A Nation of Amor

In the West Town area of Chicago, pushed from neighborhood to neighborhood to the burned-out back end of the city, the Puerto Rican Latin Kings gang reigns supreme. Begun in the 1960s by the three brothers of the Matos family, Angel, Bobo, and Reynaldo, the original Latin Kings protected Puerto Rican families from other gangs. Since then, Bobo was elected a city councilman, Reynaldo did time for his involvement with a radical political group, and Angel was shot dead during a race riot. As in royalty, Latin King leadership passed on to Angel’s eldest son Flaco.