male narrator: It is the
Crown jewel of the heartland,
But chicago's cold winds blow
Deadly.
Everything.
I woke up this morning ready
To die.
narrator: The four corner
Hustlers own these streets.
the four corner hustlers
Run wild all over the west side,
Taking, stealing, pillaging.
it was like a hollywood
Movie.
People's getting shot,
Gamblers and prostitution,
Drugs, whatever you want.
four corner hustlers got
Their hand in everything.
narrator: But everything they
Touch turns to violence and
Murder, even between brothers.
we fours till the world
Blow up.
everybody was trying to
Chop each other head off.
We were our worst enemy.
It was a modern day frankenstein
Story where the creation
Kills the creator.
narrator: Chicago, illinois.
The sun over lake michigan casts
A blinding light on america's
Third largest city.
But a dark shadow looms over
Chicago's west side, where
Gangs reign supreme.
the west side is crazy.
It's either kill or be killed
Down here.
It's a jungle.
You got to live in it.
there's a lot of vacant lots.
It's...it's got that kind of
A lunar landscape look.
It's a little bit like
The end of the world.
narrator: Chicago's west
Garfield park is known as the
Most dangerous neighborhood in
The city for kids.
The notorious four corne
Hustlers or fours are part of
The reason.
you a four corner hustler,
Let's go out there and shoot
Somebody.
Let's go gangbang.
narrator: The abandoned lots
And looted storefronts are the
Perfect breeding ground for the
Gang's brutal empire to
Multiply.
you've got four corner
Hustlers in...in detroit.
You got four corner hustlers in
California.
I'm from the west side
Of chicago,
Where the four corner hustlers
Started.
narrator: The gang's name
Describes exactly what they
Believe.
They pledge allegiance
To the almighty dollar.
the things that...that
Signify hustler itself was
Getting money,
Anywhere from gambling to theft
To pimping.
They would jump trucks.
They rob the pushers in
The neighborhood, and that's how
They hustle.
Whatever way to get a dollar.
narrator: To the four corner
Hustlers, there are two simple
Choices: Hustle or pay the
Price.
If you don't do what the
Gang says...
pardon my language,
You gettin' fáááááup.
narrator: From armed robbery
To drug trafficking...
If it pays, the fours will play.
I was hustlin'.
I was fightin', you know what
I'm sayin'?
With my people, sellin' drugs
Out here, man, gettin' money,
Man.
narrator: 20-year-old
Jermaine rhodes, aka "illy mac,"
Joined the gang when he was 16.
my mother gangbanged.
She a crack head.
My daddy was a crack head.
You know, all my older cousins
Gangbang.
All my older brothers gangbang.
this is my daddy.
As y'all can see,
He a crack head.
He's been a crack head since
Before I can remember.
When I was, like, five or six,
My parents lost us.
narrator: Illy mac says
Joining the gang was never
A choice.
I was already a four corner
Hustler by association, by
Bein' from the neighborhood.
You know, when in rome,
Do what the romans do.
That was gangbangin' and
Sellin' drugs.
So that's what I did.
narrator: In a neighborhood
Where unemployment hovers in the
Double digits, illy says gang
Life put clothes on his back.
you know, it was rough
Growing up.
My brother might have the
Good underwear.
And I want to wear them
Underwear today.
You know, we fight over that.
So when I started sellin' drugs
And start makin' my own money,
You know, it felt good.
the gangs that controlled
This area were making
A tremendous amount of money.
Some spots were making $5,000,
$6,000, $7,000 a day.
narrator: And those spots
Must be protected by any means
Necessary.
Lose control of these streets,
And another west side gang will
Take you out.
Along with the four corner
Hustlers, gangs like the new
Breeds, gangster disciples,
And the black souls prowl the
Streets looking for action.
There's an enemy on every
Corner.
the west side is overrun
By gangs and narcotics
Trafficking.
