Latin Kings Origin Story
Interview with South side founder White Sal

Compilation of conversations with White Sal over several months, did not happen in 1 day.

1965 meeting.

Me: who ran the North side Kings before Lord Ginooooo?
Sal: King Papo, and they killed him and his half-brother Fast Eddie. [Actually step brother.].

Me: how did you and King Papo 1st meet?
Sal: King Papo came by by the Boulevards, talked about how our gangs had a lot in common, and the possibility of merging. And so, a meeting was held in Humboldt Park about merging the gangs.

(Months later).
Me: where was the meeting held, was it in someone’s living room?
Sal: No, it was right in the outdoor Humboldt Park park.

Me: what age were you at the meeting?
Sal: I was in 7th or 8th grade.

Me: was BK at the meeting?
Sal: No, BK wasn’t even a King yet. He joined a little later.

Note: White Sal’s IR # is smaller than BK’s IR #, which means his 1st arrest is before BK’s 1st arrest, and he is 9 months younger than BK. It looks like White Sal’s 1st arrest was 1966 and BK’s 1st arrest 1969.

I didn’t ask if Lord Gino was at the meeting but Lord Gino was only 10-11 years old.

Question: was Compa at the meeting?
The answer is likely no, White Sal also said he only met Compa in prison and not on the streets. He did not know about - the other Marshall Blvd who introduced me to him, that is 5 years younger than him - meeting Compa in Little Village. Since White Sal was locked up in ’73, and Compa locked up on Christmas Day ’75, Compa likely came to Little Village during between those times. According to the other Marshall Blvd, Compa likely came to Little Village to see Sam Duran and Capone.

Question - why did King Papo want to merge your gang with his gang?
I didn’t ask Sal that, but another person told me both gangs were using the 5-pt crown in graffiti, so that likely meant King Papo saw we better try to make allies with them 1st in case we end up competing with them.

Me: how long did you run your gang before King Papo found you?
Sal: About a year.

Me: who was the #2 leader for North side Kings?
Sal: Batman was the main chief of Beach and Spaulding, half Puerto Rican half Italian. [Actually Laflin/Van Buren]

Question – who was #3 leader for North side Kings?
The answer – I didn’t ask White Sal that question, but months later when I showed him a 1971 photo of King Papo on Division, he pointed 1 out and said “that’s Bobo, Batman’s right-hand man. If Batman is like the inca for Beach/Spaulding, Bobo is like the cacique for Beach/Spaulding.

Me: is Batman still alive?
Sal: I don’t know.
(Another Marshall Blvd King called Deadeye walks around.).
Sal asks him about Batman’s whereabouts, Frank Deadeye doesn’t know either.

1971/72 election meetings.

Me: did you make BK the next leader?
Sal: No, I voted for him.

White Sal sat on a board where they voted for the next leaders. Batman was likely the chairman. White Sal didn’t like Gino, and opposed Gino as being the leader for North side. He went on about how Gino canvassed South side Kings to vote for him. But somehow King Papo decided to change his mind, and pick Gino as the next leader, and so while BK was voted in, Gino was blessed in.

Me: was BK on the board?
Sal: I think so.

Me: were people on the board only voting for people outside the board, or could they vote for board members too?
Sal: sure they can.

Me: does that mean BK voted for himself?
Sal: Wow, I never thought of that.

Me: who got the 2nd most votes?
;D

White Sal also said others opposed Gino on being the leader, but King Papo said “give Hippie a chance.” I think I know why others opposed… Not just Gino’s age who was almost 18. But Gino wasn’t from Beach/Spaulding, he was from Leavitt/Schiller.

White Sal also said something false about Gino, he says Gino killed a Vice Lord’s sister. But in the Illinois Appellate Court document, Gino actually put his gun to her head, smiled, and pulled the trigger. But the gun was already out of bullets, all used on the guy he just shot. However, on a later month, White Sal referred to Lord Gino as "accidentally shooting" a woman.

The interesting thing if he wasn’t out of bullets, then that would have been a double homicide, and that would either be life or death penalty. (And this was before Governor George Ryan came around to pardon a lot of gang members from the death penalty.). There have already been 2 North side Kings convicted of the death penalty from a multiple 1979 murder.

White Sal said something about Lord Gino being lucky he never came out of prison or else they would have smoked his ass (most likely referring to the Vice Lords). Later that day when I pushed him on his wheelchair around Madison/Kedzie area.
Me: this is Vice Lords area?
Sal: Yea it’s a mix around here.

According to mugshots.com which captures White Sal’s IDOC inmate before he came out of prison, White Sal has a Jesus Christ tattoo on his left forearm.
Me: you know BK attends the New Life church on Archer/Keeler. Does he believe in God?
;D

The Marshall Blvd who introduced me to White Sal, I asked him how many kids did White Sal have. He goes “I think he has 2.” I go “are they LK leaders?” He says no. (When While Sal says something about his daughter.).
Me: doesn’t King Papo have 4 sons?
Sal: I don’t know all that.
Me: has your kids and King Papo’s kids ever met?
Sal: No.
[King Papo has 3 sons and 2 daughters, and at least 2 step-brothers. He also has a sister named Ana Gonzalez.]

False question: did you attend King Papo’s funeral?
I know the answer is false because King Papo’s body likely was never found. The interesting thing is, I was down walking in a sewer underneath Humboldt Park where the water was knee-high, and I stepped on something. With my flashlight I try to look down but the murky water too dark. So I continued. It could have been his dead body I stepped on. I asked the guy at the top of the MLDs if “who else jus disappeared 1 day” and he didn’t immediately know.
Sal: I was locked up at the time.

Me: who was the 1st nation enforcer for South side Kings?
Sal: Boogaloo.

Most of the last conversations took place at the Los Comales restaurant on 26th. The King who introduced me to White Sal who joined in ’67 says the 1st group was 15-20 people, White Sal says 30. However, there were 3 types of Marshall Blvds: Senior, Junior, and Little. BK joined the Littles. The Littles started at Roosevelt/Newberry (and this was before UIC was built), then moved to where the other Marshall Blvds started: 24th and Marshall.

(Months later.).

Me: Has King Kong been to Little Village before?
Sal: He's been here a few times.