We all have our own opinions and perspectives. The Gaylords see themselves as
having something in common with the American Indian. This is not just the fact
that they have quite a few American Indians as members. The American Indians were
unyielding in battle and they were in constant battle with new settlers and
their armies through the 1700-1900s. The American Indians were trying to defend
their lands from an invasion of people of different ideas, cultures, languages
and other ways of living.
St Louis and Altgeld started as a section of Lawndale and Altgeld. After Cappy's death the thought was that we needed to be closer to fight the gangsters closer to their own turf. There was also a lot of Gaylords living in that area. Two major Lawndale Gaylords, (The Rissa brothers) lived on St. Louis. What started out as a few Lawndale Gaylords hanging on the porch turned out to be almost fifty to one hundred active
Gaylords on the corner from 1976-1982. Many battles were fought during this time span. In 1979, we had a member stabbed to near death in the heart and head and also lost a valuable member when KATO was killed by the O/As. That had made us more determined to fight for our hood and get revenge. During this time we also had a allegiance with the Jousters from Sawyer and Altgeld. We fought side by side against the
Imperial Gangsters, O/As, Royals, Cobras and also the Kings. After many years of battles the neighborhood was changing and we were out numbered. People moved away and our numbers shrunk from 1982 to 1983 and St. Louis was no more.
STL/A GL
Greasers
Warriors