Every 3 1/2 seconds, there was
An in progress police call
On the citywide radio.
narrator: Four corner hustler
Fred wallace, aka "lil' fred,"
Has been at war with his rivals
For more than 30 years.
I'm a enforcer/chief.
Let's say I was a gun for hire
For the four corner hustlers.
narrator: Fred wallace first
Joined the gang when he was 11.
I didn't grow up and say,
"hey, I want to be a fireman."
No.
I wanted to grow up and be
A four corner hustler.
narrator: Gang life
Introduced fred to a heroin
Addiction by the time he was
13-years-old.
a daily thing with me was
Waking up to the drugs and
Robbing drug dealers.
That's how I...that's how I rose
In the rank of four corner
Hustlers.
narrator: Lil' fred never
Backed down from a fight, and he
Has the scars to prove it.
I got shot in '82.
I got shot in the head with
Buck shots, and '88, I got shot
In the leg, and '97, I got shot
In the arm and in the back.
narrator: He was almost
Killed by the four corners'
Biggest rival, a gang called
The black souls, who claims turf
Just to the west.
we was gangbanging,
And I was fighting another gang
Member.
Suddenly, the souls ran to
Their car, leaving lil' fred
And his crew thinking they'd
Retreated.
But the souls returned with
A vengeance.
they jump into a car and
Tried to run us over.
narrator: Lil' fred's fellow
Gang members dove out of the
Way.
Lil' fred was not as lucky.
I got ran over by a car.
I fractured my pelvis and stayed
In the hospital for a few weeks.
narrator: While recovering,
Lil' fred plotted his revenge
Against the rival gangsters.
He eventually got it.
I can't say how, but they
Ain't gonna do it no more.
narrator: This willingness
Never to back down has earned
The four corner hustlers
A reputation as the most feared
And despised gang
On the west side.
they really had no regard
For human life.
They were sticking up, shootin',
Robbin', runnin' around
Far more aggressively
Than the other gangs were.
narrator: Death for
A gangbanger is a common
Occurrence.
In 2008, there were 229
Gang-related homicides in
Chicago.
I've been sitting right next
To a person who's got shot and
Killed.
I had two bullet holes went
Straight through my jacket.
narrator: Richard "blade"
Wilkens is a four corners
Veteran of many gang wars.
He says being in the wrong place
At the wrong time can prove
Fatal in this city.
oh, yeah.
That's...that's chicago.
That's chicago.
You got to be aware of where
You at in chicago,
'cause anytime somebody can say,
"hey, that one of them fours
Right there," and if you not
In your territory,
Then you subject to get whooped.
You'll get beat half to death.
narrator: But death doesn't
Always come at the hands of
Rival gangs.
The most fatal battles the
Four corner hustlers have fought
Have been with each other.
Chicago, 1994.
A ruthless four corner leader
Named angelo roberts, aka "lo",
Was trying to consolidate power.
The 24-year-old was revered
As well as feared.
he was viewed on the street
As a stone-cold killer
That would kill for practice.
He would kill for sport.
He would kill for power.
And through that reputation and
That fear, he was able to lead.
narrator: He was so bold,
He was accused of firing on and
Injuring a chicago cop.
Though that attack was never
Proven.
Angelo's crews were more
Organized and effective than
Anyone else's.
He was the ultimate enforcer.
Willing to go after those
Above and below him.
roberts backed down from
No one.
He had no fear and was able
To use this mindset to create
Violence throughout the whole
Community.
lo was a cat who could make
An example out of guys.
Lo would kick your head off
Your shoulders.
narrator: Richard "blade"
Wilkens was serving time with
Angelo roberts in chicago's
Notorious cook county jail,
A place where gangs ruled.
Blade says angelo saw another
High-ranking hustler smoking
Dope, which was forbidden to
Four corner members.
angelo was serious about
Four corner hustler and laws.
So this cat was on the deck
Openly gettin' high.
He violatin' the laws in front
Of everyone, man.
you know, we had laws.
