Mickey Cobras

In the year 1954 an African American gang formed in the Maxwell Street Market area of the Near West Side called the Egyptian Cobras.  It was said these Cobras broke away from the Imperial Chaplains gang.  These Cobras were founded by James Cogwell.  The Egyptian Cobras formed for protection of the black community that resided in around Maxwell and Halsted area.  This was during a time when gang violence was escalating in the Near West Side area, especially in Maxwell Market area.  African American gangs were mostly non-violent before 1954 and were mostly just baseball teams etc…but some of those teams, like the Imperial Chaplains became violent beginning in 1954.  Vice Lord spokesman Bobby Gore grew in this neighborhood and remembered all the violence brewing and gangbanging at this time.  These gangs had no direction or organization for the most part but the Egyptian Cobras were different and more organized.

The name “Egyptian Cobras” was chosen because the black Egyptian Cobra snake is the most dangerous snake in the world that has venom that can kill quickly.  The Egyptian Cobra dominated Africa and is the most common deadly snake in the continent.  The Egyptian Cobra is also known to appear in other continents around the world including North America.  This snake is also known to be the largest sized venomous snake in Africa.  Not only was this name chosen because of the deadly and dominating nature of the reptile itself but also because in ancient Egyptian culture the Egyptian Cobra snake was an iconic symbol in Egyptian mythology and was the symbol of sovereignty of the pharaohs.  Ancient Egypt was the first civilization and since it is an African country it shows how Africans were first to walk the Earth and the first civilized society in Egypt.  It also represents symbolism of their African ancestors and their divinity.  This the biggest reason for the Egyptian Cobra name.

The Egyptian Cobras became a large gang in the North Lawndale community by 1958.  At some point many Cobras migrated out of the Near West Side and settled in the K-Town area of North Lawndale and by 1958 they dominated these streets contesting with the Clovers street gang.

In the year 1958 a group of African American youths from the Fuller Park community came together to fight back against racial issues they were dealing with from mostly white Irish gangs from the neighboring Canaryville neighborhood.  These youths called themselves Egyptian Cobras just like the west side group.  Just like the Egyptian Cobras from the west side the name was chose for the same reasons.  The youths that formed the south side Cobras were aware of the west side Cobras group and were related to them and/or perhaps some of the Cogwell family had now moved to the south side and took on that name from their old neighborhood.  To put this in perspective the south side Cobra group that had now formed at 43^rd and Princeton in Fuller Park had relations and/or family from the Egyptian Cobras on the west side but this was not the same organization.  The south side Cobras would become a completely different and unlinked organization to the west side; however, they would have ties that would allow them to hang out together and sometimes engage in activity together, but these two groups were not one in the same.  This can be difficult to digest because they had the same name and same concepts and even family ties but for some reason both groups chose to be two different entities.  This is perhaps because this was 1958 and back then gangs did not need to spread to different communities; therefore, when a linked group started in a new community, they didn’t feel the need to declare the same organization.  This also may have to do with that “Egyptian Cobra” meant something greater than just an ordinary gang/club and more of a belief system/movement.

This group of Egyptian Cobras started in the year 1958 in the Fuller Park neighborhood at 43rd and Princeton.  In the 1950s the Fuller Park community was transitioning from being a mostly white community into being a mostly African American community and the racial transition was not an easy one, but it was not well documented.  Within no time the Egyptian Cobras spread into the Englewood, Washington Park, Cabrini Green, Douglas, and Grand Boulevard communities.  This piece is dedicated to the south side group of the Egyptian Cobras.  The Cobras would become a permanent part of the Fuller Park community as members have been heavily vested in these streets for generations.  These streets have always been the main stronghold of the Cobras.

