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 collective ...

s originating in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 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.

Formation

The Folks Nation was formed on November 11, 1978, within the confines of the Stateville Correctional Center. Larry Hoover, 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 People Nation 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 t ...

' 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 *

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 ...

Spanish Cobras The Spanish Cobras is a primarily, but not exclusively, 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 considered the second-largest Latino F ...

* Maniac Latin Disciples * Black Disciples * La Raza Nation * Spanish Gangster Disciples * Tall Arabian Posse Boys

References

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