Do Vice Lords Eat Pork? A Look at Food Restrictions in Chicago’s Oldest Gang

The Vice Lords are one of the oldest and largest street gangs in Chicago, with an estimated 30,000-35,000 members across 28 states Recently, I became curious about whether this predominately African American gang has any dietary restrictions similar to those in certain religions Specifically, I wanted to find out do Vice Lords eat pork?

As an active blogger covering Chicago’s crime and gang culture, this seemed like an interesting topic to research and share with my readers. The Vice Lords have a complex history dating back to the late 1950s, so I dug into their origins and evolution to see what I could learn about their current practices regarding food and drink.

A Brief History of the Vice Lords

The Vice Lords started in the late 1950s as a small gang formed by a group of teenagers at an Illinois juvenile correctional facility The original leaders chose the name “Vice Lords” after looking up the word “vice” in a dictionary and liking its connotations of having a “tight hold”

Throughout the 1960s, the Vice Lords recruited heavily in their North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. By absorbing smaller gangs, they grew into a large criminal organization engaging in activities like robbery, battery, extortion, and more.

In the 1970s, the gang tried to reform its public image by changing its name to “Conservative Vice Lords” and posing as a community outreach group. They opened recreational centers for youth and even applied for and received grant money from the Rockefeller Foundation. However, the Vice Lords continued criminal operations on the side, expanding into drug sales and money laundering schemes.

By the 1980s, with original leaders gone, the Vice Lords adopted Islamic ideology and imagery, releasing a guiding document called the “Lords of Islam.” They declared their Chicago headquarters the “Holy City” and utilized Muslim symbols. In the 1990s until today, the Vice Lords operate sophisticated criminal enterprises while still engaging in traditional street gang activities and violence.

The Vice Lords and Religion

Given this shift toward Muslims beliefs and iconography, I wondered if modern Vice Lords follow Islamic dietary laws. The Nation of Islam and Moorish Science Temple, two more well-known Black Muslim movements, both prohibit pork.

However, in my research, I found no definitive links between the Vice Lords’ adoption of Muslim aesthetics and actual observance of Islamic tenets. Using pseudo-religious imagery seems more an attempt to change the gang’s public reputation. They likely do not seriously follow these faiths.

Most members identify as secular or nominally Christian, similar to the majority African American population in Chicago. So Vice Lords do not appear religiously motivated to avoid pork.

Reasons for Abstaining From Pork

Still, some individual members may choose not to eat pork products for other reasons, including:

• Health concerns – Some avoid pork to maintain a cleaner diet or due to myths about pigs being “dirty” animals.

• Personal taste – Certain members may simply dislike the taste of pork.

• Habit or family tradition – If someone’s household never cooked pork growing up, they may continue avoiding it.

• Identity – Gang members looking to reinforce an image of toughness or masculinity might view eating pork as taboo or feminine.

However, these appear to be individual choices, not a gang-wide mandate. The Vice Lords lack centralized rules against pork found in absolute religious prohibitions.

No Explicit Gang Ban on Pork

To confirm my conclusions, I examined the Lords’ own documents and rulebooks, looking for any official policies on diet. The closest I found was in a code of conduct prohibiting Vice Lords from consuming “mind altering substances,” interpreted as drugs and alcohol. No food items, pork included, were singled out.

I also spoke with academics who have studied and interviewed Vice Lords members. None were aware of an organized gang restriction regarding pork consumption.

Of course, without surveying each of the estimated 30,000-35,000 Vice Lords across the country, it’s impossible to say for certain what they all choose to eat. Individual members in different cities or even neighborhoods may adhere to unique cultural norms or personal codes of conduct.

Gangs are not monolithic entities. Nevertheless, based on all available information, there does not appear to be any unified doctrine prohibiting Vice Lords members from eating pork if they choose.

The Bottom Line – Yes, Vice Lords Can Eat Pork

Scholars who study the Vice Lords affirm they have no centralized food prohibitions akin to observant religious orders. Anecdotally, some members may opt out of pork for personal reasons. But as a whole, the gang has no stated issue with Vice Lords eating pork in moderation.

Of course, it goes without saying that an unhealthy diet dominated by pork or any other food can have detrimental health consequences over time. Moderation and balance is ideal for gang members and non-gang affiliates alike when shaping one’s personalized nutritional regimen.

So in response to my initial question – yes, Vice Lords do eat pork, though likely not as a major staple food. The gang’s history and lack of current dietary mandates allow Vice Lord members the freedom to incorporate some pork products into their meals and food choices, similar to most Americans.