You couldn't delve into
Narcotics use.
angelo told the guy,
"hey, look, man, you got to get
Out of the dayroom."
narrator: The member didn't
Listen.
Angelo, who practiced karate,
Decided to teach him a lesson.
you know, and he told him one
More time.
The brother ain't move.
And he kicked him about
20 times, whop, whop, whop,
Whop, whop.
angelo was wild.
He was very, very wild.
And he...I mean, he was all
About violence.
narrator: Angelo and the
Daughter of the gang's original
Founder had children together.
This put him in the perfect
Position to move up in the gang.
But according to police, angelo
Wasn't willing to wait his turn.
he wanted to be the guy.
He wanted to be the king
And the leader of the four
Corner hustlers with nobody...
No undisputed challenge.
narrator: In spring, 1994, in
Jail on a weapons charge, angelo
Began plotting a dramatic scheme
To take out anyone who might
Oppose him and take over
The gang.
he wanted to run the entire
Four corner hustlers, and at one
Point I think he had grandiose
Ideas of controlling the whole
West side.
narrator: Angelo contacted
A weapons dealer and met
With him during visiting hours
In the jail.
He arranged to buy an arsenal
That included silencer-equipped
Machine guns and an anti-tank
Rocket.
With the weapons, angelo could
Take control of four corner
Hustler territory and expand it.
But that wasn't his only goal.
Angelo told his dealer he had
Reserved the rocket launcher
For a special purpose.
He wanted to wage war on
The chicago police.
angelo was all excited, and
He wanted a rocket, law rocket,
I think he said, 'cause he
Wanted to blow up area four
Police station.
They're the ones that arrested
Him on the case he was in.
you have to be a little nuts
To come up with a plan to take
That rocket to the harrison
Street police station
And launch it right through
The front door to send that
Message.
"who's the top dog of the
West side?"
narrator: In June 1994,
Angelo was released from jail
And set his master plan
In motion.
He had no idea that the
Bloodbath he was about to
Create would trap him as well.
I think that we were our
Worst enemy,
Four corner hustler.
narrator: Chi-town,
An american metropolis where
The famed gold coast
Never shuts down.
But right in the shadow of
Chicago's vibrant downtown are
Some of the poorest, most
Violent streets in the country.
that's how it is on
The west side.
We'll fight amongst our self
All day.
We might even go as far as
Gunplay.
narrator: It's here on the
City's west side that
A notorious street gang,
The four corner hustlers,
Has its power base.
The fours have crews all over
The country, but it started
More than 40 years ago in
Chicago's west garfield park
Neighborhood.
46-year-old reginald "akkeem"
Berry was an early member of
The gang.
The year was 1968.
The place: Delano school
Playground.
delano playground used to be
The mecca for guys to come
And hang out and play basketball
And the girls to come to show
Off their...their outfits.
narrator: West garfield park,
A predominantly black
Neighborhood, was erupting in
Racial tension.
Ethnic whites...polish and
Italians...surrounded the area,
And anyone not affiliated with
A gang was at risk.
back then, you had to be able
To throw your dukes, you know
What I'm saying, show your
Bravado.
narrator: At the delano
Playground, about a dozen
Teenagers decided to band
Together.
Their leader was 17-year-old
Walter wheat.
Walter was older than most of
The kids, and was equally loved
And feared.
walter wheat, you know,
He could grab you and lick your
Face affectionately in one
Moment, and he could grab you
And bite your nose off viciously
In the next moment.
narrator: Walter and his new
Crew came up with a name.
they all came together to
Form the four corner hustlers.
narrator: Curtis henderson,
Aka "noon," was an original
Member.
He says the gang's name was
About big dreams.
it stood for the four corners
Of the world.
That's what we was claiming,
The four corners of the world.
We were saying that there was
No limitations to four corner
Hustlers.
narrator: But at the
Beginning, the hustler's
Territory was limited to eight
Square blocks bordered by
Pulaski road to the west,
Madison and jackson to the north
And south, and hamlin boulevard
To the east.
