Spanish Cobras

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The Spanish Cobras is a primarily, but not exclusively, Latino street gang in multiple states throughout the Midwest, USA with a strong presence on the north and west side of Chicago, Illinois.

History[edit]

The origins of the Spanish Cobras is a mystery. Legend has them starting as a Puerto Rican youth club on the westside in 1948. Other credible sources say they were founded in 1958 in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. We know for sure The Cobras arrived in the Humboldt Park neighborhood during the 1960’s.

In the early 1970’s a young PR teenager named Richard Medina became Chief of the Maplewood/Campbell & Potomac sections. His power grew and he soon became the gang’s leader, earning the nickname “King Cobra, or KC.” He had the Spanish Cobras invade the Evergreen Hustlers turf and fought them to take over the intersection of Evergreen & Washtenaw. KC then started a Young Cobras faction who attacked other gangs' turf, claiming Artesian & Potomac ("A-Town"), and Mozart & Cortland ("Sin City").

The Spanish Cobras were introduced to the world in June 1977 after stabbing a member of the Latin Kings during the annual Puerto Rican Parade. The Kings retaliated later that day, with the two gangs fighting out in the open. Chicago Police then shot into the crowd and killed two innocent bystanders, which ignited the Humboldt Park riot. This received national media attention.

After the riots, KC sent his brothers up north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to open Cobra sets. In prison, the Spanish Cobras joined the Folks alliance, which then made its way to the street.

The Insane Spanish Cobras made headlines again in Spring 1979 during their bloody war with the Insane Unknowns. This resulted in over 10 homicides and a public response from Mayor Jane Byrne who responded with massive police sweeps of the neighborhood.

Before his murder at 20 years old in a drive-by shooting, KC grew the Spanish Cobras into a powerhouse around the Division & Maplewood area (“The Motherland”), Division & Artesian, and Artesian & LeMoyne. They expanded into West Humboldt Park at Ridgeway & Thomas, and took over the hoods of North Ave & Harding, LeMoyne & Springfield and Springfield & Hirsch which branched into Avers & Hirsch ("Westown Cobras").

In the 1980s, according to criminologist John Haggerdon's book Insane the Chicago Way,

What began to take shape was the daring plan of gang leaders incarcerated in Statesville—Fernando "Prince Fernie" Zayas from the Maniac Latin Disciples, Anibal "Tuffy C" Santiago from the Insane Spanish Cobras, and David Ayala from the Two Sixers—to create a local Latino Mafia.

Young Spanish Cobra sets opened like wildfire along Central Park Ave in Logan Square at Shakespeare & Central Park “Young & Crazy”, Central Park & Dickens “Wild Side”, Tripp & Dickens “The Terror Dome”. Monticello & Cortland “Murder City" branched into Lawndale & Cortland "Cobrasland”.

Insane Spanish Cobras took over Fullerton Ave in the Hermosa neighborhood around Kilbourn & Fullerton “The Killing Fields", and at the notorious Fullerton & Tripp “No Love City”. On Tripp & Wabansia “The Snake Pit” and at Drake & Wolfram “Diamond City”. Cicero & Armitage opened and took the Nation further west as the “Cicero Assassins”.

In the summer of 1989, the Francis & Stave YLO Cobras attacked the Simon City Royals at Kosciusko Park in a series of fist fights and shootouts, taking control of "Koz Park" by early 1990 and opening Schubert & Avers. Lawrence & Lawndale opened Up North and branched out after a Northside Cobra was killed by a Simon City Royal. The Cobras took it to the Royals at Jensen Park, and after a brutal war, the Insane Spanish Cobras took over that park, opening Lawndale & Wilson.

In April 1992, the Kedzie & Barry Maniac Latin Disciples accused a Spanish Cobra of selling them bad drugs. The angry MLD’s returned and shot the dealer to death. The Cobras retaliated with a deadly riot against the Disciples that led into a ferocious two-day war of guns blazing up and down Logan Square streets.

Summer of 1992. Mozart & Cortland Spanish Cobras allow a disgruntled Almighty Imperial Gangster to spray paint an upside down pitch fork in their hood. This upsets neighboring IG’s, MLDS’s and YLO-D’s. The Disciples attack and try to invade Sin City by force, but the Cobra’s security starts shooting at them and members line up with bats, pipes, knives and guns. There is an all out bloody brawl and gunfight in the streets. The MLD’s eventually retreat. The OG’s talk and peace is re-established again.

The Spanish Cobras and Latin Disciples were strong allies from the 1960’s to the mid 1990s. However, they began fighting over drug territory around 1994. As head of the Insane Familia, the Spanish Cobras took their alliance of Insane Deuces, Insane Dragons, OA’s, Insane Campbell Boys and others to war against the Maniacs and Almighty Folks.

In 1996 the escalation of the Insane—Maniac war made the Chicago Tribune.^[1] That same year, in retaliation for the murder of a high-ranking member, the West-Town Cobras shot up a Latin Kings wedding resulting in casualties. The deadly shooting was caught on videotape and local news stations broadcast it across Chicagoland. This increased the pressure on law enforcement to go after the gang. In 1997 a Central Park Cobra killed an MLD Chief on Armitage Ave, breaking the fragile truce the two gangs had at the time, and kicking off the war again.

After a nine-month undercover narcotics investigation, in January 1998 the Chicago Police Department arrested 31 Spanish Cobras in "Operation: Mongoose", including some gang leaders. This resulted in the closure of a couple of Cobra sections.

In 1999 there was one last attempt at peace for Latin Folks. A big meeting was held and a truce established. But it didn’t last a half hour. Outside of the meeting hall, renegade MLD’s were waiting and shot an Insane leader as he was walking out. This would kick off a permanent war that lasts until this day.

In the early 2000s, the Lawndale & Cortland Cobras went on a rampage, and removed the MLD’s from North Avenue & Lawndale after violent gunfights and murders.

When a Spanish Cobra boss was released from prison in 2019 after serving 20 years, he intensified the war on the street to reclaim old turf.

Territory[edit]

The Chicago neighborhoods with the strongest active Insane and YLO Spanish Cobra presence are: Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Logan Square, Belmont-Cragin, Avondale, Albany Park and Kelvyn Park. With a small presence in the McKinley Park area on the south side (34th & Western).^{[citation needed]}

The Spanish Cobra Nation is also found in the Chicago suburbs of Waukegan, Bensenville and Cicero. Police have reported Cobra gang members in the suburbs of Elgin, Wheeling, Mount Prospect and Northlake.

They are known to operate in other parts of Illinois, as well as in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha in Wisconsin, and in Detroit. They are quite large in Flint, Michigan.^[2] Law enforcement has also reported Spanish Cobras in Ohio, Connecticut and South Florida.

References[edit]

https://m.chicagoreader.com/chicago/insane-way-john-hagedorn-latino-gangs-sgd/Content?oid=20511448

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-08-29-9608290299-story.html

Further reading[edit]

• Luthern, Ashley (March 11, 2015). "11 with ties to Spanish Cobra gang arrested for armed robbery". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 2, 2015.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/05/06/gang-war-to-blame-for-string-of-shootings-in-hermosa-west-logan-square-police-say/