Post by AK on Mar 6, 2019 21:49:24 GMT
Founded in 1966 by Albert Hernandez in the East Humboldt Park section of West Town neighborhood near Rockwell and Potomac
In the year 1966 young 12 year old Albert Hernandez started his own club/baseball team called the “Disciples.”
The Disciples were a party crew of kids that got together and had a good time then played some baseball, they also liked to help out the community at Rockwell and Potomac in the East Humboldt Park neighborhood. The Disciples treated many people in the community with respect and would even stick up for people that were being bullied by neighborhood gangs, this lead to conflicts with Latin Kings, Warlords and Spanish Lords, not white gangs like Gang Land says, especially not Gaylords and Harrison Gents that were never in East Humboldt Park. The Disciples hung out with the Milwaukee Kings as their closest allies and the two clubs partied together.
During the ferocious blizzard of 1967, the Disciples volunteered to shovel snow for people in the community, this got Albert Hernandez and his 11 other Disciples pictured in the Chicago Daily News news paper in 1967 which is the photo that was used for the History Channel’s Gang Land show, it is surprising that Hernandez was almost 13 years old in that photo.
In the year 1968, Hernandez changed the name of the club to the “Latin Disciples;” however, the club was not just for Latinos, as all races around the neighborhood were always allowed to join. There were Puerto Rican members, Mexican members, Polish members even African American members, the club was for all right from the start, and that was one of the reason the Latin Disciples continued to grow at Rockwell and Potomac.
On the day of January 18, 1972, Albert Hernandez was out at Rockwell and Potomac as usual when Latin King gang members came into the neighborhood and were harassing one of the Polish members of the LDs, Hernandez was doing what he did best in sticking up for others and this is what led to those Latin Kings pulling a knife and stabbing him to death. Albert Hernandez was killed a few months before turning 18. He left a legacy that was heavily admired but his legacy was also turned into more than it really was. Albert Hernandez was born on April 5, 1954 and died on January 18, 1972.
Locations -
Richmond Ave & 71st/72nd St "Rtown / Kamo Gang"