Their crimes were also modest.
we did our own thing
In terms of hustling.
We carried dice,
And we shot pool.
stealing cars, petty thefts,
Ripping off neighborhood stores,
And over time, it escalated.
narrator: The four corner
Hustlers were ambitious, always
Cooking up bigger and better
Scams.
One favorite involved freight
Trucks carrying cigarettes.
they used to rob the big
18-wheeler trucks coming
Down the street.
it was an organized plan.
And you send your decoy out
There, and she might drop some
Coins in the middle of the
Street.
The trucks have to stop.
narrator: As soon as the
Trucks stopped, the gang members
Jumped on the back, opened them
Up, and unloaded the
Merchandise.
The drivers never stood
A chance.
when the truck driver come
Out of the truck, you got two
Enforcers right there with
Bats like, "try that if you want
To," you know?
And that was another way
Of hustling.
narrator: The money was
Small, but the gang stuck
Together.
You were either a hustler
Or an enemy to be dealt with.
they were the king of
The hill.
That...that certain area was
Their area, and they defended it
At all costs.
narrator: During the 1970s,
The gang had a strict hierarchy
And a king, walter wheat,
Who laid down the law.
we had a code of conduct that
Walt would personally enforced.
One of his main things was that
You better not get caught
Being on drugs.
narrator: Another rule was
That every gang member had to
Pursue an education.
it was a must that you went
To school.
narrator: Lil' fred scheduled
His time around classes to do
What he calls his "dirt."
I'd do a little dirt,
Hustlin', hoppin' on trucks,
Snatching purses, before I went
To school and a little dirt
After school.
narrator: Walter wheat and
The other leaders of the gang
Functioned as father figures to
Young hustlers and made sure
They worshipped more than just
Money.
one of the things walter
Wheat did was embre...embed it
In us that we had to be tight,
You know, and that this was
A brotherhood.
You know, and if...if one four
Got into a altercation and
Started to fight, then you had
To fight.
Everybody had to fight.
We was real, like, a close knit
Family.
narrator: In the mid-'70s,
Heroin flooded the streets of
Chicago, and the gangs decided
They wanted in on the action.
All of a sudden, the small time
Gang members were swimming in
Money and high-powered guns.
dope and guns go hand in hand
'cause you got to protect
The dope.
So you got to have the guns.
If you ain't got the guns,
There's somebody gonna come
And take the dope from you
And your money and your life
In the process.
narrator: Battles over turf
Were now about more than pride,
They were about drug profits.
The gang was beginning to grow
Beyond walter wheat's control.
Convictions for assault and
Possession of a firearm put him
In prison for more than
A decade, further diminishing
His influence.
the mob he built got too
Crazy for him to control, and
That wasn't what he was about,
So he kind of fell back from it.
and before you know it,
With the '80s came...
Ushered in the scarface era.
narrator: The four corner
Hustlers had transformed into
A monster, with crews located
Throughout the chicagoland area.
Power in the fours fell to
The most successful and
Ruthless dealers.
One of the most most violent
Was a hustler named
Monroe banks, aka "money."
In 1986, money ended a prison
Term for rape and murder and
Returned to the streets.
Money took the fours to
A new level,
Building what would become
A lucrative drug empire.
Employing hundreds of street
Soldiers, he created a highly
Regimented and violent
Enterprise to sell the hottest
Drug on the streets:
Crack cocaine.
narrator: Money raked in
Millions and ruled his empire
With an iron fist.
Under his ruthless leadership,
Violence wasn't only directed
Outward at rival gangs, but at
Anyone who stood in the way of
Him and his profits,
Even fellow fours.
money was notorious for being
A no nonsense type of a guy.
At that point in time,
Violence became the order of
The day, you know.
that's when fours started
Harming each other when he's
Doing his reign of power.
narrator: If money felt
Betrayed by a fellow four,
He paid to have them beat up.
