The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation , which are loosely referred to as Latin Kings, are considered as one of the older street gangs associated with Hispanics, as well as, Latinos operating in North and Central America (Knox & McCurrie, 1996). The gang, which was founded by Ramon Santos, traces its roots to Chicago, Illinois back in the early 1950s with the sole focus being towards fighting for the rights of the immigrant families living in the region. Santos, who was referred to as King Papo , sought to create a grouping that would seek to deal with the issue of racial prejudice that the immigrant families were facing (Tapia, 2014). King Papo’s philosophy when creating the gang was that it would help create a structured approach through which to deal with issues surrounding racial prejudice and discrimination; thus, leading to the idea of having an organization that would seek to represent ‘kings’ and ‘queens.’
Although the exact number of the gang members is unknown, official reports estimate the number at approximately 50,000 spread in the United States, Mexico, and Central and South American regions . In the United States, the Latin Kings operate under two specific umbrella factions, which are Motherland, which operates in the area referred to as King Motherland Chicago, and Bloodline, which operates within the United States (Feixa & Romaní, 2014). The gang has evolved significantly since its founding taking into account that it has sought to create a safe haven for persons from other communities. The gang has allowed gang members from other racial backgrounds including African Americans and Asian among others. The main criminal activities that the gang perpetuates range from drug and weapons trafficking, murder, auto theft, to money laundering and racketeering among others (Feixa & Romaní, 2014).
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One of the key factors that has defined success for the Latin Kings gang has been its hierarchical organizational structure, which enhances its efficiency when seeking to engage in its criminal activities. The gang operates a significant number of ‘chapters’ or ‘tribes,’ which are spread within different parts of the United States and Mexico while ensuring that they conform to a set out regional, state, and national system (Knox & McCurrie, 1996). Officers, running the ‘chapters’ or ‘tribes,’ are provided with support by a ‘ Crown Council ,’ which comprises of 5 members. The council has a key role to play in ensuring that it sets the rules and regulations that govern the activities by the gang while holding disciplinary meetings. The regional officers of the gang, who are referred to as ‘Incas,’ are based in Chicago and are only involved when the lower-level officers are not able to handle specific matters. The head of the gang are referred to as ‘coronas.’
The most distinct aspect associated with Latin Kings is the fact that they seek to use black and gold markings, which consist of either a five- or three-point ‘sacred crown’ to serve as a feature that would determine one’s rank (Tapia, 2014). The gang members also use abbreviations that include LK, ALK, ALKN, and ALKQN in a bid to defining their allegiance to the gang. Law enforcement officers, involved in the fight against this gang, have indicated that one its main strengths is its ability to instill discipline on its members (Tapia, 2014). The gang has both corporal and non-corporal punishments ranging from probation to death depending on the severity of the offenses. That has helped in ensuring that the gang members maintain their discipline at all times to avoid being punished by their superiors.
References
Feixa, C., & Romaní, O. (2014). From Local Gangs to Global Tribes: The Latin Kings and Queens Nation in Catalonia. In Youth cultures in the age of global media (pp. 88-103). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Knox, G. W., & McCurrie, T. F. (1996). Gang Profile: The Latin Kings. Journal of Gang Research , 4 (1), 43-72.
Tapia, M. (2014). Latino street gang emergence in the Midwest: Strategic franchising or natural migration?. Crime & Delinquency , 60 (4), 592-618.