In the Englewood community there were escalating racial tensions and violence between blacks and whites as this neighborhood was rapidly changing from a majority white community to a majority black community in the exact year of 1958 thanks to the haphazard construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway that successfully uprooted portions of Fuller Park, Englewood and Washington Park causing major tensions as African American had no other recourse but to land in Englewood.  Greaser gangs from Englewood were enraged over this and a rather brief but intense racial rivalry happened in Englewood that was undocumented.  Egyptian Cobras arrived to fight white gangs like the Sons of Italy and others.  Within a short amount of time the Cobras developed a rivalry with another African American gang that formed in the same year called the Devil’s Disciples (Gangster Disciples/Black Disciples).  By the end of the year this rivalry was the focus over racial issues as white flight had already mostly run its course by the end of the year.  In Englewood Leonard Johnson led these Cobras and may have been the co-founder that started that chapter.  In December of 1959 Johnson was put in prison perhaps ending his leadership of this section.

In the Grand Boulevard community Egyptian Cobras moved into the tenement apartments that were known as the “black belt” in 1958.  The Cobras lived in these blighted buildings in the late 50s at 45^th and State until the buildings were razed in 1960.  Even after the buildings were razed the Cobras still regarded this area heavily.  Legend has it that “Joe Bob” started the Cobras or at least the 45th and State branch in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood.  This was the start of a permanent part of Cobra history.  As decades have passed the Cobras have remained a larger part of this community.

The Cobras quickly migrated to the Cabrini Green public housing projects in 1958 in the 1150 to 1152 buildings started by Soloman “King” Taylor who ran that section of Cobras and was likely a co-founder.  It is also possible the Egyptian Cobras controlled more Cabrini Green buildings but 1150 and 1152 were the most successful.  This is how Mickey Cobras ended up in Cabrini Green until the city tore the projects down. Taylor was titled “Supreme Chief” so perhaps he ran the entire organization at the start up.  The Cobra presence in Cabrini Green was legendary as they heavily contested the Gangster Disciples over these buildings.  By 2011 after the projects were razed it closed that chapter of the Mickey Cobras, but the Cobras remained strong in the nearby Marshall Field Apartments.  The Cobras settled this Marshall Field public housing apartment complex in 1958 when they first formed.  The Cobras remain a permanent and large part of these apartments for generations and have much invested in these buildings.

Another public housing project the Cobras took a large piece of was the Dearborn Home projects in the Douglas community.  I am not sure exactly when the Cobras came here but I believe they showed in the late 50s, but I am not sure.  The Cobras are a permanent group in these buildings even after renovations in 2007.  These Cobras have always been a force fighting against the Gangster Disciples for decades.  The Cobras dominate the majority of these buildings besides two or three of them and this is because of deep history.

Another public housing project the Cobras have a permanent settlement at is the Wentworth Gardens projects located in the Armour Square neighborhood.  This part of the neighborhood is located on the border with Fuller Park.  Pershing Road is the divider between the neighborhoods.  Cobra presence in these projects has been key for drug trafficking from the Dan Ryan Expressway as an exit was right by the projects and this would lead down the Princeton Ave corridor into the heart of Mickey Cobra turf.  I do not know when Cobras arrived in these projects, but I speculate they may have arrived in the late 50s as they have became well-ingrained in these buildings.  They have battled with the Gangster Disciples for decades for these buildings.

Egyptian Cobras were had also spread into the Hyde Park neighborhood by the late 50s and conquered the east side of Martin Luther King Blvd around 49^th and St. Lawrence.  Egyptian Cobras were around Cottage Grove to Woodlawn Ave and from 51^st to 55^th.  The Hyde Park Cobras did not last well into the 1960s and were gone by 1962.  The Devil’s Disciples were fierce competitors for northern Hyde Park as the Disciples ruled from Woodlawn Ave to Lake Park Ave and the Cobras were west of Woodlawn Ave to Cottage Grove.  Both groups were removed in the early-mid-60s because of neighborhood renewal.  Both the 49^th and St. Lawrence area Cobras and the Hyde Park Cobras made the newspaper multiple times in the early 60s as several gang member’s addresses were in these two areas.  The 49^th and St. Lawrence area Cobras remain active presently and this is a section of the Mickey Cobras known as “The Gutter,” this section has deep history.