He also issued green lights.
The hustlers had made a sharp
Turn from their days under
Walter wheat's leadership.
I think walt kind of saw
Where the monster was gettin'
Out of control.
But because he loved so hard,
He couldn't let go.
narrator: In 1991,
Monroe "money" banks died by the
Sword he lived by.
there was a guy up in a tree
Trying to get a cat.
And money was standing there
With his bodyguard, and he was
Looking up, watching the guy
In the tree, and a guy came up
And shot him.
narrator: Money was killed by
A rival gang member over a drug
Turf dispute.
His death left a power vacuum
In the four corner hustlers,
But not for long.
Angelo roberts was looking for
A way to move up the ranks of
The fours.
The death of money banks was
The break he was looking for.
As a gang enforcer, he had
Earned the respect of the
Younger, more violent members.
narrator: Angelo also had an
In with the gang's elders.
He was dating walter wheat's
Daughter.
he had a baby by walt's
Daughter.
He was kind of close to walt.
I think walter wheat almost
Tried to develop roberts
And school him into ways of the
West side.
narrator: But angelo, it
Turned out, was too ambitious to
Play good son and wait his turn.
roberts didn't want to be
Schooled or take orders or be
Under anybody's tutelage.
Angelo's personality all
Centered around power.
narrator: Chicago:
A metropolis of 2.8 million
Where monsters lurk in the
Poorest neighborhoods.
These badasses have no fear.
narrator: Street gangsters
Spill blood daily,
Battling their rivals
For a piece of the pie.
narrator: At the center
Of this war zone,
On the city's west side, are
The four corner hustlers,
Gangbangers who make millions
Off the streets.
it's a corporation that does
Monstrous things in the name
Of profit.
Shooting at people for...
You know, because you think
That that's your enemy
Over there.
There's...there's no good reason.
narrator: For the four corner
Hustlers, money is the only
Reason they need.
They sell crack cocaine with
A highly regimented drug
Distribution network.
it's like a chain of command.
You got the top drug dealer.
You got the...the people at the
Table that bags it up.
You know, you got the...the...the
Little man that run it to the
People on the street corner, and
The people on the street corner
Sell it to the customers.
narrator: Lil' fred wallace
Witnessed the operation for
Years.
He says the fours used
A simple sales pitch.
and I holler "rocks blows
Park."
That means, "hey, we got dope
And rocks.
Park your car."
Like you, you know, like you
Selling candy.
And the money goes back.
narrator: Chicago pd must
Constantly cruise the west side,
Using undercover officers
As drug buyers and installing
Surveillance cameras, or blue
Lights, to monitor gang activity
In drug trafficking areas.
The hustlers stay ahead of
Every innovation.
once the streetlight go up,
You move on to the next corner.
You move to the next alley.
It doesn't stop because
A police light go up.
It doesn't make a difference.
It's like a cat and mouse.
Your job is to catch me.
My job is to get away.
by this corner store,
I sold plenty of drugs,
Plenty drugs, got plenty
Of money, got chased plenty
Of times.
narrator: The four corner
Hustlers run their crews like
Franchises.
Anyone with an independent
Streak and a talent for hustling
Can start his own crew.
Illy mac runs with the
Brave heart fours.
I got my b.H. Tattooed on
Right there.
You know, we see us with this
For real.
You know, wide spread.
We kind of everywhere right now.
Like, we known.
narrator: What connects these
Franchises together are common
Symbols, gang signs.
I'll throw it up.
this is how we used to do it
Like this.
You know what I'm saying?
sometimes we greet each other
By saying "solid."
That means solidarity.
Sometimes we throw up four
Fingers like this.
narrator: The gang represents
With trademark colors.
four corner hustlers pretty
Much had their own colors at
The inception, which was black
And brown.
But as the years transgressed,
We started wearing the black
And gold.
narrator: They also have
A logo.
we'll have a big old four
With c.H. On the side of
The four, the "c" on the top
And the "h" on the bottom.
narrator: The logo can be
Found all over their established
Turf.
