Ashburn
Ashburn

Ashburn

Origins Settled in 1893 and annexed in 1889
Area Far Southwest Side
Boundaries

75th along the railroad and up by 74th on the north, 87th on the south, CSX Forest Hill to Dan Ryan Woods on the east to Cicero Ave wrapping around to 77th wrapping around to Pulaski on the east

Gangs headquartered Two Six, Satan Disciples, Krazy Get Down Boys, Gangster Disciples,

The marshy prairie Ashburn community was a rather late bloomer to the city of Chicago as it was just a vacant plot of land within the town of Lake throughout most of the 19th century while other Chicago neighborhoods were becoming heavily settled.  Ashburn was simple an ash dumping ground.  Chicago residents would travel to this area and dump all their ashes from primitive heating devices in the nineteenth century.  This is the origin of Ashburn’s name because it was an ash dumping ground. (Fact source http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/85.html)

During these dumping years this area was annexed into the city of Chicago in 1889 and finally in the year 1893 the Clarkdale subdivision began construction as people at last were moving into this no man’s land of an area.  This subdivision developed in the area of 83rd and Central Park Ave.  The new Grand Trunk railway would become the source of employment for these new Dutch, Irish and Swedish residents but the population remained small.  (fact source http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/85.html)

Nothing new and exciting would come to Ashburn until 1916 when the Ashburn Flying Field airport opened which became a training camp for the Signal Corps during World War 1. This airport caused the population to more than double to about 1,363 residents.  The airport ran out of popularity in 1927 when Midway Airport opened which also caused Ashburn to be less interesting. (Fact source http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/85.html)

During the depression years of the 1930s Ashburn continued to not grow as the airport still remained functional until 1939 when it closed down for good further causing Ashburn to be a rather boring area all throughout the 1940s.  (fact source http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/85.html)

There were signs of hope during World War II as the Chrysler Dodge plant opened in 1943 to manufacture bomber engines.  Tucker’s Automobile Manufacturing opened in 1946 all between Pulaski and Cicero Ave which brought employment to the area. (fact source http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/85.html)

Finally, in the year 1949 life was once again breathed back into Ashburn as the Scottsdale subdivision began construction over the forgotten airfield of the former Ashburn Flying Field.  The Scottsdale Shopping center was built in the year 1955 amidst all this construction and this gave the area a much better appeal.  In the year 1965 the famous Vito’s and Nicks Pizza restaurant opened at 84th and Pulaski which became a staple in the community for decades to come as people from all over came to dine here.

During the 1960s Ashburn residents became upset about racial integration into their schools, churches, and their neighborhood as well as black settlement began to grow significantly in the neighboring Auburn – Gresham and West Englewood communities; however, the GAPA (Greater Ashburn Planning Association) worked to settle these differences.  (Fact source http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/85.html)  The area would remain heavily white throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Despite being an almost all-white community during these 20th century decades Ashburn has always taken a firm stance on racial discrimination and block busting tactics and is quick to sue predatory real estate agencies.  This has allowed home values to remain stable and for most of the community to be howe owners thanks to the GAPA.  (Fact source http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/85.html)

Regardless of the GAPA and Ashburn’s efforts there still was no stopping of white flight by the 1980s and picking up in 1990.  Residents simply favored the suburbs and began selling their homes and the most interested buyers happened to be Hispanic and black.

By the mid-1980s black, Hispanic and white gangs from outside the community settled on these streets beginning in 1983 when the Insane Popes gang arrived.   the Black P Stones arrived alongside black migration to 79th and Homan.  Alongside Mexican migration La Raza arrived at 79th and Pulaski which would later become a highly refuted area for gangs.  The Insane Popes arrived in this neighborhood too for the reason of battling such groups like La Raza.  White youths felt their neighborhood was being taken over by undesirables and a gang war would begin.

In the year 1990, Two Six moved into the area of 79th and Pulaski which brought an intense gang rivarly between La Raza and Two Six.  La Raza now moved 76th and Ridgeway as the new dominant Hispanic gang would now be Two Six.  La Raza would leave the community in the 2000s decade.

