father decided to stay in Mississippi and neither have exchanged words since the year of 1966. Larry Hoover grew up in the rough streets of Chicago in the 1960’s without the presence of a strong father figure. At the time of his upbringing, the city of Chicago was crummy and oppressed and, therefore, his mother was stern, and she established a rule for him to be home before the street lights turned on. It was not until 1964, when Larry Hoover was drawn to the fast pace, unpredictable life in the streets. Larry Hoover lived in an apartment on 68th and Green Street and around his community dominated a street gang called the Supreme Gangsters. This group included roughly 50 members who were older men. At the age of thirteen he became a member …show more content…
Larry Hoover had no sympathy for his mother and believed she did not do her best in supplying a means of support for the family. Therefore, if he saw an opportunity to steal to support himself, then he would take advantage of the moment. The items of clothes items in which he had stolen were kept at a friend’s house because he did not want his mother to question his new belongings. Larry Hoover did attend school at Francis Parker High School, and he showed strengths in math and basketball. Since he had a stutter, he was ridiculed and, for this reason, he was not a fan of school as a freshman. During this sophomore year, he was shot outside of the principal’s office in the thigh on his first day of school. When the rivalry gang member shot him, this was the plug that unexpectedly ceased his educational path. At school he felt incompetent and not in control, on the other hand, his street activities satisfied the fulfillment he was not receiving at Francis Parker High School. Immediately after the squabble that took place on campus grounds, Larry Hoover rose to the leader of the gang. His new role in leadership offered him affiliation and …show more content…
Control over districts was a crucial gain for any street gang, the business within the gang expands. During the 1960’s, the battles were starting to escalate. In the article, “Journey of Chicago's ultimate street tough,” by Ann Scott Tyson, a gang called the ‘King Cobras’ snagged Larry Hoover’s territory, but he claims his members held their own and instead the members of the Cobras joined to become members. The collaboration of the two groups sparked the Black Gangster Nation. Larry Hoover’s gang in 1969 expanded out to both Chicago’s West and South Side, at around ‘5,000 followers’ (Tyson, 1996, p. 4). Later in the year of 1969, he combined the members of his gang with a man by the name of David Barksdale’s totaling the disciples to ‘10,000’ (Tyson, 1996, p.4). The larger the gang one affiliates with, the more power and control and respect the gang has from the other gangs in the surrounding neighborhoods. David Bakersdale was born in Mississippi in a small town called Sallis. He began to gain his reputation and respect on the streets in the 1960’s because he was the founder of the Devil