Larry Hoover

Larry Hoover (born November 30, 1950)"Larry Hoover"
''Biography.com''. Retrieved 18 April 2019. is a former American gang leader, co-founder of the Chicago street gang Gangster Disciples. Hoover is serving six life sentences at the ADX Florence prison in Florence, Colorado. He was sentenced to 200 years for a 1973 murder, and in 1997 (after a 17-year investigation of conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, and running a continuing criminal enterprise by leading the gang from state prison) he received a life sentence. Larry Hoover has stated he is no longer part of the Gangster Disciples.

Biography

1973 murder of William Young

On the evening of February 26, 1973, William "Pooky" Young, a 19-year-old neighborhood drug dealer, was abducted and later shot to death in an alley near 68th Street and Union Avenue in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. His killing was ordered by Hoover after his name was mentioned as one of three people accused of stealing drugs and money from the gang six days earlier. On March 16, 1973, Hoover—along with Young's killer, Black Disciple member Andrew Howard—were both arrested. In November 1973, Howard and Hoover were both charged with murder and sentenced to 150 to 200 years in prison. Hoover was sent to Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois, to serve out his term. Today Larry Hoover is still connected to other GD members and his top lieutenant, A'Marion Taylor, as well as being involved in fighting cold cases about murders that are only now coming to light, also tied to the GD organization.

Gangster Disciples leader and events

In 1974, after the leader of the Black Disciples, David Barksdale, died from kidney failure by an injury due to an earlier shooting, Hoover took the reins of the Black Gangster Disciples Nation. At the time, the group had control of Chicago's South Side. Under Hoover's rule, the Black Gangster Disciples took over the South Side drug trade. While incarcerated, Hoover, with help from the Folk Nation, which added other gangs such as: Black Disciples, Satan Disciples, Ambrose, Two-Two Boys, Gangster Two-Six, Simon City Royals, North Side Insane Popes, La Raza Nation, Spanish Cobras, Imperial Gangsters, Maniac Latin Disciples, Harrison Gents, Spanish Gangster Disciples and Latin Eagles. In 1989, The Black Gangster Disciples started to go against their own merger and ally, the Black Disciples, over a drug-dealing dispute in the neighborhood of Englewood, Chicago, that escalated into a shooting that killed several people. This infuriated members of BGDs and resulted in them changing their name to the "Gangster Disciples." While Hoover was incarcerated, he ran the gang's illicit drug trade both in prison and on the streets, starting from Chicago's West Side and later extending throughout the United States. By early 1993, Hoover claimed to have renounced his violent criminal past and became an urban political celebrity in Chicago. Hoover proclaimed that GD's initials had changed to mean "Growth & Development." A lengthy federal investigation using wiretaps led to Hoover getting another life sentence in 1995. Prosecutors alleged that Hoover's gang had 30,000 "soldiers" in 35 states and made $100 million a year. As of July 2022, Larry Hoover has denounced the Gangster Disciples and stated that he wants nothing to do with it.

Conviction

While in prison for murder, on August 22, 1995, after a 17-year undercover investigation by the federal government, Hoover was indicted for drug conspiracy, extortion, and continuing to engage in a criminal enterprise. He was arrested at the Dixon Correctional Center by federal agents, and moved to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago to stand trial. In 1997, Hoover was found guilty on all charges. Hoover is currently serving his sentence at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Security Facility in Florence, Colorado.

In popular culture

Hoover also appears via phone from prison on multiple tracks of Geto Boys' 1996 album '' The Resurrection'' where he discusses his views on the prison system and the youth of the black community.

In 1996, Hoover's teachings were published. The book is titled ''The Blueprint of a New Concept, From Gangster Disciple to Growth & Development''.

Kanye West involvement

Rapper and Chicago native Kanye West has, for many years, been vocal about wanting Hoover to be released from prison. West has taken significant action towards his goal of releasing Hoover from prison.

On one of the demo versions of his song "Hurricane", which was meant to appear on his since-scrapped project, ''Yandhi'', West suggested calling his then-wife, Kim Kardashian, to help release Hoover, following Kardashian's success on working with President Trump to free a number of federal prisoners.

On October 11, 2018, during a luncheon with then-President Donald Trump, West pleaded for clemency for Hoover.

West's 2021 album ''Donda'' contains the tracks "Jesus Lord" and "Jesus Lord, Pt. 2", which both feature a recorded message by Hoover's son, Larry Hoover Jr., in which he discusses the "cracks" in America's criminal justice system, and talks about the impact of Hoover's incarceration on his family.

On December 9, 2021, West, along with fellow rapper Drake, hosted a "Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert" at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The main goal of the concert was to bring awareness to Hoover's case; West and Drake called for the release of Hoover and sought to raise awareness about prison and sentencing reform in the United States. Though West and Drake had previously been involved in an ongoing rivalry, they decided to put an end to their feud, and focus on putting their fame and influence to use by bringing awareness to Hoover's case, by organizing the benefit concert.

References

Further reading

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External links

Charges Against 6 Dropped In Illinois Prison Riot Trial
UPI (June 2, 1981)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoover, Larry
1950 births
African-American gangsters
American gangsters
American crime bosses
Gang members
Gangsters from Chicago
Inmates of ADX Florence
Living people
Gangsters sentenced to life imprisonment
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people