Blade wilkens used to carry
Spray paint with him
Wherever he went.
I was like the unofficial
Artist of four corner hustlers.
We was marking our territory.
You know when you came in the
Land who territory this was,
Where you was at.
narrator: The gang also tags
Buildings with a diamond
Or playboy bunny.
All stand for the four corner
Hustlers nation.
Illy mac and the brave hearts
Have created a symbol to
Represent the younger
Generation.
I just write b.H., just write
A big b.H. On the wall,
B.H. Then be "bitch" under it.
It's like, "b.H., bitch,"
You know.
narrator: Wherever the tag
Goes up becomes a battleground
With rival gangs like the black
Souls or gangster disciples.
narrator: Walls where tags
Have been blacked out
Show where one crew
Has lost to another.
narrator: The constant
Battles age gang members
Quickly.
Four corner hustler illy mac
Is only 20, but has
Already lived a hard life.
I done been through it.
I done been shot at.
I done beat up people.
I done been beat up, man.
I done been through it all, man.
This is my older brother,
Michael, "mike mike."
narrator: Mike, also a member
Of the fours, is only 26 years
Old.
I did things I wasn't never
Supposed to do.
Look at me now, man.
I walk with a cane.
I've been shot.
It's not for the new generation,
Man.
narrator: But the new
Generation keeps joining,
Obsessed with easy money.
narrator: It's those young
Guns who followed
One of the gang's most
Vicious and revered enforcers:
Angelo roberts.
He would put the gang on
A collision course with its
Founder that would shake the
Hustlers to their very core.
he had a lot of love for four
Corner hustler, you know?
And sometimes you can have
Too much love, 'cause, you know,
That love can blind you.
narrator: Chi-town, 1994.
The four corner hustlers had
Grown to be a force on
Chicago's west side,
Controlling illegal drugs
And numerous other scams,
Including prostitution
And protection rackets.
you know, whatever...whatever
You wanted to get into on the
West side of chicago, you could.
narrator: One charismatic
Leader was looking to
Consolidate the crews
And take over:
24-year-old angelo roberts.
his reputation in the
Four corner hustlers was fear.
They were very, very fearful
Of him because of his complete
Neglect for human life and
Authority.
He was uncontrollable.
narrator: In spring of 1994,
Angelo was jailed briefly for
The unlawful use of a firearm.
From behind bars, he began
Plotting to take over the gang
And to take out the area four
Chicago police station,
The pd's hub for his
Neighborhood.
Angelo contacted an arms dealer
And arranged a huge buy.
in order to take over the
West side and the four corner
Hustlers, he had a
Predisposition and a plan
In place to come out strong,
To obtain weapons.
narrator: What angelo didn't
Know was that the arms dealer
Was an informant with the a.T.F.
And chicago police.
After angelo's release on bond,
Law enforcement worked out
The sting.
so the deal's set up.
We're gonna do it.
They're gonna give us cocaine
And money.
narrator: Angelo set up
A meeting with the informant on
July 14th to make the exchange
At a hotel parking garage.
An undercover A.T.F. agent
Pretended to be the arms
Dealer's partner.
The rest of the team was parked
Outside.
narrator: Suddenly, angelo
Changed his mind and told the
Informant by phone to meet
At another location.
well, angelo wouldn't come
Out, and we wouldn't move.
And the deal was going on
For quite a while.
There was negotiations going
Back and forth.
There was several conversations
With angelo and the informant.
narrator: Then angelo sent in
One of his soldiers.
he did the deal with the
Undercover and gave them
The money and the drugs.
narrator: The soldier was
Arrested on the spot.
When he didn't return with the
Weapons, angelo was convinced
He'd been double-crossed.
he was really, you know,
Losing his mind.
So he gets on the phone,
Screaming at the undercovers,
"those are my guns.
That's my dope.
I'll kill you guys if I don't
Get my stuff.
