Morgan Deuces

With the recent release of the book Compliments of ChicagoHoodz: Chicago Street Gang Art & Culture it has brought me a great understanding of how the Morgan Deuces came to be.  I will now rewrite this Morgan Deuce history using some of the book as a reference because it totally makes sense what was said in the book and Jinx has credible resources to back in up.

The Morgan Deuces came to be in the year 1959 in the Near West Side neighborhood at the intersection of Taylor Street and Morgan Street and 16th to 18th on Morgan.  The founder was Teddy Mcgee who was said to have been a former member of the Latin Counts.  The Latin Counts started in 1955 under a different name but by very early 1959 they now went by the name “Latin Counts” in Pilsen effective that year.   The Deuces were also located up Morgan Street at Taylor and Morgan.

The Morgan Deuces clashed with Ambrose as Ambrose sections were close to Deuce territories. Deuces also became bitter enemies of the Satan Disciples and the Rampants along 18th Street.  The Deuces did establish a solid ally and that was the Spartans who also migrated from the Near West Side community as well.

The Morgan Deuces made headline news on in April 1961.  On Tuesday April 11, 1961 Chicago Police had identified a young 18 year gang member named Tony “Crazy Tony” Gonzales (pictured) who was going around robbing stores and people like crazy as he carried a .22 caliber pistol and another hand gun.  On April 6, 1961 Gonzales killed a man during a robbery.  Gonzales was on trial into May of 1962 when he was caught carrying a knife while on trial, what he was doing with the knife, I do not know but my guess is he was saving it for a jail break situation or to attack the judge (Chicago Tribune May 29, 1962, P 15).

By 1965 construction at the University of Chicago Illinois campus pushed many people in Little Italy out of this section of the Near West side, therefore, the Morgan Deuces lost their territory at Taylor and Morgan, however, they only became stronger in Pilsen and were a major force to be reckoned with on those streets.

In the late 1960s, many Morgan Deuce gang members joined the military and served in the Vietnam War but many young members took their place keeping the organization going.

In the year 1966, Morgan Deuces arrived into the Little Village area, primarily Marshall Square as they arrived alongside a wave of new Mexican  and Puerto Rican migration to Marshall Square that year.  Soon Deuces congregated along Washtenaw Avenue between Cullerton and 21st Streets.  Once the Deuces arrived they clashed with Ridgeway Lords and found their old arch nemesis the Satan Disciples living in the same area, once again the two gangs would clash as they both moved in that same year.  Satan Disciples began in this area on 24th Street.

By the early 1970s the Morgan Deuces had reached their peak as they were strong on 18th Street in Pilsen and strong in Marshall Square on Washtenaw.  The Deuce chapters had their separate names to distinguish between the groups.  The 18th Street original section was the “Chi-Town Morgan Deuces.”  The Washtenaw branch was called the “Cullerton Deuces” named after that Cullerton and Washtenaw headquarters.

By the mid-1970s, legal issues continued to plague the Deuces as more and more members ended up incarcerated for several crimes, some violent.  Gangs wars were costly and young Deuces wanted to live up to the reputation of being one of the baddest clubs on the streets.

By the late 1970s the Deuces were still in full operation in both neighborhoods until 1979 then the Deuces began to become very much inactive.  In the year 1980, the Deuces of 18th Street had dissolved while the Deuces on Washtenaw were now only known as Cullerton Deuces as the Morgan Deuce name was now retired.

Beginning in the early 1980s, the Cullerton Deuces experienced a major recruitment drive as many young kids in the neighborhood joined the group only recognizing the Cullerton Deuce name as their leaders were Morgan Deuces at heart.  These Pee Wee Cullerton Deuces were a major force on these streets.  In the year 1980, the older Deuces in prison established entry into the People alliance alongside the Latin Kings, then in 1981 that alliance was prevalent on the streets.

In the mid-1980s the Pee Wee Cullerton Deuces had grown into older teens or young adults and no longer wanted to identify with the old Morgan Deuce identity.  A sort of rebellion in a way happened in 1986 that separated the younger adult Cullerton Deuces from the older Deuces which brought about the complete extinction of the Morgan Deuces.  The older Deuces did not take up much issue with this as they were ready to retire anyway.

Known sections of the Morgan Deuces from the past

Marshall Square neighborhood Established 1966-1980

Sections of Marshall Square

Cullerton to Cermak, Washtenaw to Rockwell (Cullerton Deuces) Established 1966-1980

Near West Side neighborhood Established 1959-1964

Sections of Near West Side

Morgan & Taylor Established 1959-1964

Pilsen neighborhood Established 1959-1980

Sections of Pilsen

Morgan from 16^th to 18^th (Chi-Town Morgan Deuces) Established 1959-1980