The Almighty Black P Stone Nation

In gangster lore, the Almighty Black P Stone Nation stands out among the most notorious of street gangs. Louis Farrakhan hired the Blackstone Rangers as his Angels of Death. Fifteen years before 9/11, the U.S. government accused the Stones of plotting domestic terrorist acts with Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. And currently, founding member Jeff Fort is serving a triple life sentence at the only U.S. federal supermax prison Were the Stones criminals, brainwashed terrorists, victims of their circumstances, or champions of social change? Or were they all of these, their role perceived differently by different races and socioeconomic groups? Authors Natalie Y. Moore and Lance Williams answer these and other questions in this provocative tale that explores how teens from a poverty-stricken Chicago neighborhood built a powerful organization that united 21 individual gangs into a virtual nation With a colorful cast of characters, from white liberal do-gooders, vocal black nationalists, and hardworking community organizers to the members of the Nation of Islam and overzealous law enforcement officers, The Almighty Black P Stone Nation details how the U.S. government funded the gang with money during the War on Poverty; how law enforcement used the gang to gain headlines and increase its own funding during the War on Drugs; and how federal prosecutors successfully argued that leader Fort masterminded a deal for $2.5 million to commit acts of terrorism in the United States on behalf of Libya, setting the stage for prosecutors to link U.S. street gangs to terrorists from Arab states A fascinating look inside the evolution of a gang that went from street-corner teens to convicted terrorists, The Almighty Black P Stone Nation is not only an exciting story but also a timely look at urban crime and violence, an exploration of how and why gangs flourish, and an expose of the way in which minority crime is targeted in the community, reported in the media, and prosecuted in the courts.