In the mid-1970s, the Latin Kings and Harrison gents co-existed peacefully and even maintained a joint mural at the corner of Winthrop and Ainslie in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Periodically, the murals had to be repainted when they were defaced by rival gangs. When repainted, often the message changed. Clearly, the Harrison Gents were upset that someone had defaced their mural. The text says, “Whoever fucks with the Almighty Harrison Gents goes to the graveyard! Gent-Love.” Clearly, this was a warning. In the second half of the Seventies, gang tensions and violence escalated significantly.
