The Folks Nation is an alliance of

street gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

s originating in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, established in 1978. The alliance has since spread throughout the United States, particularly the Midwest region of the United States. They are rivals of the

People Nation People Nation is an alliance of street gangs generally associated with the Chicago area. They are rivals of the Folk Nation alliance of gangs. Formation The People Nation was formed in reaction to the creation of the Folk Nation alliance of gang ...

Formation

The Folks Nation was formed on November 11, 1978, within the confines of the

Stateville Correctional Center Stateville Correctional Center (SCC) is a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. It is a part of the Illinois Department of Corrections. History Opened in 1925, Stateville was built to a ...

Larry Hoover Larry Hoover (born November 30, 1950)"Larry Hoover"
''Biography.com''. Retrieved 18 April 2019. ...

, the chairman of the Gangster Disciple Nation, created the idea for the alliance and persuaded many leaders of large black, white, and Latino gangs from Chicago to join. Soon after its formation, the People Nation was formed to counter the Folks alliance.

Symbols

Folks Nation symbols include the

Star of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...

, horns, a

die Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

with 6 dots facing forward, the digit 6, a devil's tail, a pitchfork, a heart with horns, a heart with wings, the digit 3, three dots, a symbol called Third World or Saturn (digit 3 within a circle with a horizontal curved line through it), the digit 2 (used by the Insane Deuce Nation), the digit 4 (used by Insane Two-Two Nation and the Almighty Harrison Gent Nation), the digit 7 (used by the Almighty Imperial Gangster Nation), the digit 8 (used by the Insane Ashland Viking Nation), the number 13 (used by the Milwaukee King Nation), the Playboy bunny (used by all Gangster Familia nations excluding the Gangster Disciple Nation), a cane (used by the Almighty Stoned Freak Nation, Almighty Vice Lord Nation, Almighty Harrison Gent Nation and the Latin Jiver Nation), a top hat (used by the Almighty Harrison Gent Nation and the Latin Jiver Nation), a crown with seven rounded steps (used by Almighty Imperial Gangster Nation, sometimes the Gangster Disciple Nation), a six point crown (represents entire Folks Nation though modern use is typically by the Insane Gangster Satan Disciple Nation), various cross variants, and the number 360, "360°" or phrase "360 degrees", usually used to refer to their international presence (360 degrees around the globe) though it has other meanings within Folks literature. Folks gangs also disrespect

gangs by inverting or "cracking" (adding crack marks to or removing half of a gang symbol) their symbols.

Active Gangs

A 1995 report from the

Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections operates state prisons in the U.S. state of Florida. It has its headquarters in Florida's capital of Tallahassee. The Florida Department of Corrections operates the third largest state prison system in the ...

' Security Threat Intelligence Unit listed Folk Nation's major sets as follows:People and Folk Nation Sets (continued) - Gang and Security Threat Group Awareness
archived fro

on August 6, 2008. Accessed March 19, 2019. *

Latin Eagles The Almighty Latin Eagles Nation (ALEN) originated in the area of Halsted and Addison in Chicago in the 1960s. Originally meant to be a Latino political organization, by the 1970s it had transformed into a criminal street gang. Identification Me ...

Simon City Royals The Simon City Royals, also known as the Almighty Simon City Royal Nation, are a street and prison gang which began in Chicago during 1952 as Simon City, a greaser gang. They named themselves for Simons Park, which is located on the corner of ...

Gangster Disciples The Gangster Disciples are an African American street and prison gang, which was formed in the South Side of Chicago in the late 1960s, by Larry Hoover, leader of the Supreme Gangsters, and David Barksdale, leader of the Black Disciples. The tw ...

Spanish Cobras The Spanish Cobras is a primarily, but not exclusively, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino gang started by Puerto Rican teenagers in Chicago during the late 1950s. The Insane Spanish Cobra Nation are members of the Folks alliance and consider ...

Maniac Latin Disciples The Maniac Latin Disciples Nation is a Hispanic street gang in Chicago and one of the largest in the Folks Nation alliance. Originally known as the Latin Scorpions, the gang was founded by Albert "Hitler" Hernandez and other Puerto Rican teenage ...

Black Disciples The Black Disciples (often abbreviated as BDN, BDN III, BD's) is a large street gang based in Chicago, Illinois, which received significant news coverage after the murder of one of their own members, an 11-year-old named Robert Sandifer. Hi ...

La Raza Nation La Raza is a gang, street gang founded in Chicago in 1973. Their colors are green, white, and red (same as the Mexican flag). Their symbols include the Mexican flag, cross, and a six-point star. Relations with other gangs Although La Raza Nati ...

Spanish Gangster Disciples The Spanish Gangster Disciples is a street gang that originated on the south side of Chicago, respectively in the vicinity of 88th & Houston in the South Chicago neighborhood. The gang was founded by Rudy Rios, who was a former member of the La ...

* Tall Arabian Posse Boys

References

{{Organized crime groups in America Organizations established in 1978 1978 establishments in Illinois Street gangs Gangs in Chicago Coalitions