In the 1990s, the VLs, while engaging in the usual activities, became much more sophisticated and expanded into mortgage fraud, credit card fraud, and money laundering. Despite common belief Vice Lords are not Muslims. Their headquarters, located near Pulaski and 16th Street, is referred to as the 'Holy City'. By the mid-1990s, they had created a large document called Lords of Islam which addressed new rules for the origination. The younger Vice Lord leadership attempted to conceal the gang's true intentions with another camouflage campaign, this time by adopting Islamic ideologies. By the early 1980s, Perry and Alfred were dead and Gore was in prison for murder. An introduction of narcotics into the Lawndale neighborhood during this time, along with a rapid increase in crimes involving intimidation, extortion, and murders of business owners who refused to pay for 'protection' were perpetrated by the gang.Īfter public pressure, a federal investigation into CVL, Inc.'s use of the Rockefeller grant money was conducted and as a result, several leaders were arrested and sent to prison. As a result, their numbers swelled significantly. Those featured in the film include Bobby Gore, Kenneth 'Goat' Parks, Eddy 'Pepilo' Perry, Don McIlvaine, Leonard Sengali and William Franklin.Īt the same time, the gang was successfully consolidating smaller neighborhood gangs (including the Cherokees, the Morphines, the Commanches, the Continental Pimps, the Imperial Chaplains, the Clovers, the Cobras, and the Braves) into the Vice Lord Nation. This particular era of the CVL is documented in the 1970 film, Lord Thing, by Chicago filmmaker DeWitt Beall.

The Rockefeller Foundation approved the grant. In 1970, two Vice Lord leaders, Alfonso Alfred and Bobby Gore, applied for a $275,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. established a number of recreational areas for neighborhood children which were then used as meeting houses after they had closed for the day. This attempt was successful enough that the group began to receive a large amount of positive publicity from various politicians and community leaders. They went as far as to petition for a community outreach chapter named 'Conservative Vice Lord Incorporated'. They developed new logos and advertised themselves as a community outreach group. In an attempt at softening their public image, a leader of one of the original 8 Vice Lord sets changed the gang's name to 'Conservative Vice Lords', which today serves as the foundation of the entire Vice Lord Nation.

The name 'vice' meaning as 'having a tight hold'.Īs the original Vice Lords group were released from incarceration, they quickly began to recruit other youths from their neighborhood and began engaging in conflicts with other 'clubs' from various Chicago neighborhoods. At the time, they were led by founding member Edwin 'Pepalo' Perry. These youths met while incarcerated in the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Reddix, Tony Reddix, and several African American youths originally from Mississippi migrated to North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. In 1957, the Vice Lords organization was founded by Bobby Gore, Bryan J. TVL, CVL, 4CH, IVL, IIVL, MIVL, UTVL, UVL, CIVL, RVL, SVL

Vice lord signs