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| Founding location | Back of the Yards, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Territory | New City, Chicago |
| Ethnicity | Hispanic-American |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, murder |
| Rivals | People Nation, Folk Nation, Gangster Disciples, La Raza Nation, Gangster Two Six, Satan's Disciples, Latin Kings |
The Almighty Saints is a street gang founded in the early 1960s by Polish youth at Davis Square Park in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago, but later was largely made up of Hispanics due to the change in the community's ethnic makeup.
The name "Saints" was borrowed from the TV series of the same name as evidenced by the similarities between the stickman used on the show and the street gang.
The Saints have maintained the same territory since the 1960s, an uncommon occurrence in Chicago, where gangs usually lose terrain over the years. By the 1980s, the gang had become extremely violent and drug trafficking became very lucrative.
In a 1998 feature article, the Chicago Tribune wrote: "In a city known for its fearsome supergangs—criminal enterprises like the Latin Kings and the Gangster Disciples—the Saints stand out as an example of the street corner gang that still hangs on in many neighborhoods."[1]
- ^ Steve Mills and Diego Bunuel, "Small Gang's Big Grip Troubles Neighborhood: The Saints Have Grown More Violent And More Diverse Since Forming In The 1960s.", Chicago Tribune, February 11, 1998, Sec. Metro, Pg. 1. Article abstract, full article