The Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall and Resurgence of an American
Gang
by Tracy Baim, windycitymediagroup.com
May 18th 2011
By Natalie Y. Moore and Lance Williams, $26.95; Lawrence Hill . Books; 294
pages
Authors Natalie Moore and Lance Williams have documented an important chapter
in Chicago's history in their new book, The Almighty Black P Stone Nation.
While primarily about a South Side street gang operating over several decades
in Chicago, this book does an excellent job of connecting the dots of poverty,
FBI and police harassment, unemployment, drugs, violence, and even
anti-terrorism efforts pre- and post-9/11.
This book is not a sugary presentation about repressed and oppressed
African-American male youth, but rather it links their situation to the
problems of the greater society. There are no simple causes of gang
participation, and there are no simple solutions. This book just provides us
with a great understanding of the inner workings of the Blackstone Rangers.
This was a powerful group that ultimately encompassed 21 individual gangs into
their Black Stone Nation.
Across multiple generations of disaffected youth, the Rangers were a legendary
gang, sometimes with notions of helping their community, other times
participating in territorial bloodbaths. Lyndon Johnson's White House and J.
Edgar Hoover's FBI both feared their power, worried that they would disrupt the
1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and cause even more trouble
beyond that event. Meanwhile, the Black Panthers and Nation of Islam leader
Louis Farrakhan wanted to partner with them. The Chicago police tried to
destroy them, threatened even by the good things the gang tried to do in their
communities.
Read more story below....
"In gangster lore, the Almighty Black P Stone Nation stands out among the most
notorious street gangs," the authors state. "Louis Farrakhan hired the
Blackstone Rangers as his Angels of Death. Fifteen years before 9/11, the U.S.
government accused the Stones of plotting domestic terrorist acts with Libyan
leader Muammar Qaddafi. And currently, founding member Jeff Fort is serving a
triple life sentence at the only U.S. federal supermax prison. Were the Stones
criminals, brainwashed terrorists, victims of their circumstances, or champions
of social change? Or were they all of these, their role perceived differently
by different races and socioeconomic groups?"
Here is a short excerpt from the book, this section set in 1968: " [ Dick
Gregory ] announced a plan to run for U.S. president as a write-in candidate.
Gregory also said that he planned to organize massive protests leading up to
and through the Democratic National Convention to be held that August in
Chicago. Gregory, who lived in Chicago at the time, wanted to force the city to
enact a stronger fair housing ordinance and take other steps to address
civil-rights issues. Gregory's plan included recruiting the Vice Lords, the
Blackstone Rangers, and the Disciples to participate in these protests.
"These kinds of announcements by black leaders, ones that encouraged alliances
between gangs and Black Nationalists—not the escalating violence between the
Stones and Disciples—scared the shit out of the feds.
"The year 1968 was pivotal in U.S. history and for the Blackstone Rangers.
Television news covered people protesting the Vietnam War and marching for
civil rights and a wide range of radical groups vandalizing government and
corporate buildings.
"And while it was never their intention, the Stones got caught up in 1968. To
the Stones, their only enemies were the Disciples. To the government, the
Stones were a perceived threat to local and national security. The Stones had a
history of social activism and well-known associations with Black Nationalist
leaders. These leaders recognized the Stones as potential allies, troops, and
sometimes fodder. The Stones had already demonstrated their willingness to
commit violence."
The authors ( Moore is a reporter for Chicago Public Radio and Williams is an
associate professor at Northeastern Illinois University and the son of a former
Vice Lord gang member ) do an excellent job of placing the gang and its leaders
in the context of the larger society, thus providing an invaluable look at many
important events, people and institutions in Chicago's history.
See http:// www.blackstonebook.com .
Original Page:
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=31850%3E
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