During the 1990s-decade Ashburn saw an explosion of multiple new gangs moving in starting with Two Six.  Ambrose arrived in this neighborhood along 79th Street and got pretty big in the 90s but by the end of the decade they closed their territory.  The Krazy Get Down Boys arrived in the 90s and became a permanent and larger influence in this area.  For quite some time Krazy Get Down Boys fought the Two Sixs for 79th and Pulaski until KGBs left the area putting their focus on their Purple City turf or by the 83rd and Kostner area section.  The Spanish Lords formed at the corner of the neighborhood at 87th and California in the 1990s and had a impactful stay for some time.  The TAP Boys arrived at 79th and Pulaski to protect the Arab residents near here as they fought with KGBs and Two Six.  This group did not last long.

Among the black community came more Black P Stones in the 1990s that arrived in the new Maycrest subdivision in 1993.

After the 1990s La Raza, TAP Boys, Ambrose, Insane Popes and La Raza withdrew from these streets leaving Two Six, Krazy Get Down Boys and Black P Stones to run this neighborhood.  In the 2000s-decade Gangster Disciples and Black Disciples arrived and shared territory.

Beginning in the early 1990s, gang banging became a major issue as the area was now 43% black by the year 2000 and over 16% Hispanic by then.  This showed how strong white flight was in the 1990s and it would only increase heavily in the 2000s decade until the white population was reduced to 10%.  Crime rates and murder rates climbed in this community and at some points it became one of the more dangerous areas but only for short periods of time.

This neighborhood is mostly for middle class blacks and Hispanics that take pride in their community; therefore, crime is not out of control.

The Gangster Disciples, Black P Stones, Satan Disciples, Krazy Get Down Boys and Two Six would become the dominating gangs of Ashburn.

Here are the gangs that have once dwelled in this community or still do:

Gangster Disciples 2000s-present years

78th to 79th, Christiana to Spaulding (MOB ABM)

79th to 80th, Western to Bell (Stain Gang Juice World) 2000s-present years (Shared with Black P Stones)

83rd to 84th, Kedzie to Whipple (TTM Quietmoney) 2000s-present years (Shared with Black P Stones)

79th & Homan 2000s-present years (Shared with Black Disciples)

83rd & St Louis 2010s-present years

79th & Lawndale 2020s (present years)

Tall Arabian Posse 1990s

79th & Pulaski 1990s

Spanish Lords 90s, 2000s

87th & California 90s, 2000s

Insane Popes (South side group) 1983-2000s

79th to 83rd, Homan to Kedzie (Vatican City) -1983-2000s

83rd & Lawndale

83rd & St Louis 90s, 2000s

La Raza 80s, 90s, 2000s

76th & Ridgeway 80s, 90s, 2000s

79th & Pulaski 80s-1990

79th & Lawndale 80s-1990

Black P Stones 80s-present years

79th & Campbell

79th & Homan 80s, 90s

79th & Western 80s-present years (Shared with Gangster Disciples

83rd & Kedzie 90s-present years (Shared with Gangster Disciples)

Ambrose 1990s

79th to 82nd, Knox to Kilbourn

79th & Kostner 90s

Krazy Get Down Boys 90s-present years

77th to 79th, Cicero to Tripp (Rainey Park, Purple City) 2000s-present years

Homan from 77th to 79th

83rd to 85th, Kostner to Kenneth

81st & Kostner

81st & Tripp 90s, 2000s, 2020s (present years)

83rd Place & Knox 90s-present years

79th & Pulaski 90s, 2000s, 2010s

Two Six Established 1990-present years

75th to 79th, Lawndale to Pulaski 1990-present years

79th to 81st, Pulaski to Central Park Ave 1990-present years

Satan Disciples 2000s-present years

81st to 83rd, Karlov to Pulaski

Black Disciples 2000s-present years

79th & Homan (Shared with Gangster Disciples) 2000s-present years