In the year 1958, as African American migration spread deeper into the south side Egyptian Cobras came alongside this further south settlement as they arrived in the Washington Park community.  Washington Park had long been a African American community for decades but had fallen into deep poverty and heavy crime.  Blighted buildings were common site in Washington Park as this neighborhood was one of the tougher communities in the city.  The Egyptian Cobras and the Devil’s Disciples arrived in 1958 to police these streets and deal with criminal groups that terrorized the community.  Within a short amount of time the groups concentrated more on their rivalry and many members would then add to the crime issues if it wasn’t in their own parts of the neighborhood.  The Cobras settled in the 51^st to 53^rd street area preferring the northern part of the community while Disciples mostly settled south of 53^rd Street.  The Cobras became especially strong in the 53^rd and State area in the tenement buildings until they were razed in 1960.  The leader of the Cobras at the time, Henry Ponder, lived near the corner of 51^st and Wabash.  His presence was the first to solidify Cobras in the 51^st-53^rd and State Street area. Cobras still regarded this area heavily and would prepare for settlement in the new Robert Taylor projects soon to be constructed.  When the projects were razed in 1998 at 53^rd and State the Cobras remained in the Washington Park community but would remain small but highly functional.  The 51^st to 53^rd and Calumet area has become a permanent home for the Cobras but in a smaller capacity.

Cobras settled in the east side of the Woodlawn community in 1958 which was another African American community struggling with crime and poverty.  The Cobras came to east Woodlawn to police these streets but just like Washington Park the Cobras of east Woodlawn ended up battling the Devil’s Disciples of west Woodlawn then by the end of the year they began battling the newly formed Blackstone Rangers.  The Cobras made east Woodlawn their permanent home with a strong presence that has become permanent.  Cobras are heavily invested in Woodlawn and have shared these streets close by the Black P Stones with on and off violent rivalries which goes back to 1958.

Another heavily invested Cobra neighborhood is the South Shore community.  The Egyptian Cobras arrived here in 1958 alongside the Devil’s Disciples.  Both groups came here to deal with racial issues African American families were facing while settling South Shore for the first time.  Historically South Shore was known to have a strong racist element that heavily opposed the expansion of the black belt onto these streets.  In 1958 values on property in South Shore began to decline as this became more of a planned community for racial transition as block busting tactics ran rampant.  This brought about an undocumented racial clash that brought Disciples and Cobras here to assist African American youths being victimized.  The Cobras came here to protect the community but ended up getting involved in violent gang wars with the Disciples.  Cobras and Disciples often fell into criminal behavior as well.  South Shore has continued to be coveted streets for the Mickey Cobras that have a permanent presence in the northwest part of the neighborhood.

In the year 1958 the Cobras settled the tough streets of west Greater Grand Crossing.  Cobras from southern Englewood migrated into this community heavily settling near Vincennes Ave near 71^st.  This community was a more freshly racially transitioned community like Woodlawn.  Like Woodlawn Greater Grand Crossing was now plagued with blight, high crime, disinvestment, and high poverty.  The Cobras came to assist the black community, but this chapter was not highly successful and closed in 1962 or members flipped to Black P Stones.  The Cobras once had a large following in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood that even famous social workers Fred Strodtbeck and James Short discovered in 1959 when they mainly studied female members of the gang called “Cobrettes.”

A December 8, 1959, Chicago tribune article reported that Cobras had invaded the territory of a south side gang, and they were going to fight at the Dan Ryan Woods.  When the fight didn’t happen, the Cobras wondered to the north side of the city to the North Center neighborhood where they played catch with a shotgun at the Riverview Park festival scaring the crowd to death.  This makes me wonder why a deeper south side area was chosen as the fighting place.  Perhaps this may have been when the Cobras came to Roseland for the first time in 1959?

