Maniac Latin Disciples

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The Maniac Latin Disciples Nation is a Hispanic street gang in Chicago and the largest in the Latino Folks Nation alliance. Originally known as only the Latin Disciples, the gang was founded by Albert "Hitler" Hernandez and other Puerto Rican teenagers in the Humboldt Park community in approximately 1966. They were influential in the culture and history of gangs in Humboldt Park, and continue to be active there today.

Latin Disciples are one of the original gangs in the Folk alliance, alongside the Black Gangster Disciples, Simon City Royals, Spanish Cobras, Satan’s Disciples, Ashland Vikings, Two-Six, and others. Around 1993-94 the various gangs in the Maniac Familia, led by the Manic Latin Disciples (MLD’s) began having violent conflicts with their Latin Folks allies in the Insane Familia, led by the Cobras and Almighty Family of Imperial Gangsters and Latin Eagles. These beefs would eventually lead to an all out war on the North & West sides that still rage to this day. In 1995, the Maniac Latin Disciples began to spread their influence into the south side of Chicago, specifically in the Gage Park neighborhood, along with several Chicago suburbs. As of 2010, the south side Maniac Latin Disciples set no longer operate in Gage Park and has then moved their operations to the West Elsdon neighborhood. MLD from 30th 50th 22K

The gang originated as a Humboldt Park baseball club of Puerto Rican kids in the mid-1960’s. They were harassed and jumped (physically assaulted) by gangs such as the Simon City Royals, Gaylords and Harrison Gents. The club fought back to protect themselves and got respect on the street, earning them back-up from the Black Disciples.^{[citation needed]} The Latin Scorpions merged with another Latino club and turned into a full-fledged gang in 1966, calling themselves the Latin Disciples. A scrappy junior high boy named Albert "Hitler" Hernandez would position himself as ‘King’ of the new adolescent gang on Hirsch & Rockwell.

When the gang bangers went to high school, they became active in fighting against other gangs with brass knuckles, knives, bats, steel chains & pipes. Soon, arrests followed. Around 1970 the first Latin Disciples went to prison for aggravated assault & battery. They had a meeting with the Black Gangster Disciples (today split into the Black Disciples and Gangster Disciples) and established a business relationship on the inside and outside.

Tragedy struck when Albert “King Hitler” Hernandez was killed at 18 years old in 1972 by two Latin Kings. He asked them to remove their gang colors while walking through Latin Disciple’s turf. This ended in a brawl with those two Latin Kings, and Hernandez being stabbed to death. From then on the Latin Disciples Nation went to war with the Latin Kings.

The Latin Disciples soon opened up shop on the infamous drug corner Rockwell & Potomac known as “The Twilight Zone”. The gang’s power increased on the northwest side with their domination of the illegal heroin trade. Latin Disciple sections spread throughout Humboldt Park at Thomas & Washtenaw “Murder Town”, Washtenaw & Hirsch, Maplewood & Wabansia, and Talman & Wabansia “Wild Side or “T-Dub”.

In 1976 Division & Avers opened in West Humboldt Park and in ‘77 the Kedzie & Barry set opened in Logan Square and quickly branched out. This caused increased resentment among opposing Latin Kings and Insane Unknown Kings whose territory was getting encroached on. A year later, Chi-Chi D, the Latin Disciple President of KB, was gunned down by Insane Unknowns.

The Latin Disciples Nation joined the "Folks Alliance" of gangs in 1978, becoming enemies of all People Nations like the Black P Stones, PR Stones, Spanish Lords, Vice Lords and Latin Kings whom the MLD’s already hated. With the Latin Disciples joining Folks, the Spanish Cobras, Imperial Gangsters, and Latin Eagles immediately followed due to the United Latino Organization they had on the street.

After a major police drug bust took down many ULO sets, including the Latin Disciple leadership, Fernando "Fernie D” Zayas became Prince of the gang in 1979. He led the gang on the streets hard, but has been in Illinois Department of Corrections custody since 1983 for his organizing and participating in the drive-by murders of three Insane Unknowns. One of the Unknowns participated in Chi-Chi’s homicide. Prince Fernie-D ran the gang with a tight fist from inside prison for over a decade.

In 1983, the Latin Disciples officially became the Maniac Latin Disciples. During the 80’s, MLD sets opened in the Hermosa neighborhood on Keystone & Dickens “Omskiville”, Keystone & Cortland “Killa City”, Belden & Lowell and Kenneth & Belden.

Albert "Chino D" Ojeda attempted to become a major drug dealer in the gang during this time. This sparked a violent battle with his gang affiliates, Chicago Police said. Chino D was shot and left a paraplegic. From his wheelchair he continued to run his drug operation. A friend who was killed in 1988 and his crew would chauffeur him around the Humboldt Park area in a van, the wheelchair wedged in the back.

