Vice Lords
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The Almighty Vice Lord Nation (abbreviated AVLN or VLN) is the oldest and the second-largest street gang in Chicago. They are believed to have been originally formed sometime in 1958, as a club in the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles, also known as the St. Charles Juvenile Correctional Facility. This group of youth from around 16th Street on the West Side of Chicago that later organized themselves into a group called the Conservative Vice Lords. Though the gang's official colors are black and gold, they occassionally wear red as a substitute for gold (red and black usually being associated with the Black P. Stones street gang). The Vice Lords have always controlled the vast majority of Chicago's West Side, and are part of a larger, Chicago-based gang coalition known as the People Nation.
Their main rivals are the Gangster Disciples.
Symbols or emblems
Over the last several decades, several factions of the Vice Lords have been identified, and they have also grown into a number of branches. They all use certain common gang graffiti symbols or emblems, including:
- Rabbit wearing a bow tie (The Playboy logo)
- Martini glass
- Top hat - representing celebration
- Cane
- White Gloves
- Dollar sign
- Five-point star Love, Peace, Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding - All five points of the star in order clockwise
- Crescent moon
- Pitchforks pointing down as symbol for disrespect (to the Gangster Disciples), and the Folks in general
- Broken Heart with wings with pitchforks if it is pointing down it is a symbol for disrepect (to the Gangster Disciples/Folks)
Various gang factions
Some of the numerous factions of Vice Lords are:
- Travelling Vice Lords (TVL, known colloquially as Travellers)
- Cicero Insane Vice Lords (CIVL)
- Conservative Vice Lords (CVL)
- Ebony Vice Lords
- Insane Vice Lords (IVL)
- Mafia Insane Vice Lords (MIVL)
- Renegade Vice Lords
- Unknown Vice Lords (UVL)
- Undertaker Vice Lords (UTVL)
- Four Corner Hustlers (4CH)- gradually becoming independent
- Executioner Vice Lords
- Lady Vice Lords
- Insane Cartel Vice Lords (Crown Mafia)
- Mobstars
- Imperial Insane Vicelords (also known as Double Is)
Gang structure
The various factions of Vice Lord street gangs are generally not allies across the board. Some factions are vicious rivals of other factions, showing a degree of in-fighting among gangs bound to the same 'nation' (as is the case with Gangster Disciples and Black Disciples from the rival Folks Nation). However, in the Illinois Prison system, Vice Lord factions (for the most part) usually come together as a unified Vice Lord 'nation'.
Each faction of the Vice Lords has their own 'Chief' and ranking officers. However, high-ranking members that hold the title of 'Universal Elite' are to be given respect by all Vice Lord factions.
See also
External links
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