I'll come after you."
narrator: But angelo
Apparently had second thoughts.
He never came to the hotel.
narrator: Paranoid and
Enraged, angelo focused his
Attention on a new enemy:
The gang's original founders.
something strange was
Going on.
Those of us who were
In leadership, we were all
Targeted to be assassinated.
narrator: First up in the
Crosshairs was the fours'
Founder walter wheat, the
Grandfather of angelo's child.
Walter had spent most of his
43-year existence in and out of
Prison as the sporadic leader
Of the four corner hustlers.
walt, um, was gettin' to the
Point where as you know, he was
Tired, you know, and walt was
Kind of, like, indecisive
At things.
One minute you feel like
You're ready to retire,
Then six months later, he was
Back out there, you know,
Full force.
narrator: Walter could often
Be found drunk on street
Corners.
he resurfaced every now
And again and, you know,
And you can't do nothin'
But honor that or respect that.
A lot of folks want him to take
A permanent vacation.
narrator: July 25, 1994.
Walter was sitting in a car when
A bare-chested teenager came
Riding up on his bicycle.
The 17-year-old hired hand was
A four corner hustler and loyal
To angelo roberts.
He approached walter wheat.
Without warning, he pulled out
A handgun and fired two shots.
One bullet struck the founder
Of the gang in the head.
The other bullet entered his
Back.
narrator: Walter was killed
Just blocks from delano
Playground, the birthplace of
The gang.
it was a modern day
Frankenstein story where the
Creation kills the creator.
it was like losing a father.
I cried when they told me
That walter had passed.
I was very upset, angry.
wow.
One would have never imagined
That anyone would take the life
Of walter wheat.
narrator: The 17-year-old
Hit man was eventually arrested
For the crime.
Chicago police were certain
Angelo had ordered the hit,
Though they couldn't prove it.
no young kid popping up is
Gonna stand up to angelo.
It was pretty much angelo trying
To be the leader of all
Four corner hustlers.
narrator: And angelo's reign
Of terror was just beginning.
One month later, another elder
Of the gang was targeted:
40-year-old richard "left hand"
Goodwin, a chief in the fours.
Goodwin was murdered while
Playing dice deep in hustler
Territory.
this is where he got killed
At right in front of this house
Right here.
He got killed right here.
Right on the side,
Up in the alley.
He was a good brother.
narrator: Around the same
Time, curtis "noon" henderson,
One of the gang's original
Members, was almost murdered
While serving time in the pen.
somebody stabbed me in the
Back, and I started getting
Stabbed and hit with a pipe.
So I guess they got tired
Or whatever, and it was
Over with.
narrator: By this point,
Chicago police were convinced
That angelo roberts was calling
The shots behind the scenes.
But angelo was too slippery
To catch.
By January 1995, he had been on
The run for seven months and had
Become the focus of
A nationwide manhunt.
Someone eventually found him
But it wasn't the police.
I was sitting in the county
Jail, dozing off, when one of
The guys woke me up, like,
"man, wake up, wake up."
Ey're like, "man, they just
Found lo.
They just found his body in
The trunk of a car."
We was just stuck, man, in awe.
narrator: Angelo roberts'
Body was found frozen and stiff
In the trunk of a car on
Chicago's south side.
whoever killed him wanted him
To know why he was dying.
He was beat real bad.
He wasn't just shot.
They cut his throat from ear
To ear.
They definitely, definitely
Tortured him and...and wanted
Him to know why he was dying.
narrator: Angelo's murder was
Never solved, but most believe
It was an inside job.
four corner hustlers killed
Him, you know, because he was
Allegedly responsible for the
Assassination of walter wheat.
the seeds that you plant
Will eventually be the fruits
That you harvest.
narrator: Chicago, 1995.
The murder of four corner
Hustler leader angelo roberts
Capped an 8-month bloodbath
That left the gang's top
Leadership dead, including
Original founder walter wheat.
