Young Lords
The Young Lords, also known as the Young Lords Organization, were a far-left political organization that developed from a Chicago street gang founded in 1959. With major branches in Chicago and New York City, they were known for their direct action campaigns, including building occupations, sit-ins, and garbage-dumping protests. They also provided community service programs for the neighborhoods they operated in, including childcare and medical services, as well as free breakfasts.
Under the leadership of José "Cha Cha" Jiménez, who was inspired by civil rights leaders and the Black Panther Party, the Chicago Young Lords allied themselves with various socialist organizations. They also opposed urban renewal plans pursued by the city in Lincoln Park and engaged in various direct action campaigns to demand resources and services for the Puerto Rican community there. These included the occupations of the McCormick Theological Seminary and the Armitage Avenue Methodist Church.
Inspired by the Chicago Young Lords, a New York chapter was established in East Harlem. After consulting with neighborhood residents, the New York Young Lords began the Garbage Offensive, a series of garbage-dumping protests occurring throughout the summer of 1969. Soon after, they released their "Thirteen-Point Program", which called for Puerto Rican independence and advocated for revolutionary nationalism and socialism. Their Church Offensive at the First Spanish United Methodist Church in East Harlem garnered significant attention and led to an increase in membership. The New York Young Lords also advocated for healthcare reform, proposing a "10 Point Health Program", screening for lead poisoning and tuberculosis, and, for a brief period, occupying Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. The New York chapter split from the main organization in 1970 to form the Young Lords Party .
Jiménez and other Young Lords leaders were repeatedly targeted for detention and arrest in Chicago. Meanwhile, a proposed expansion of the YLP into Puerto Rico encountered logistical difficulties, ultimately failing to gain traction and leading to the closure of several of the YLP's New York offices in June 1971. In June 1972, the YLP was renamed the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization, with some members leaving to join the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. The Chicago Young Lords also ceased operations in 1972. The FBI's COINTELPRO program significantly contributed to the Young Lords' decline using a variety of disruptive tactics, including infiltration and surveillance.
Chicago Young Lords
Background
began migrating to Chicago in the 1920s. A distinct Puerto Rican community emerged in 1946 with the arrival of several groups of migrants, including University of Chicago graduate enrollees and industrial contract laborers. Many were considered racially white in Puerto Rico, but were designated as colored in Chicago and treated as second-class citizens. They were required to sit in segregated sections on public transit and often stopped by state authorities, who mistook them for undocumented Mexican immigrants, for interrogation. During the 1950s, numerous Puerto Ricans were displaced by slum clearance policies, including in the La Clark neighborhood. Many of the displaced relocated to the Lincoln Park area. While Lincoln Park was a highly diverse neighborhood by the 1960s, its individual streets remained divided along racial and ethnic lines. Some public spaces, such as beaches and parks, were de facto segregated because of white gang activity, with Black and Latino residents experiencing harassment in those areas.Origins
Street gang
The Young Lords were first established as an informal youth social group at Arnold Junior High School on the border of the Near North Side and Lincoln Park community areas of Chicago in 1959. However, due to the persistent violence inflicted on Puerto Ricans by local white gangs, the Young Lords quickly developed into a street gang. The group was led by Orlando Dávila, and founding members included Benny Perez, David Rivera, Fermin Perez, Joe Vincente, Sal del Rivero, and José "Cha Cha" Jiménez. The gang, whose colors were purple and black, participated in a variety of criminal activities, including motor vehicle theft and street fighting. Jiménez, who became the gang's leader in the early 1960s, was repeatedly incarcerated during his teenage years for offenses ranging from theft to assault.Transition to activist organization
There were several high-profile cases of police brutality against Puerto Ricans in Chicago in the 1960s. In 1965, police broke into the home of two Puerto Rican Chicago residents, Celestino A. González and Silvano Burgos, leading to their arrest. The men were subjected to severe beatings, with González losing consciousness. Later, in 1966, during celebrations for Puerto Rican Week, a police officer shot a man named Arcelis Cruz. The shooting led to unrest in the assembled crowd, followed by the deployment of a canine unit, leading to the injury of another man. This escalation triggered the Division Street riots, which resulted in further injures and significant property damage. At a hearing about the riots, Puerto Ricans identified police brutality as a significant concern for the community. In the aftermath, activists and advocacy organizations, including the newly formed Latin American Defense Organization, called for structural change, advocating for unity between Latin Americans of various nationalities as well as Black Americans.In 1968, while in prison on drug charges, Jiménez was introduced to books by civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X. He also learned about the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party from the radio station WBON, which was played frequently in the prison. After being released in mid-1968, Jiménez formed a close friendship with Fred Hampton, the leader of the Chicago Black Panthers. He also found employment with the Urban Training Center, an organization founded by the Presbyterian Church, where he was invited by minister Victor Nazario to attend a conference for Latino activists. Several members of the Young Lords attended the conference. Jiménez became more politically active, forming a short-lived organization called the Puerto Rican Progressive Movement and becoming vice president of an educational reform organization. In 1968, the Young Lords incorporated "the Lordettes", previously a women's auxiliary group, into their primary organization.
