Origin

The Latin Kings developed out of the 1940 and 1950′s Chicago war and, therefore, the members refer to Chicago as the motherland. The group began as a violent street gang but has undergone tremendous change over the past decade. Now, the Latin Kings is a extremely organized group of criminals attempting to pass themselves off as a legitimate organization through the use of propaganda, positive press, and political affiliations.

Membership

The majority of members are Hispanic; however, some groups have crowned non-Hispanic members since their interest is power, not tradition. The Latin Kings is very prevalent within the prison system across the nation. When a member is released from prison, they report to the street gang for unity and to continue the Latin King way of life. Although the Latin Kings is heavily recruiting from their neighborhoods, local schools, and families, the prison system provides a steady flow of recruits.

IDENTIFIERS

Color

• Gold represents the fabulous brilliant sun at its highest peak, the glory of hope in oppressed people, the brilliance of the mind and the solid unity in strength, love, and sacrifice.
• Black represents the solid dominant color of the universe, the brave and the bold, the darkness of the immense night, and it people of one idea, one body, mind and soul, the alpha and omega.
• Red represents the blood their brothers shed for the crown.

Jewelry

A necklace strung with a sequence of five black followed by five yellow beads is the standard uniform for Latin Kings and Latin Queens. These beads are considered sacred and all members must own a set. Occasionally, the bead necklace will have a cross or crucifix at the bottom.

Signs

Latin Kings and Queens salute each using a specific hand signal, which forms a crown. When approaching a fellow member, they greet each other by pounding their right fist on their chest and forming the hand salute, followed by a chant of “Amor de Rey,” which means love of the king.

National Emblem

The crown is the emblem of the Latin Kings. It displays their royalty among men, their sovereignty and their kingdom among nations. The crown is a symbol that is recognized all over the world, and although there are many different types, the two that the Latin Kings identifys with the most are the imperial and the coronet. The imperial crown is the one most generally used to represent their nation because of its meaning and magnificence. Whereas, each of the coronet crown’s five points has a special meaning, representing love, honor, obedience, sacrifice, and righteousness. The crown enthrones their idealism, beliefs, and attitudes.

Tattoos

The Latin Kings displays various symbols to denote their allegiance to the Peoples Nation. Their tattoos usually display the initials “LK (Latin King),” the five-point crown, or the upside down pitchfork to indicate set affiliation.

GALLERY