The gang had imploded.
Leaving a power vacuum that
Persists to this day.
it left the door open for,
You know...you know, all the
Snakes to roam, and everybody
Was, you know, tryin' to chop
Each other head off, you know,
And that's...that's...that's
Where four corner hustler's
At now.
yep, I-I would say it was
The...
The fratricide among fours
Is what's caused the demise
Of four corner hustlers.
They're primarily a household
Without a head.
narrator: Today, the four
Corner hustlers continue to
Expand their membership
And territory.
But each crew has its own leader
Who answers to no one.
The streets are chaos.
it's either kill or be killed
Down here.
It's a jungle.
You got to live in it.
You know, if our drugs stopped
Sellin', we can go rob somebody
Else who is sellin' drugs,
You know, maybe another four
Corner hustler.
We didn't care.
narrator: More than 10,000
Gang members nationwide sport
The four corner signs and
Colors, but they don't talk to
Each other.
Instead, they are all trying to
Carve out their own piece of
The hustle.
In 2005, a federal investigation
Dismantled a $50,000-a-day
Drug operation run by
A four corner hustler in
Chicago's austin neighborhood.
Operation street sweeper put
Away a total of 34 people for
The distribution of heroin,
Crack cocaine, and marijuana.
But with no central leadership,
The bust was like stepping
On an anthill.
You can never get them all.
there's no control.
Today it...it's all about drugs
Mainly, a lot of the violence
Today is with younger
Gang members.
narrator: After serving an
11-year sentence for robbery,
Richard "blade" wilkens is done
With the fours.
while I was in prison,
They had a drug treatment
Program.
And that was the turning
Point in my life.
I went to school, and I just
Continued to pursue it when
I got out.
narrator: Blade now works
With at-risk youth, trying to
Steer them away from gang life.
It's a change 41-year-old
Lil' fred has not been able
To make.
He still struggles with heroin
Addiction and continues
Running with the hustlers.
I'm not...I'm not proud of
Some of the things that I had to
Be involved in, but it was the
Way of life.
I hahad to do things that I reay
Didn't want to do.
I'm not proud of shooting
People.
I'm...I'm not proud of selling
Drugs.
narrator: Lil' fred is
Entrenched in the lifestyle and
Sees hustling as the only way.
I'm too far in now to say,
"I quit."
All I know is the street life.
So sometimes I have to go back
To the streets to provide for
My family, and that leads to
A little trouble.
narrator: His legacy has been
Passed down to his children.
I hate to say it, but my
Son's a four corner hustler.
I didn't want him to go that
Way, but he went that way.
So he's 18 now, so you can say
He's the next generation
Of four corner hustlers.
narrator: The new generation
Of four corner hustlers is
A virus, self-replicating with
No cure.
they're making a tremendous
Amount of money.
And as the young adults and
The kids join those gangs to
Make that money.
Why would you go work at wendy's
For $5 an hour or cut grass for
A landscaper or whatever
When you could go work for
Four corner hustlers,
Carry a gun, drive a fancy car,
And make thousands and thousands
Of dollars?
narrator: Those who may wish
To leave, like 20-year-old
Illy mac, face a tough road.
In this part of chi-town,
The hustle is the name of the
Game for life.
it ain't nothin' but a big
Circle.
You keep doin' the same thing.
You buy a car, the police take
The car.
You buy another car,
They take that one.
You know, you go to jail,
You get out, you go back to
Jail, you know, that circle
Of life.
narrator: Illy mac sees the
Writing on the wall and is
Trying to clean up his act.
so right now, I work at
A clothing store.
And I'm a family man.
narrator: Illy is trying to
Lead an honest life and provide
For his two-year-old son,
A lesson his father never
Taught him.
narrator: Despite
His determination,
Illy realizes he has a tough
Road ahead of him.
I pretty much went off gang
Bangin', but, you know, I'm
Still from that neighborhood.
I can tell a million people I'm
Not a four, but a million people