Black History Month: Larry Hoover
Written by DJ Special Blend from Chicago on February 26, 2009
Right or wrong, we are talking about Larry Hoover today for Black History Month.
American Gangster is a series on the BET Network that focuses on famous criminals, and the week of October 17, 2007, they centered on Chicago’s own Larry Hoover, who is currently serving six life sentences at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado.
That episode gave a good outside history of Hoover and the Black Gangster Disciple Nation.
I got to see a lot of what the program talks about first hand as I grew up on the South Side as a Neutron. I did a little false flagging from time to time as a youngster as I tried to find myself. I also got to see a couple peeps get put away, and a few placed six feet under for being deep in the gang. There were also a few G’s that looked out for a brotha as I caught the CTA back and forward to class and work comin’ up in the hood.
The documentary flashed some of the exact corners your boy used to walk, as well as Phase II on 91st and Ashland… one of the first lounges that I got to spin at. You can still catch me having a brew there from time to time.
Larry Hoover most likely will never see the streets of the Chi again in life, but he is indeed a legend. Though we don’t condone crime and drug trafficking, I do like young soldiers being organized.
Hopefully the next time a Larry Hoover type comes around that can have such a huge effect on so many young Black people, we can aim the aggression at the right people, and make a huge difference in other ways.
