVL's wanted their peice of the pie, shunned violence, and
worked to rebuild Lawndale. However, Mayor Richard J. Daley
didn't give the CVL the same chance his Hamburgs were given,
but declared "war" on gangs in 1969. CVL spokesman
Bobby Gore was framed for a murder he didn't committ and the
CVL once again became a powerful street gang.
This
is the amazing story of the Conservative Vice Lords and of
one of the greatest, and most tragic, missed opportunities
in the history of Chicago.