The Egyptian Cobras boosted their numbers not only with further south side settlement but also because of an alliance with another south side gang called the King Cobras.  In 1959 both gangs merged their concepts to an extent creating the “Egyptian King Cobras” in 1959 in the Englewood or Fuller Park neighborhood.  The King Cobras were led by Theotis “Emperor Thee” Clark.  The two Cobra gangs had something in common besides being both named “Cobra.”  The King Cobra is also known to be one of the longest and most venomous snakes in the world.  Another interesting fact is that the characteristics of both types of snakes are often combined when used in Indian Chakra mythology: the Serpent of kundalini.  Both organizations had strong beliefs about the betterment of the black community, and this brought both leaders together to combine concepts.

By 1960, according to the Terre Haute Tribune Star newspaper July 17, 1960, issue, it was reported there were 500 members of the Egyptian Cobras on the south side of Chicago and hundreds more in two chapters on the west side of the city. The article stated the Cobras were on three sides of the city indicating they had migrated up north, the only likely area up north would be Cabrini Green and Marshall Field. (Source: Terre Haute Tribune Star July 17, 1960). Even though the source talked about the west side, the west side and south side were not connected completely and were not the same organization.  The west side did not honor “Egyptian King Cobras” or anything else.
In the year 1960, all branches of the Egyptian Cobras went on a violent and murderous rampage living up their name. As I said the Egyptian Cobra snake is deadly, dangerous, and dominating and that is exactly how the Cobras acted in 1960 and 1961 as their legendary rampage soon engulfed the newspapers with tales of violent crime and murder. Gang member addresses in the papers showed anywhere from the Maxwell Street Market area to North Lawndale to Englewood, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and a lot of them in Grand Boulevard.

In 1960, Henry “Johnny Ringo” Ponder was only 16 years old but already proving to be a dangerous leader as he led groups of Cobras on a murderous crime spree in the Hyde Park area between 1960 and 1962. The spree started on November 23, 1960, when Ponder, James Braden and Johnathan Phillips robbed a tailor shop at 53rd and Woodlawn beating the 72-year-old shop owner Lester Wolf to death. In March of 1961 the three were said to have robbed and killed a cab driver at 51st and Cottage Grove. When Ponder was arrested in February of 1962 he was already on trial for the murder of Lucious O’Neil, a security guard at a laundromat at 51st and Cottage Grove on August 19, 1961. Four other members of the Cobras were also apprehended for shooting a man at 54th and University that refused to give up his money when he was robbed (Hyde Park Harold, February 21, 1962).  Ponder gathered members from the 49^th and St. Lawrence area and Cobras from Hyde Park to carry out these capers even though Ponder was from 51^st and State area.

After Ponder was convicted of his crimes in 1962, 17-year-old Henry “Mickey” Cogwell stepped up to lead the south side Cobras.  The Cogwells were mainly rooted in the foundation of the Egyptian Cobras of the west side but now Mickey was living on the south side moving into the Robert Taylor projects when they were first built in 1962.  Mickey resided right in the projects in the area of 51^st to 53^rd and State to Federal in Washington Park, one block away from where Ponder once lived. Mickey was a fast-talking hustler overflowing with charisma and was heavily involved in the Policy racket that was controlled by the Italian mafia. This early relation tapped the Cobras in with organized crime. Mickey was related to founder of the west side Egyptian Cobras James Cogwell but Mickey was not the founder of the west side group, maybe a co-founder but not the main founder, his older brother was.

Henry Cogwell shifted the Cobra main focus to the freshly built Robert Taylor public housing projects that was built directly over the old territory at 45th and State, now Cobras moved back into 45th and State and took the 4555 and 4525 buildings. Cobras also took the 4101 building near 40th Place and Federal. The Cobras near 51st and Wabash in Washington Park immediately moved into the 5326, 5322 and 5323 buildings that formed a “U” shape that became known as “The Hole.”  Mickey Cogwell had moved into these buildings with his family in 1962; therefore, he directly was in supervision of the Hole.

