Black P Stones Research Paper

Origins of the gang/ information about the founders The Black P. Stones is an American street gang founded on the south side of Chicago. The gang was originally founded in 1959 by Jeff Fort and Eugene Hairston. Jeff Fort is originally from Mississippi. His parents John and Annie Fort were former sharecroppers who moved their family to the Chicago southside in 1955 by 22nd and Cottage Grove. The family moved to the Woodlawn community a year later due to construction. Eugene Hairston is originally from Columbus, Ohio but moved to Chicago in 1955 near the east side of Washington Park and southside of Grand Boulevard. In 1956, he moved to Woodlawn by Stoney Island Avenue. Due to Hairston and Fort being in the same neighborhood at the same time,

By observing this, Fort learned how to create a constitution and bylaws for the gang to follow and how to set and enforce rules among the gang members. Soon enough, Hairston and Fort created their gang. Hairston's gang was called the “Harper Boys”, while Fort named his gang the “Blackstone Rangers”. Each gang had about 12 members at the time and often fought against each other to control a portion of the community. The Blackstone Rangers would wear red, black, and green with a pyramid to represent their African heritage while the Harper Boys wore black. Eventually, the two gangs would come together as one to become the Blackstone Rangers. Eugene Hairston wasn't too fond of the name “Blackstone Rangers” so Hariston and Fort settled on the name “Almighty Black P. Stones.” The history of the neighborhood The Woodland Community was the founding place of the Blackstones. The gang was named after the street that Jeff Fort lived on. During the time of the creation of the Blackstones, the community consisted of mainly black residences. But it wasn’t always that

To relieve these economic challenges, two commercial centers were created, Washington Park Subdivision and 63rd. Eventually, Woodlawn would receive middle-class African American residents who could afford to live outside the Black Belt. The Black Belt is a saying that represents the southside neighborhoods where residents are people of color. With the increasing number of black residents from Chicago and migrants from the south who were looking for better opportunities moving into the neighborhood, the racial demographic of Woodlawn would change. This triggered white flight in the Woodlawn neighborhood and an increase in the black population. Due to the constant rise of black residents, housing has been limited. Landlords took advantage of this by dividing the apartments and charging higher rates. Due to the disparities placed on these residents, the neighborhood would economically decline. How it grew in Chicago/alliances When the Blackstones were formed, their reputation for being the toughest group of boys was quickly recognized by older gangsters. These older gangsters took Fort and another Blackstone member, referred to as “Bull” under their wing, and incorporated the gang into their organized crime