Los Be Be Stones

The Los Be Be Stones have a very interesting history and have come a long way through the years.  The original members grew up in the suburb of Melrose Park in and around the intersection of 23^rd and Division.  I am not sure, but they may have grown up in an apartment looking building right at the corner which is presently a day care center.  The original members included six individuals: BJ, Frankie, Nopaul, Big Juan, Nena and the Franco brothers.  Big Juan and his sister Nena were the founders and if I have it correct, were nicknamed “Bebes” by their parents before the mob was formed.   The original colors were black, red, light blue and white. They then used that nickname for their club they started in 1983.  The club was officially put together in the year 1983 at 23^rd and Division.  “Los Bebes” means “babies” in Spanish in case you are wondering.  They were the kids/babies in the neighborhood, hence, how the name was adopted.  I believe the average age of the originals was around thirteen years old when they formed.

In the mid-1970s Mexican people first began to migrate to Melrose Park.  Most of the newly arrived Hispanic people moved south of Lake Street, but some settled toward Division Street.  The Bebes were settled at the Division Street border.  Melrose Park was known for racial battled among the youth and for police that were on the racist side.  Many long time Melrose Park residents were upset with Chicago people of color moving in.  In neighboring Stone Park and Franklin Park the Simon City Royals arrived in the 1970s and by 1983 they were well-established in both suburbs.  The Latin Kings of Maywood and Melrose Park fought Royals and racial battles, but the earliest Los Bebes fought the Royals from Stone Park and Franklin Park too.  At some point in the 1980s the Be Bes expanded to 16^th and Lake in Melrose Park possibly into the apartment building located at that intersection.  This brought the Be Bes closer to Maywood and into conflict with the Black Gangster Disciples from Maywood.  Los Be Bes became tight with Latin Kings because both groups were fighting BGDs in this area.  Be Bes also got into it with Imperial Gangsters from Franklin Park who had always wanted a piece of Melrose Park.

In the year 1988, Be Bes moved many of their members to a strip of apartments along 17^th Ave by North Avenue known as “Little Jungle.”  This was on the side of Melrose Park that was predominately white when they first moved in.  It was in this complex that the Be Bes became very popular and built up a strong presence.  I am not positive, but I think Big Juan himself colonized these apartments and lived here for a year.

One trait of the Be Bes was their keen ability to make money.  Although the group got involved in gang violence in the 1980s their principal activities were just hanging out, partying and making lots of money. Be Bes were not an aggressive group and only lashed out on rival gangs when they were messed with and when they did they unloaded with a fury against enemies.

In the year 1989, Big Juan, his sister Nena, and other Be Bes moved into the suburb of Villa Park.  Big Juan then started an immediately successful chapter in an apartment/townhouse complex off North Avenue known as “The Townies.”  This was in the area of North Avenue and Kramer.   Big Juan arrived with money in his pockets and bought the Subway located right next door to the Townies that was in a little strip mall that included a liquor store.  Los Be Bes recruited quickly and several young members could be seen hanging out in the parking lot of this strip mall in the 1990s.  Other Villa Park gangs in the immediate area were Insane Deuces, Imperial Insane Vice Lords, and a little later in the earlier 1990s came the Latin Counts.  As far as I know, the Be Bes had no war with any of these groups especially since they were all People alliance.  The Be Be Kings did have a war with Two Sixs from Villa Park.

Be Bes also moved into the Michael Lane apartments in Addison which was a strip of low income apartments in eastern Addison.  The Latin Kings moved in simultaneously onto Michael Lane and Latin Kings were real big in the Villa Park suburb.  Since Melrose Park, Villa Park and Addison Be Bes were sharing neighborhoods with Latin Kings and fighting the same enemies it became time for the Be Bes and Latin Kings to arrange an official alliance to establish business together and rules of conduct in each other’s hoods.  In the year 1989, The Los Be Bes officially joined the People alliance under the wing of Latin Kings. To pay homage to Latin Kings the Be Bes changed their name to “Los Be Be Kings” and adopted black and gold colors.  As far as I know, Be Bes stayed out of conflict Latin Kings had with other People allied gangs like Insane Deuces and Latin Counts, but I am not sure of that.