Also in 1968, activist Patricia Devine convinced Jiménez that a planned urban renewal project would jeopardize current residents of Lincoln Park. While he was initially suspicious of Devine because of her communist ties, the Young Lords eventually agreed to take action in opposition to the project. They disrupted a planning meeting of the Lincoln Park Conservation Association where a vote was held to approve neighborhood demolition, damaging the venue the meeting was held at. Soon after, they established ties with various socialist organizations, including the Chicago Black Panthers. In February 1969, the Young Lords officially adopted the Black Panthers' Ten-Point Program, and in March, they began publishing a newspaper: the YLO.
A Chicago police officer shot Young Lords member Manuel Ramos in 1969, allegedly for pointing a gun at him. The Young Lords organized a rally in response, which was attended by members of the Black Panthers, LADO, and Students for a Democratic Society. The rally took place at the intersection of Armitage Avenue and Halsted Street. Estimates of attendance run from nearly 1,000 to 3,000, with undercover provocateurs installed by police attempting to provoke protesters into attacking the home of mayor Richard J. Daley. Protesters ignored the provocateurs, and traveled to the Deering police station, where Ramos was shot. A memorial service was later held for Ramos at St. Theresa's Catholic Church on Armitage Avenue.
Building occupations
In early 1969, the Young Lords occupied the Presbyterian McCormick Theological Seminary in collaboration with the Black Panthers, LADO, the Young Patriots Organization, and the SDS for almost a week, accusing the seminary of complicity in the displacement of Puerto Ricans from Lincoln Park. They barricaded the building and demanded that the seminary supply funding for low-income housing, in addition to establishing a children's center, a Latin American cultural center, and a "people's law office" to provide legal assistance for people with limited financial resources. While the seminary president initially threatened police intervention, he ultimately agreed to the occupiers' demands, disclosing the seminary's financial records, allocating $600,000 for housing initiatives, granting community access to seminary facilities, and publicly opposing urban renewal policies. Young Lords membership increased as a result of the occupation.The Young Lords also occupied the Armitage Avenue Methodist Church in July 1969 after the church denied the Young Lords rental space for several proposed initiatives, including a daycare center, a free breakfast program, and a health clinic. While church pastor Bruce Johnson supported the Young Lords' proposals, many members of the congregation and the church board opposed them. When congregants called the police to the site of the occupation, Johnson intervened, saying that there was "a misunderstanding" and that the Young Lords had his permission to be there. Johnson allowed the Young Lords to remain in the church, and it was renamed "The People's Church", becoming the Young Lords' official headquarters in the city. City inspectors, prompted by requests from local white residents, conducted a site inspection of the proposed daycare facility and identified 11 code violations. The Young Lords proceeded to raise the requisite funds to correct the violations, and the daycare center was ultimately allowed to open. Several community service programs were also established.