It was also in 1962 when the Cobras squashed their wars with Blackstone Rangers after Henry Cogwell proposed an alliance idea to Theotis Clark.  Clark at first rejected the idea but then reluctantly accepted and this is how Stones and Cobras first came together.  The Cobras now became known as the “Cobrastones” which was a name not seen in the news until the late 60s, this is also how the Egyptian Cobra name vanished from the news as well unless they were reporting on the Egyptian Cobras on the west side.  The Cabrini Green and Marshall Field Cobras all became Cobrastones as well.  The west side Cobras would have nothing to do with Blackstone Rangers or any Cobrastone name, this further shows how separate these Cobra groups were.  To further clarify, the south side Egyptian Cobras were now part of the Blackstone Rangers organization and Cobras.  I do not believe all of the Egyptian Cobras became “Cobrastones” because the group was not big enough to make the papers or get heavily recognized until the later 60s.  It is fact that Blackstone Rangers and Devil’s Disciples grew significantly as soon as Cobras fell out of the newspaper.  It seems like if Cobras did not fall under the Cobrastone banner they flipped to either Disciple or Ranger.  The main leadership of the Cobras fell in line with Cobrastones and all Cobras in the Robert Taylors followed Cobrastone.  Cabrini Green Cobras followed Cobrastone as did Fuller Park but I am not positive about Englewood.  Egyptian Cobras vanished from Englewood but soon after a larger Blackstone Ranger following began, just not under the “Cobrastone” name that I know of.  The Black P Stones have been strong in Englewood since the late 60s up to present years and this is likely because Egyptian Cobras flipped to Rangers in 1962, this seems like the origin of Englewood Black P Stones even if they were not Cobrastones.  The west side would have nothing to do with anything Cobrastone at all accept maybe some of the Cobras falling in line with it in the Henry Horner projects.  It is a fact that Cobrastones were in Henry Horner in the past.

By the later 1960s, the Cobras were able to take over more of the Robert Taylor homes while still being led by Joe Bob.  The Cobras now opened at the 4844 building at 48th and State that extended down to 49th and State, these Cobras became known as the “Fidel Castro Cobras.”

Mickey Cogwell was appointed the official spokesman for the Black P Stone alliance in 1968.  Cogwell’s brother Jerome “Pony Soldier” Cogwell was killed on September 7th or 8th 1968 at 5244 State Street right outside the entrance of the Robert Taylor homes.  The murder was done by the Devil’s Disciples which was the main gang allied with the Disciple alliance.  In December of 1968 Jeff Fort led a massive march down State Street demanding that the city rename State Street after Jerome Cogwell.  The Stones proceeded to smash windows, cars and rioting all up and down as they marched causing destruction.  This march was meant to protest the disorderly conduct charge that police were using to harass residents.  The Cobrastones were closely regarded but the Black P Stones and this showed during this demonstration.

In January of 1969, Despite the investigations on the Stones and Jeff Fort and Jeff Fort walking out on the Senate hearing in July of 1968, a major shock came to law enforcement when an Illinois politician sent an invitation to Jeff Fort to appear at the January 1969 Nixon Presidential inauguration ball.  Jeff Fort declined the invitation and instead sent Mickey Cogwell the Cobrastone leader to the ball alongside Herman “Moose” Holmes another Main 21 leader.  While Mickey Cogwell was mingling with high society politicians making the Stones look great Chicago police were back home trying to arrest him for crimes and even went to his house just to find out he wasn’t there and worst yet when they found out he was invited to the White House they had a major fit.  Law enforcement all over the Chicago area felt betrayed that Stone leaders were invited to this event.  This event was further solidifying Mickey Cogwell’s political connections which of course would help connections to the whole Black P Stone nation.

