City Knights

The City Knights are an original Back of The Yards creation that started the year 1980 at the intersection of 48^th and Wood.  The City Knights were a party crew put together by “Bubba.”  The City Knights made good friends with the Party Players who were a crew in the same area.  The Party Players also hung out with the Two Sixs which was a full-fledged gang that had moved there a few years back.  City Knights also became allies with Two Six during during the early 1980s.  The City Knights formed in wake of several gangs migrating to the Back of the Yards and several party crews forming in the neighborhood during the same 1980 year.

As the 1980s progressed, the City Knights battled with other neutral crews in the neighborhood and proved to be dominant over them all as their reputation grew by the late 80s and recruitment increased.

In the year 1989, the City Knight’s closest allies the Party Players went to war with their allies the Two Sixs.  The Party Players then had to choose to join the People alliance alongside Saints and Latin Kings which was very disagreeable for the City Knights.  The City Knights instead allied up with the Satan Disciples from 51st and Wood and joined the Folk alliance.  The City Knights then became part of the “Insane” alliance that the Satan Disciples had created and the new name for City Knights was “Insane Gangster City Knights.”  After this the City Knights became very close with Satan Disciples to the point where rivals almost couldn’t tell them apart.  City Knights retained their relationship with both Two Six and Satan Disciples despite the conflict of interest as Two Six and Satan Disciples were at war since 1986.  The only Folks gang City Knights had a rivalry with was La Raza.

As a gang, the City Knights became more down than ever showing they had real balls on the streets fighting viciously against the Latin Kings, La Raza, Latin Souls, Party Players and Saints.  The City Knights were often outnumbered but still kept coming back and hitting their enemies again and again while having some gunners in their crew.  The City Knights completely took over 48th and Wood as their centralized turf not just as a hang out spot anymore.

The 1990s were some of the best years for the City Knights and battled these mean streets of the Back of the Yards and made the neighborhood know who they were.  The SDs of 51st and Wood were really down in that area and the City Knights were held in pretty much equal regard.

The unraveling of the City Knight’s presence in the Back of Yards happened sometime between 1995-1997.  During this time many Satan Disciples that were the main ones that ensured relations with CKs ended up in prison.  The younger SDs were not as tight with CKs and this resulted in conflict.  The CKs ended up shooting and killing a SD.  This shooting was not approved or respected by Bubba.  This is when internal conflict began between Bubba and the Flores brothers, Manny Flores, Hector Flores and George Flores.  I am not going to get more in the middle of this conflict but the shooting of the SD was the tipping point and Bubba walked away from CK operations as the Flores brothers took over.  The Flores brothers then called a truce with Saul Dominguez of La Raza at the North Riverside Mall.  This truce would not last long.  War broke out with La Raza in January 1997.  At the intersection of 48^th and Wood (De La Wood) in the Back of The Yards neighborhood, several La Raza gang members jumped Sir Bucket of the City Knights and used a rusty screwdriver to stab Sir Bucket in the leg.  The wound in Sir Bucket’s leg became severely infected and his leg needed to be amputated; however, the infection ended up spreading to the rest of his body any way and Sir Bucket died, war with La Raza began right away.

I am not sure how long the CKs had conflict with Satan Disciples but it didn’t seem to go on long; however, by 1997 CKs were now at war with Latin Souls leaving Two Six as their only ally left.  Many of the Satan Disciples of 51^st and Wood have moved out of the area and could no longer aid the CKs.  A violent war with the Party Players also put the CKs in tough spot and in the year 2000 the CKs mostly withdrew from Back of the Yards.

The CKs began a new chapter of their legacy in the year 2000 when members made the best out of being scattered around Chicagoland.  In the city, CKs opened a section at 47^th and Rockwell in 2000 in the Brighton Park community but this section soon failed as did 48^th and Keating in Garfield Ridge.  CKs advanced to 58th & Albany (Smoke Town) in the Gage Park community which angered the 57^th and Albany Two Six, this sparked a war with Two Six.  Two Six left the area by CKs remained and had a good run until 2005 when they needed to withdraw from this area as well.  The CKs were most successful in the suburbs of Waukegan, Elgin and Woodstock that all started in 2000 where they have a permanent presence.

Please send in 1980s and 1990s pics!

Questions:

1. What year did 58th and Albany open?
2. Why did war with Two Six start?

Known sections of City Knights past and present

Back of the Yards neighborhood Established 1980

Sections of the Back of the Yards

48^th & Wood Established 1980 (Valley of Death)

Brighton Park neighborhood 2000-a year or two later

Sections of Brighton Park

47^th & Rockwell

Gage Park neighborhood 2000-2005

Sections of Gage Park

58^th & Albany (Smoke Town)

Garfield Ridge neighborhood 2000-a year or two later

Sections of Garfield Ridge

48^th & Keating

Suburbs

Elgin Established 2000

Joliet Established 2000

Waukegan Established 2000

Woodstock Established 2000