Shortly after making this official alliance the Be Be Kings would soon regret this decision as Latin Kings applied unreasonable amounts of pressure on Be Bes to flip to Latin Kings.  On Michael Lane both gangs hung out in the alleyways all day long but in Melrose Park and Villa Park pressure was adding up and Michael Lane would soon become a conflict zone because of the aggressive recruitment.  This led to an eventual war that broke out in 1991 between the two groups.  This brought in years of heavy growth and heavy drama as O’Hare areas largest gang was now Los Be Be King’s enemy.

The Los Be Be Kings spread in popularity even more as they opened territory in the suburb of Glendale Heights at the intersection of Glen Ellyn and Fullerton, in Westmont in the Eagle Creek apartments at 61^st and Williams,  In Berwyn at 23^rd and Lombard and the suburb of Northlake.  There was also Be Bes in Cicero, West Chicago, and Palos Hills.  Glendale Heights became the biggest chapter of all as they had the biggest head count.  The Glendale Heights chapter’s graffiti even made the Arlington Heights Daily Herald newspaper on June 28, 1990 which was an article complaining about a gang causing a disturbance in this unincorporated area but they didn’t know the gang name in the article but this was in the heart of Los Be Be King territory and the article shows their old symbol which is a cross with five dots around it and a pitchfork and Two Six symbol painted upside down.

In the early 1990s, Maniac Latin Disciples and Two Two Boys moved into the Melrose Park suburb and Imperial Gangsters were trying to make way into the suburb as well.  This resulted in more gang wars for the Be Bes which led to the most violent era for the Melrose Park chapter.  This led to higher recruitment for Be Bes but also increased legal issues for the Melrose Park branch, not only to mention, the ongoing war with Latin Kings added to these issues.

Between the years of 1991 and 1995 the Los Bebes were at their peak of strength, then in 1995 the Los Bebes began to shrink in size because of members violating rules and using drugs which caused other factions to shut those chapters down.  Chapters began to close leaving Villa Park and Melrose Park.  Michael Lane was closed amid a growing war between Latin Kings and Latin Counts that started around 1992-1993 when the Counts moved and aggressively began taking over, leadership at this chapter was not stable enough to withstand these issues.  I am not sure how Be Bes have felt about Counts over the years, but it doesn’t seem like they aided the Counts when they arrived, instead they just left the area, closing the Addison chapter for good in 1995.

In the year 1995 the war with Latin Kings was about to prove to be a major issue for Be Bes locked up in jail and prison because Latin Kings often go after enemy gangs ferociously in the joint. This is when Be Bes locked up in Cook County jail at 26th and California connected with high-ranking Gangster Stones to have an official alliance. One high-ranking Gangster Stone contacted Daryl “Mooseman” Abney, the leader at the time of the Gangster Stones, to meet with Be Bes in the Henry Horner public housing projects located in the Near West Side neighborhood. A meeting was arranged then Be Bes headed to the projects in 20 cars packing guns. The Be Bes then met the Gangster Stones for the scheduled meeting and the Be Bes were given Stone literature and the handshake. This is when Be Bes became an official Black P Stone branch in 1995 and this stopped the war with Latin Kings as Be Bes and Kings became allies again as well. The Be Bes were now known as “Almighty Los Be Be Stones” and adopted black and red colors.  Black P Stones loved the Bebes because they were always about making money since they started and Big Juan was a money maker.

Because of the new alliance with Gangster Stones and the BPSN, the Stones assisted the Los Be Bes in squashing the war with Latin Kings permanently and there have never been major long time conflicts since then and a tight alliance was restored just without any official colors or name sharing.

