Cicero Insane Vice Lords - Chicago Gang History

Founded	Founded in 1965 in or near Austin
Formerly known as	Cicero Vice Lords
Affiliations	People Nation — c. 1981 – 2000 or later;
Colors	Give details
Primary ethnicities	African American
Symbols	Give details
Status	Active

Of all the notorious Austin Vice Lord branches over time the Cicero Insane Vice Lords have the deepest roots in Austin and come from the original African American families to have moved to Austin.

The origin

In the year 1965, the first African American families moved from Alabama and bravely moved into the coveted Austin neighborhood close to the border with the suburb Cicero. These families moved in and around the intersection of Cicero Avenue and Jackson Boulevard which had now become a less desirable area for long time white families because the 290 Expressway had now been fully opened for a few years and emitted exhaust fumes and increased noise levels and trash into the community. A second reason was because just east of the railroad tracks near Kenton Avenue was the West Garfield Park community that had now became an all-black community by 1965, these two factors triggered white flight out of the Jackson and Cicero area. The first African American families struggled to exist in this community because the majority white community did not want African Americans in their neighborhood and strongly opposed black migration to Austin while other west side neighborhoods were racially changing. African American youths had the hardest time going to school, going to parks and going to the local pool in Columbus Park or being anywhere near Columbus Park. Even groups of adult white men attacked young black youths and/or encouraged younger white youths to attack. These are the accounts of former Insane Vice Lord leader and founder Bennie Lee.

Eventually, a Conservative Vice Lord named “Slim” came from 16^th Street in North Lawndale’s “Holy City” area and taught the youths of Jackson and Cicero how to organize and taught them the ways of the Vice Lords. These youths were already fighting against the white and white gangs because Austin was loaded with white gangs back in 1965. Slim would join the ranks of these youths and helped them establish their own Vice Lord group as Freddie Pie was nominated as the first Chief. The name of these Vice Lords would become the “Cicero Vice Lords” as they were named after Cicero Avenue and Cicero and Jackson is where it started. Freddie Pie founded the Cicero Vice Lords alongside “Nemo” and Charles Norris according to Bennie Lee. Charles North ran the Cicero Vice Lords alongside Freddie Pie. The Cicero Vice Lords were a more than effective fighting force against white gangs. The Cicero Vice Lords stood up for their community and the racial issues young black youths faced on the streets of southern Austin starting when they formed in 1965. The Cicero Vice Lords were the first African American gang on the streets of Austin and would remain the first for two years.

1968: An invasion

By 1968, Austin was becoming a community of wild gangbanging between white gangs and black gangs. The Cicero Vice Lords were no longer on their own as they were now battling Four Corner Hustlers that had now settled in South Austin and the there were Black P Stones in the neighborhood as well. The Apache Vice Lords had formed not far from the Cicero Insanes. African American migration drastically increased in the later 60s and now Columbus Park was becoming increasingly African American and gangs like the Four Corner Hustlers were running that area and not allowing Cicero Vice Lords to come into their area. Just three years prior it was the white man keeping the Cicero Vice Lords out, now it was African Americans that lived along Madison Street joining the Fours.

1971: The Tribe of Al Shabazz

In the year 1971, Freddie Pie was no longer running the Cicero Vice Lords for reasons I am not yet sure of. A young original member that was Younger than Freddie Pie who was known as Anthony “A.J.” Harris got out of juvenile detention in 1971 and returned to the Cicero Vice Lords to take over leadership. A.J. not only took on leadership of the Cicero Vice Lords he offered a spiritual type of unity between Cicero Vice Lords and Apache Vice Lords which would famously become the “Al Shabazz” tribe. Anthony Harris would then become “Al Shabazz” on the streets. The story of Al Shabazz I can directly quote from Wikipedia, “According to the Nation of Islam, the Tribe of Shabazz was the only survivor of thirteen tribes that lived on Earth 66 trillion years ago. After a rogue scientist blew up the planet, splitting off the moon, the other tribes perished. The Tribe of Shabazz relocated to the rich Nile valley of Egypt and then to the present seat of the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Arabia.” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_of_Shabazz). This story is where A.J. got the idea to create the Shabazz family tree in 1971. The “branch” of the Shabazz family would become “Insane” and Troy Martin left the Apaches and started his own group off Central Avenue near Columbus Park known as the “Central Insane Vice Lords.” The Apache Vice Lords were renamed “Insane Vice Lords.” The Cicero Vice Lords now became “Cicero Insane Vice Lords.” A.J. was the King of the Cicero Insanes and he was the King of the whole Insane demonstration. This was a righteous family tree; however, A.J. had a dark side that he would later in life renounce as he led a drug trafficking syndicate along Cicero Avenue onto the 290 Expressway interchange as one drug addict after another began to learn that Cicero and 290 was a happening heroin spot. The notorious “Sane Gang” developed out of the Insanes consisting of heavy hitter killers and gangsters running the “heroin Superhighway.” The Insanes ran south Austin with an iron fist pushing back on Four Corner Hustlers who were also trying to control the South Austin drug game.

White gangs reached their peak in 1971 as Gaylords, Playboys and Ventures and the new Rice Boys would have their best days but when they went up against the Insanes they were often crushed. By the mid-70s Gaylord, Playboys and Ventures were flushed out of Austin leaving just the crazy ass Rice Boys fighting for central Austin, but in that area the Insanes were not as deep.

Maywood

The only suburb I have ever heard of having Cicero Insane Vice Lords in is the suburb of Maywood. Cicero Insanes arrived in this western suburb by the early 1980s and have had a presence for decades since, although, their activities in the suburb have mostly diminished since the 2000s.

Lawrence C “The Godfather” era

I don’t yet have timelines but by the 1980s, A.J. got put in prison and Lawrence C, known as “Godfather” took over leadership of the Cicero Insane Vice Lords. Godfather was the one known for growing the Cicero Insanes heavily on the west side in the 1980s until they were big enough to expand out of the state of Illinois into states like Mississippi. Godfather also followed Islamic beliefs and continued the spiritual aspect of the Insanes while Harris was in prison. Godfather brought the Cicero Insanes to their peak.

The south side and Macheteville

In the 1980s CIVLs began to dot the south side with small territories like 71^st and Jeffrey in South Shore, but no territory compared to “Macheteville” CIVLs in the Washington Heights community. These CIVLs were a serious group that formed between 91^st Street to 94^th Street and from Loomis to Throop. These CIVLs fought Gangster Disciples and Black P Stones viciously despite being heavily outnumbered for decades. This section of CIVLs remains active currently but members have been aging and allowing the younger generation “Stromob” to be the active group in the area but the Stromob are Mafia Insane Vice Lords; therefore, the future of Macheteville may eventually become MIVL turf as the CIVLs continue to age.

Ferdinand and Lamon

I don’t know when Ferdinand and Lamon opened in Austin but this another active area for CIVLs and perhaps their last active west side branch. I have seen online photos from the 2020s of young members active so they are still going strong. Other than that Cicero Insanes are still deep in other states.