David Barksdale
Encyclopedia
David Barksdale also known as King David, was the original leader of the Chicago
-based street gang the Black Disciples
.
Born Donise David Barksdale in Sallis, Mississippi
to parents Virginia and Charlie in a family of thirteen children, he moved with his family to Chicago in 1957. Within three years Barksdale had become a notorious gang leader. By 1966, Barksdale's gang absorbed several others and became known as the Black Disciple Nation. Tensions grew between the Black Disciples and other gangs such as the Black Stone Rangers.
In 1968 the leader of the Black Stone Rangers, Eugene Hairston, ordered a hit on King David. David was shot six times while exiting a bar one night, but survived and continued running the gang, while Hairston was sent to prison for trying to organize his murder.
Barksdale eventually grew sick of the bloodshed and proposed a merger with Larry Hoover
, leader of the Gangster Disciples
in 1969. Hoover accepted and the Black Gangster Disciple Nation was born.
On September 2, 1974, Barksdale died from kidney failure as a result of the 1968 attack. He was survived by his three children and wife Yvonne Barksdale, until her murder three years later.
Over the course of his life Barksdale was arrested 25 times, but never convicted of any serious offense. On several occasions when he was arrested he used the alias "David Jones".
He is still revered by the Black Disciples and every year there is a birthday celebration in his honor. In 2008, there was a parade that was, in a controversial move, registered by the Chicago City Council for the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. The parade was criticized by the Fraternal Order of Police
, and officers administering the event were forewarned about potential gang violence.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based street gang the Black Disciples
Black Disciples
The Black Disciples is a large African American street gang based in Chicago, Illinois. The gang is considered extremely violent and is known to engage in drug trafficking and distribution, in addition to other criminal activities. The street gang is estimated to have in excess of 24,000 members...
.
Born Donise David Barksdale in Sallis, Mississippi
Sallis, Mississippi
Sallis is a town in Attala County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 114 at the 2000 census. Sallis is the birthplace of the late David Barksdale, who, with Larry Hoover at one point ran the Black Gangster Disciple Nation.-Geography:...
to parents Virginia and Charlie in a family of thirteen children, he moved with his family to Chicago in 1957. Within three years Barksdale had become a notorious gang leader. By 1966, Barksdale's gang absorbed several others and became known as the Black Disciple Nation. Tensions grew between the Black Disciples and other gangs such as the Black Stone Rangers.
In 1968 the leader of the Black Stone Rangers, Eugene Hairston, ordered a hit on King David. David was shot six times while exiting a bar one night, but survived and continued running the gang, while Hairston was sent to prison for trying to organize his murder.
Barksdale eventually grew sick of the bloodshed and proposed a merger with Larry Hoover
Larry Hoover
Larry Hoover was the leader of the Chicago street gang called Gangster Disciples.-Early life:...
, leader of the Gangster Disciples
Gangster Disciples
The Black Gangster Disciple Nation is a gang which was formed on the South-side of Chicago in the late 1960s, by David Barksdale, leader of the Black Disciples, and Larry Hoover, leader of the Supreme Gangsters. The two groups united to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation .The gang has made...
in 1969. Hoover accepted and the Black Gangster Disciple Nation was born.
On September 2, 1974, Barksdale died from kidney failure as a result of the 1968 attack. He was survived by his three children and wife Yvonne Barksdale, until her murder three years later.
Over the course of his life Barksdale was arrested 25 times, but never convicted of any serious offense. On several occasions when he was arrested he used the alias "David Jones".
He is still revered by the Black Disciples and every year there is a birthday celebration in his honor. In 2008, there was a parade that was, in a controversial move, registered by the Chicago City Council for the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. The parade was criticized by the Fraternal Order of Police
Fraternal Order of Police
The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...
, and officers administering the event were forewarned about potential gang violence.