Since government funding had mostly dried up by 1969 for the Black P Stones due to the Senatorial investigations, Mickey Cogwell and Reico Cranshaw were the first Stones to bring the nation into the direct drug trade business.  Chicago Police Department’s G.I.U. group claims to have photos and surveillance of Stones and Italian Mafia associates meeting to discuss this business.  The first of these meetings was with Joseph “Little Caesar” DiVarco, Joseph “Big Joe” Arnold and Morris Lasky.  I don’t know the full extent of the deals, but this was supposedly when the Stones began to directly partake in the drug trade mainly in Heroin and prescription Ts and blues.  The motivation for this connection was because Stones needed the money as their numbers had exceeded 6,000 members by 1969 and the legitimate forms of money they were receiving prior were either non-existent or minimal.  The Stones were the first gang to engage in higher level drug marketing and this is how Jeff Fort got the reputation as being the king of the Heroin business on the south side even though he was not involved in this early deal or ever besides taking a cut of the business.  This started out as a deal for just Cranshaw’s Stones and Cogwell’s Cobrastones  (The Almighty Black P. Stone Nation, Moore, Williams).  Because of this business deal with Cogwell this is how the first major Heroin distribution business came to the Robert Taylor projects, especially in The Hole, the cluster of three buildings around 53rd and State in the Washington Park neighborhood.  This Heroin involvement was not big enough to catch the attention of law enforcement as much as mainly Stones were known for selling Marijuana, Codeine and other narcotics and pills. Stones also began robbing other drug dealers in the area as they went to great lengths by even robbing drug dealer homes.

In the later 60s, west side Egyptian Cobra founder James Cogwell and his Cobras were feeling the heat from the larger Vice Lords gang and this is when James moved to the south side to join his brother Mickey.  After James moved the west side Egyptian Cobras would not be the same and would slowly decline until they went extinct by 1975, the last of them joined the Black Souls as “Egyptian Cobra Souls” and became heavily invested in the drug trade on the west side in the K-Town area.

Beginning in the year 1970, The Cobras in Cabrini Green began to take their war with the Black Deuces to another level as the guns were blazing in these projects for the next two years causing many deaths including two Chicago police officers that were picked off by sniper fire in 1970.  A member of the Cobrastones was the shooter and when leadership of the Cobrastones found out they demanded this member turn himself over to the police.

In 1972, Jeff Fort was brought up on several charges for mismanaging government funding and he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.  Before he left, he appointed Mickey Cogwell to be the interim leader and to keep Eugene Hairston out of power if he got paroled.  Cogwell at that point was running the entire BPSN on the streets and became well known along with the Cobra Stone name.

Although Cogwell was heavily tapped into the numbers racket he was still more known as an activist that involved himself in the political side of helping the black community and this caused the press to have less interest in him because he didn’t fit the full mold as the gangster kingpin the public wanted.

In March of 1976, Jeff Fort was released from Leavenworth federal prison.  He made a big announcement that he had converted to the nation of Islam while he was in Leavenworth, now he expected select members of the BPSN to convert to the nation of Islam and become the “EL Rukns.”  Jeff Fort asked Mickey Cogwell to join the El Rukns but Mickey declined but there were no hard feelings like many believe.

Rumors had flown around that Jeff Fort ordered the death of Mickey Cogwell on February 25, 1977.  on this day Mickey was walking home at 3:45 in the morning to his Auburn-Gresham home after he had been dropped off.  An assassin came up behind him and Mickey started to run, the assassin fired his 9MM pistol into the back of Cogwell, after Cogwell collapsed the gunman shot him two more times in the back then fled.  No one was prosecuted or identified as the killer, many thought Jeff Fort ordered the hit.  It was said Mickey was killed because he spoke out about the new Islamic doctrines but that was never verified. The Cobras then changed the organization’s name to the “Mickey Cobras” and wanted to separate from the Black P Stones once again becoming an individual organization.   Mickey was likely gunned down by the Chicago Outfit especially since his partner who was a white Chicago Outfit member was killed at the same time.

Henry “Mickey” Cogwell was greatly missed by the Cobra Nation as he was a clever hustler and big-time numbers racket Chief.  For the first time since Teddy Roe, a black man was back in charge of the numbers racket since the Outfit took it over after Roe’s death in 1952.  Mickey ran the racket like a mob boss while still helping the community and being active in politics.  It was Mickey that repaired the Cobra organization that originally taught the black man to stand up to white gangs in the 1950s. Mickey rebuilt the nation when he took over, and Mickey’s legacy still remained with the Cobras’ leadership.

