Villa Lobos - Chicago Gang History

Founded	Founded in or near Pilsen (Lower West Side)
Affiliations	People Nation — 1980 – give;
Colors	Black and Green
Primary ethnicities	Latino (Mexican) and Latino (Puerto Rican)
Symbols	Wolf Head and Low Rider Hat
Symbol usage	Wolf head with low rider hat
Status	Extinct

The Villa Lobos have origins linking to the first Puerto Ricans to settle in the Pilsen area during World War II. These families were among the first Hispanic families to move into Pilsen in the 1940s. During these times and into the 1950s Hispanic families, both Mexican and Puerto Rican, experienced some racial discrimination and harassment from the police and Italian gangs from the Near West Side. These early Puerto Rican families settled in areas by 17^th and Paulina, 21^st and Ashland/Blue Island and even in Pilsen heading north toward the Near West Side border.

In the year 1955, as the children of the first Hispanic families grew into teen years they began to fight back against hostile gangs, hostile police, and overall discrimination. The Mexican youths formed the Texans while the Puerto Rican youths formed their own group. The Puerto Rican group began congregating by the intersection of 19^th and Garland (Shelby Court) as their leader lived at 19^th and Sangamon. I am not sure exactly when this group took on the name “Villa Lobos” but it happened sometime in the late 1950s and by 1959 they began to become popular and their numbers grew. 1959 was the year that Hispanic gangs became large in Pilsen as now several mostly Mexican outfits existed including: Spartans, Rampants, Ambrose, Satan Disciples, Latin Counts and Morgan Deuces.

By 1964, the Villa Lobos began to grow much larger and were reaching their peak of strength in Pisen. The first junior President “Crazy Horse” brought a group of Villa Lobos to the 19^th to Cullerton, Loomis to Laflin area starting his own branch in 1964 which is where some of the oldest Puerto Rican settlement was located. This was the beginning of the main Pilsen chapter of the Villa Lobos as this turf would expand from Ashland to Loomis, 19^th to 21^st. This is perhaps why some have said Crazy Horse founded the Villa Lobos; however, the 19th and Garland Villa Lobos pre-date that. In the year 1965 there was a new Junior President that was in that role until 1968.

March1969 photo of Crazy Horse who is on the right. His brother "Crazy Pony" of the Villa Lobos is on the left. Crazy Pony is returning from Vietnam. The older man is the father. This photo is at 21st and Ashland.

In the year 1966, The Villa Lobos opened at 18th and Damen in the Pilsen neighborhood alongside another spot of an old Puerto Rican settlement from the 17^th and Paulina area. They had a club house at 18th and Damen right behind Bishop’s Chili. The Villa Lobos had an alliance with Morgan Deuces and Latin Kings and would invite Latin Kings from Little Village to party with them at the club house. Villa Lobos perhaps met Latin Kings from Little Village because they likely had family in Marshall Square that knew the Boulevards Latin Kings. The Villa Lobos were also called upon at a peace summit with Latin Kings, Morgan Deuces and other gangs in the Bridgeport Homes in the Bridgeport neighborhood in the late 1960s, this solidified their relationship with Latin Kings much more.

1966 became a year of some mild expansion as the Villa Lobos opened at Damen and Blue Island which placed them in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood (West Pilsen). This area was settled by a non-Hispanic member named Lawrence McClean. McClean was 17 years old in 1967 and went down for murder after he shot and killed Loren Overturf, a member of a rival gang called the “Whitey’s Boys.” This clash may have happened because the Villa Lobos were now operating south on Damen to Damen and Blue Island. After this murder heat was brought down on the Villa Lobos and McClean got charged.

The Villa Lobos would also open in the Back of the Yards community in 1966 somewhere on 47^th Street as they ran into an enemy they fought in Pilsen. A white gang called the Unicorns haunted the area of 18^th and Throop by Throop Park. The Unicorns were part of a unity that began in 1966 called “The Settlement,” now the newly arrived Villa Lobos would tangle with the Cool Gents from 45^th and Laflin. The Settlement club house was not far away at 45^th and Mcdowell; therefore, I believe the Villa Lobos of 47^th were in the are of Ashland to Bishop along 47^th.

The Villa Lobos also opened in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the north side along Armitage Street in 1966.

In the year 1970 Villa Lobos migrated to the Little Village community for the first time as they arrived at 26th and St. Louis. in the year 1976 the Villa Lobos left 26th and St. Louis in favor of settling on a larger scale at 26th and central Park, 23rd and St. Louis, 30th and Drake, 24th and Drake and 23rd and Ridgeway. By this time the Villa Lobos had become more of a Mexican gang than a Puerto Rican gang.

23^rd and St. Louis soon became the Villa Lobos deepest chapter as they had many gunners and large numbers. They also tagged a giant emblem of theirs that reached the second floor of the building.

In the year 1977, the Villa Lobos had become exceptional in size and were a main force in the Little Village area. This was the same year that the Ayala brothers turned the Two Six organization into a street gang as they aggressively absorbed groups from other gangs. The Two Six then approached the Villa Lobos the join their ranks but Villa Lobos rejected the offer. This caused Two Six to shoot at the Villa Lobos in an alley way as three Villa Lobos were gunned down, one being Lil Rojo who died from his wounds. This started a eternal war with Two Six and their allies the Satan Disciples who were involved in the initial violence.

The Villa Lobos biggest enemy was always the Two Sixs and when it came to the major war between Two Six and Latin Kings in Little Village the Villa Lobos took the Latin Kings’ side as they became good allies. The Villa Lobos also fought with Two Six allies the Sin City Boys.

Villa Lobos fought against some rivals in the Marshall Square area like Two Two Boys and Satan Disciples while the Villa Lobos befriended Stone Kents, Cullerton Deuces and Coulter Kings over there.

In the Pilsen area the Villa Lobos slugged it out with La Raza and hung out with Latin Counts and Latin Brothers. In about the year 1981 the Villa Lobos joined the People Nation thanks to the Latin Kings as they became even closer allies with Latin Kings.

The Villa Lobos had pretty good numbers in the 1980s but by the early 1990s the organization began to fade out due to retirement or members flipping to Latin Kings especially the 30^th and Drake section which many Villa Lobos turned Latin King because the powerful 31^st and Drake section was looking to grow even more. The Cullerton and Ashland section closed up by the 1990s then 23^rd and Ridgeway shrunk in size to the point where many members moved to the suburb of Cicero at 16^th and Austin which lasted until the 2010s decade.