In April 1992, the Kedzie & Barry Maniac Latin Disciples accused a Spanish Cobra named Orlando of selling them bad drugs. The angry MLD’s returned and shot the dealer to death. The Insane Spanish Cobras retaliated, causing a riot between sections of Cobras and D’s that led into a ferocious two-day war of guns blazing on Logan Square streets until it was finally resolved by the OG’s.

By now, some Latino Folks were getting worried about the MLD’s rising power. So the Spanish Cobra’s formed the “Insane Familia” in 1992 consisting of YLO-C’s, O-A’s, Ashland Vikings, Insane Dragons, Insane Campbell Boys and others. In response, the Maniac Latin Disciples formed the "Maniac familia”. The initial gangs to join were the YLO-Disciples, Latin Jivers, Latin Lovers and Milwaukee Kings Nation. The Campbell Boys Nation was forced to split up; half turned Maniac Campbell Boys and half turned Insane Campbell Boys. The Latin Lovers left the Maniac family in 1995 and flipped Insane. MKN left a few years later after complaining of being taxed too much.

After fighting together as brothers for two decades, the Maniac Latin Disciples and Insane Spanish Cobras began having friction around 1994 over drug territory.

In February 1996 a Cobra shot an MLD nicknamed Hi-Lo, who barley survived the attack after a bullet went through his cheek. A high ranking Maniac leader named Johnny “Loco” Almodóvar swore revenge and organized a drastic retaliation. He ordered 3 synchronized drive-bys at 3 different Spanish Cobra sections.

The first team with the AK-47 shot two Cobras, one in the neck and arm, and one in the hip, but they both survived. The second team armed with a .380 pistol shot a Cobra in the head, but he somehow also lived. The third team shot off a .45 caliber but missed all their targets as the Cobras scrambled and their security fired back at the D’s who quickly left.

Soon, Chicago Police arrest an MLD and flip him into a snitch who gives up the sign-in sheet from the meeting where the Cobra shootings were discussed and planned by Don Loco. The Spanish Cobras retaliated the same night and their Insane allies declared war on the MLD’s. That’s when all hell brooke loose in Humboldt Park and on the North Side. The Maniac-Cobra war made the Chicago Tribune Newspaper as Loco D was arrested and sent to prison on the testimony of his fellow MLD/police informant.

In the mid-1990s the MLD’s were one of the largest and most organized gangs in the city. But war with other Latino Folks and a couple money making street corners caused problems within the gang itself. A desire to control profitable drug corners caused a renegade faction of Maniac Latin Disciples called “The Bums” from Rockwell & Potomac to attack their own gang the Talman & Wabansia section. This conflict was made famous on the History Channel's tv show “Gangland”, describing the Maniac Latin Disciple civil war that resulted in the murder of their leader, Enrique “Prince Rick Dog” Garcia, who was sitting in his car when he was ambushed and shot to death by a renegade MLD.

It was later found that the Bums heavily instigated the war with the Cobras and the Hi-Lo incident to weaken the section of MLD’s they wanted to take over. A Central Park YLO Spanish Cobra killed a West Side MLD Chief named Omski on Armitage Ave in 1997, intensifying the Cobra-D war. The MLD’s would name the Keystone & Dickens section after him in an homage.

The Maniac Latin Disciple civil war ended by ‘98, but the internal damage was already done, and severe. In 1999 there was a temporary truce between the Insanes and Maniacs. A meeting was held to try to come to terms for a permanent peace. But renegade MLD factions who followed the BUMS showed up outside to cause trouble. When the meeting was over and peace established inside, a BUM follower shot an Insane leader as he was walking out. The peace lasted for less than 10 minutes and never again. The two families of Nations remain at war to this day.

Police raids in the early 2000’s decimated much the MLD leadership. Today the gang currently remains large on the Northwest Side, but never regained its previous power.

Maniac Latin Disciples eventually spread to different states such as Wisconsin, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. Subsets of the gang exist in cities such as Antioch, Tn; Nashville, Tn; Memphis, Tn; Milwaukee, WI; Dallas, Tx and Houston, Tx. At one point the gang was heavily involved with the prison Spanish Gangster Disciples unity of Latino Folks inside, which is different than the street gang SGDN, whose founding members were former Maniac Latin Disciples.

Maniac Latin Disciples display black and light blue colors. Identifiers include a heart with a devil's tail and horns, a hooded character called the Monk, swastika, and the trident. Another common identifier among Maniac Latin Disciples is use of a blackletter font D for the Disciples alliance, similar to that of the Detroit Tigers "D" logo.^[3]

• Gang culture in Humboldt Park