Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, and Sam Giancana--these are some of the famous gangsters who come readily to mind when we think of Chicago's fabled underworld. Not as well known are the names of John "Mushmouth" Johnson, Jeff Fort and Larry Hoover, African American gangsters every bit as powerful, intriguing and colorful as the Windy City's more famous white gangsters. Now for the first time, journalist Ron Chepesiuk, author of Gangsters of Harlem, chronicles their fascinating stories and those of the many other interesting gangsters from Chicago's black underworld. The story begins in the late nineteenth century when Chicago's famed Black Belt began taking shape and the city's legendary policy kings rose to prominence and extends to the present day and rise of the city's powerful street gangs, including the Vice Lords, Blackstone Rangers and Black Gangster Disciple Nation. We read about the black gangsters' relationship with La Cosa Nostra and its takeover of the numbers racket; a brilliant criminal mastermind who knew how to organize a gang to gain support from Chicago's prominent businessmen, entertainers and politicians; a bizarre terrorist plot that would have had a Chicago street gang acting as agents of Libya and its leader Muammar Ghadafi, imprisoned leaders of Chicago's street gangs who carry on business behind bars, and more. Chepesiuk's informative investigation is riveting and well worth the read.
$22.00 • 256 Pages
Hardcover
ISBN 1-56980-331-5
Hardcover
ISBN 1-56980-331-5