Mickey Cobras
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(1945–1977)
1966–1977 (Cobra)
1977–present (Mickey Cobras)
| Founded | 1954 |
|---|---|
| Named after | Henry "Mickey" Cogwell (1945–1977) |
| Founding location | North Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Years active | 1954–1966 (Egyptian King Cobras) 1966–1977 (Cobra) 1977–present (Mickey Cobras) |
| Territory | Chicago, IL, Midwestern United States |
| Ethnicity | African American |
| Activities |
|
| Allies | People Nation, Chicago Outfit |
| Rivals | Folk Nation, Gangster Disciples, Black Disciples |
The Mickey Cobras are a gang based in Chicago and affiliated with People Nation. The gang is considered stable, and its colors are green, black, and red. Factions of the gang are being established throughout the Midwest.[1]
On April 5, 2005, US Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald described The Mickey Cobras (few in numbers compared to other parties with similar power) as one of several "super-gangs" that constitute a sizable portion.[2]
Some of their rivals would be Gangster Disciples, Black Disciples and sometimes other People affiliates.
"Egyptian Cobras"
The Egyptian Cobras formed in the year 1954 on Chicago's West Side. The founder of the Egyptian Cobras was James Cogwell. During the mid-1950s the Egyptian Cobras fought heavily with a gang called the 14th Street Clovers. The 14th Street Clovers were the gang that later became the Vice Lords in the late 1950s.
After several members of the 14th Street Clovers were incarcerated by 1957, the Egyptian Cobras had less competition. While incarcerated in the St. Charles Reformatory for Boys, the Clovers organized and became the Vice Lords. When the Vice Lords returned to Lawndale in the year 1958, they soon swelled into a force to be reckoned with. The Vice Lords were very aggressive and the dominant gang in Lawndale. By 1960 the Egyptian Cobras sought better opportunities on the South Side of Chicago. They relocated to the Woodlawn community.
Cogwell led the Egyptian King Cobras as they gained a foothold and reputation in Chicago. In 1966 the Cobras new leader Henry (Mickey) Cogwell held second highest position in the Main 21 alliance, comprising the leaders of different gangs within the Black P. Stone Nation (BPSN). The Cobras and the Black P. Stone Nation allied against the Disciple Alliance and later the Gangster Nation. The Egyptian Cobras then changed their name to the Cobras Stones in 1966.
"Mickey Cobras Gang"
Mickey Cogwell and the Cobras policed the police in their communities, receiving government grants to feed kids breakfast in the Fuller Park area before public schools offered meals - the template for school free lunch programs all over America - and worked as an organizer for a South Side union. In 1970, the commander of the Gang Intelligence Unit for the Chicago Police Department portrayed Cogwell as the link between gangs and organized crime, particularly the Chicago Outfit.[3]
On February 25, 1977, Mickey Cogwell was assassinated by Jeff Fort because he did not want to be an El Rukn and his followers changed their organization's name again in late '70s or early '80s, becoming the Mickey Cobras in his honor. The Mickey Cobras are mainly in Chicago and surrounding suburbs: their neighborhood is in the area around Fuller Park and the Austin neighborhood on the West Side.[4]