To further show there were no real hard feelings between Mickey Cobras and El Rukns, the Mickey Cobras fell in line with an alliance in prison that included El Rukns, Vice Lords, and Black P Stones in April 1978.  By 1981, this would evolve into the “People” alliance.

In the late 1970s after Mickey Cogwell’s death, the Mickey Cobras lost most of their Robert Taylor project territory except for The Hole. Many Cobras north of 51^st converted to Black Disciples in the late 70s which is what caused this decline in the Robert Taylors but in the Washington Park 51^st to 53^rd Street projects Cobras completely dominated the buildings until the 1998 teardowns.

After the killing of Henry Cogwell relations between Cobras and El Rukns were not good even after being bound by the People alliance.  Cobras still used the name “King Cobras” to distinguish the part of the organization led by Theotis Clark and Herman “Moose” Jackson.  In 1985, Jeff Fort ordered the murders of several King Cobras in April of 1985.  According to court documents in the case of United States vs. Andrews, Jeff Fort wanted complete control of the heroin trade at 54th and Bishop in the Back of the Yards neighborhoods and 67th and Stoney Island in the Woodlawn neighborhood.  Of course, these documents are flawed because Jeff Fort was no drug dealer.  The King Cobras stood in the way of El Rukn progress, and the indictment stated that Fort summoned the “Guerilla Family” hit squad of the El Rukns to kill off the leadership of the King Cobras.  This resulted in the death of Herman “Moose” Jackson and the attempted assassination of Theotis Clark, Andre Chalmers and Tredis Murray.  Rico Chalmers, Glendon McKinley, and Vicki Noldenand were all killed by the El Rukns in this conspiracy.  Tredis Murray was in charge of the Cobras at this point in time.  The main purpose of this war was argument over drug turf in the Woodlawn community.  The original agreement was that for the Cobras to run the drug trafficking at 67^th and Blackstone during the daytime while the El Rukns would run it by night.  This only lasted a month before a disagreement happened and the El Rukns assassinated Mickey Cobras and planned to shoot others that included Theotis Clark.  Rico Chalmers, Glendon McKinley, and Vicki Nolden were Cobras killed by the El Rukns at 54^th and Bishop in the Back of the Yards which was Cobra territory at the time.

As the 1980s progressed, the Mickey Cobras grew in numbers spreading in many more areas on the south side and into some suburbs by the 1990s and 2000s. I think the King Cobra name diminished after the assassinations and attempted assassinations in 1985 as they all seemed to go by “Mickey Cobras” going forward.
Mickey Cobras also grew very large in the 1980s because of the sanctions passed down to the Black P Stones by the El Rukns. In the year 1979, the El Rukns declared that all Stones had to drop the name “Black P Stone” or “Blackstone” or face dire consequences. Many Stones then flipped to Mickey Cobras to avoid these sanctions and MCs became very close to the Maniac P Stones. This is how the MCs bounced back after leaving the BPSN.

In the 1990s and 2000s, much of Cobra territory was removed due to the demolition of the Cabrini Green and Robert Taylor public housing projects which were the two biggest sections the Cobras had.  53rd and State “The Hole” was a big-time piece of turf that brought in many thousands of dollars from the drug trade in these buildings.  When they tore The Hole down in 1998 Cobras were forced to moved further north above 51st Street living amount Black Disciples and Gangster Disciples resulting in a bloody war until those buildings were removed by 2006.

Mickey Cobras still retain a strong presence in Fuller Park, Washington Park, South Shore, Woodlawn, Grand Boulevard, Armour Square (Wentworth Gardens), Near North Side (Marshall Fields Apartments), and Roseland communities.  Mickey Cobras are more of a secretive organization that rarely appears in media outlets.  Cobras prefer operating this way because it keeps them further below the radar.

Please send in 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s pics!  1950s pics especially wanted!