In the year 1995, Be Bes fought a violent war with the Imperial Gangsters which led to the shooting death of Be Be member Steven Finney.  The Be Bes retaliated and killed an IG and dragged another by the neck from a rope.  If I am not mistaken, the Imperial Gangsters wanted to move in and take over 17^th Ave and North Ave apartments and the Be Bes there weren’t having it.  I know in later decades IGs had somewhat of a presence there but when Be Bes were there in the 90s, they mainly kept IGs out.

In the late 1990s Be Bes opened Sunnyside and Clark in the Uptown neighborhood by Mabe and Dino.

In the year 1999, Be Bes closed their Melrose Park operations after too many gang conflicts caused them legal issues.  Also, the village of Melrose Park was heavily cracking down on gang activity which ended to era of true gangbanging in Melrose Park.  Two Two Boys, Maniac Latin Disciples and Spanish Lords closed their sections and Latin Kings were reduced in numbers and Melrose Park has been that way since.

Some of the top Incas from Villa Park and Glendale Heights were all that was left to keep the organization together by the early 2000s.  In the year 2002 Bebe left the Townies in Villa Park, and the Subway was sold to I think the current owner.  Police crackdowns on gangs were heavy in Villa Park because of the war between Latin Kings and Insane Deuces and all the smaller mobs had to leave, the Be Bes stuck around shortly after this law enforcement crackdowns but as they intensified the Be Bes decided to leave the area and close Glendale Heights as well especially following an attempted coupe organized by Los Be Bes from Melrose Park on one 2002 night.  Melrose Park was shut down and Villa Park closed voluntarily in 2002.

Just as the Be Bes were leaving the suburbs in 2002, they were revitalized by a Be Be, “Prince” who was around North Ave and Spaulding connecting with Latin Kings in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood.  Latin Kings were in the neighborhood and connected with the Prince as they came into a store owned by a Bebe family member.  During this time Be Bes were supporting a Black P Stone branch trying to operate at Humboldt Blvd and Sacramento.

In the year 2006, the Be Be Stone Prince connected deeper with the Latin Kings of West Humboldt Park and the Black P Stones and permission was granted for the Be Bes to open a new branch in West Humboldt Park at Crystal and Homan. Now all Be Be operations were at this new section.  Los Be Bes had strong family connections with Latin Kings which made for this inception to come along.  One of the Be Be Princes grew up with a lot of the Latin Kings and was in St. Charles Harrisburg correctional with Latin Kings.  Latin Kings would not allow any other allies into this area but gave an exception to the Be Bes.  The Be Bes would also support the Latin Stones from South Chicago.  Be Bes from West Humboldt Park are a money-making group and are some of the few driving around the area in Rolls Royce’s, Ferraris and Lamborghinis.  Now and again wars between Black P Stones and Latin Kings and Latin Kings and Latin Stones causes disruptions in relations between Be Bes and Latin Kings.  Be Bes also have conflicts with Vice Lords from Evergreen and Homan in West Humboldt Park.  There are also personal beefs that happen now and again with Latin Kings and Be Bes but the alliance remains intact.

The Almighty Los Be Be Stones are still active on the streets of West Humboldt Park and Rockford today.  I do not know when Rockford chapter started.

Please send in 1980s and 1990s pics, especially 1980s pics!

Known sections of the Los Be Be Stones from the past

Uptown neighborhood Late 90s-2000s

Sections of Uptown

Sunnyside & Clark Late 90s-2000s

West Humboldt Park neighborhood Established 2006-present years

 Sections of West Humboldt Park

Crystal & Homan Established 2006-present years

Suburbs

Addison Michael Lane apartments 1989-1995

Berwyn 23^rd & Lombard

Cicero

Glendale Heights Glen Ellyn & Fullerton Established 1989-2002

Melrose Park 23^rd & Division Established 1983, 16^th & Lake 1983-1999.  17th and North Ave apartments 1989-1999

Northlake

Palos Hills

Rockford

Villa Park North Ave & Kramer (The Townies) 1989-2002

Westmont Eagle Creek Apartments 61^st & Williams

West Chicago