Known decks of Mickey Cobras

Armour Square neighborhood

Decks of Armour Square

Wentworth from 37^th to 39^th (Wentworth Gardens projects)

Avalon Park neighborhood

Decks of Avalon Park

85^th & Dante

Back of the Yards neighborhood Established 1962-1985

Decks of the Back of the Yards

54^th & Bishop 1962-1985

Chatham neighborhood

Decks of Chatham

90^th from State to Indiana

Cottage Grove from 90^th to 91^st Pl (Spook Town, Hot Spot)

89^th Pl & Dauphin

Douglas neighborhood  Established 1958-present years

Decks of Douglas

29^th to 30^th, Lasalle to State (Dearborn projects)

Englewood neighborhood Established 1958-2000s

Decks of Englewood

55^th & Normal (Dodge City Dirty World Cobras)

55^th & Shields

Fuller Park neighborhood Established 1958-present years

Decks of Fuller Park

44^th to 45^th, Shields to Wentworth (4-4 THF)

47^th to 49^th, Shields to Wentworth (Back Block Dogpound)

51^st to 55^th, Shields to Wentworth (ATL World)

50^th & Princeton (Outlaws)

43^rd & Princeton (Founding section) Established 1958-present years

43^rd to 51^st, Shields to Dan Ryan Expressway (West Territory)

Grand Boulevard neighborhood Established 1958-present years

Decks of Grand Boulevard

50^th to 51^st, St. Lawrence to Cottage Grove (051 YM)

45^th & State Established 1958-1960

45^th & State Robert Taylor projects 4555 and 4525 buildings Established 1962-1977

40^th Place and Federal Robert Taylor projects 4101 building Established 1962-1977

State Street from 48^th to 49^th Robert Taylor projects and 4844 building (Fidel Castro Cobras) Established 1967-1977

49^th to 51^st, Martin Luther King Dr to Cottage Grove (The Gutter) 1958-present years

Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood Established 1959-1960s

Decks of Greater Grand Crossing

71^st & Kimbark

Near North Side neighborhood Established 1958-present years

Decks of Near North Side

Blackhawk to Evergreen, Hudson to Sedgewick (Marshall Field Apartments) Established 1958-present years

Cabrini Green projects 1150-1152 buildings Established 1958-1998

Oakland neighborhood Established 1966-1998

Decks of Oakland

41^st & Drexel

42^nd & Lake Park (Lake Michigan Homes) Established 1966-1998

Roseland neighborhood

Decks of Roseland

106^th to 107^th, Eggleston to Wentworth (Snake Pit)

Michigan from 111^th to 115^th (The Hill, shared with Black P Stones and Conservative Vice Lords)

South Shore neighborhood Established 1958-present years

Decks of South Shore

73^rd to 76^th, Jeffrey to Clyde (C-Block Justoworld)

71^st & Bennett

73^rd from Bennett to Jeffrey

Washington Park neighborhood Established 1958-present years

Decks of Washington Park

51^st to 53^rd, Calumet to Martin Luther King Dr Established 1958-present years

53^rd to 54^th, State to Federal (Robert Taylor projects, The Hole, 5326, 5322, 5323 buildings) Established 1962-1998

51^st & Wabash Established

West Englewood neighborhood

Decks of West Englewood

62^nd & Damen

71^st & Hermitage

58^th & Honore

West Pullman neighborhood

Decks of West Pullman

116^th & Perry

124^th & State

Woodlawn neighborhood Established as Egyptian Cobras 1958-present years

Decks of the Woodlawn neighborhood

60^th to 61^st, Langley to Cottage Grove (800 YM)

64^th to 67^th, Langley to Cottage Grove (Mickey City)

63^rd to 67^th, Cottage Grove to Woodlawn

65^th & Cottage Grove (Shared with Four Corner Hustlers)

65^th & Greenwood

Suburbs

Bloomington

Bolingbrook

Calumet Park

Chicago Heights

Kankakee

Robbins

Gary, IND