The Four Corner Hustlers
originated on Chicago's Westside in the early 1970's. The organization
was founded by King Walter Wheat and Freddy "Malik" Gauge. Shortly
after the Four Corner Hustlers emerged, they became allied with the
Vice Lords street gang, becoming a faction and adopting Vice Lord
symbols and colors. The gang operated as a small group in the Austin
neighborhood throughout the mid-to-late 1970's, often fighting area
clubs and engaging in petty theft and vandalism. However, a group of
Four Corner Hustlers began to operate in the Garfield Park and Austin
neighborhoods. Lead by Monroe "Money" Banks, this group adopted the
Black Diamond as a symbolic reference to their gang. In the late
1980's, Freddy Gauge died while incarcerated. Walter Wheat then took
over the organizations operations solely. In the early 1990's, Monroe
Banks proclaimed leadership over the entire organization but this was
disputed by older high-ranking members of the gang. The tension and
disagreements within the gang lead Walter Wheat to retire from the
organizations leadership. Monroe Banks was later killed in a drug
related murder in 1992. The 4CH's began to expand their bases of
operation throughout the 1990's, growing substantially in number. A
group of younger Four Corner Hustlers began to distance themselves from
the Vice Lords and even rest away some of their territory, often times
"flipping" Vice Lord members with the lure of drug spots. These Four
Corner Hustlers charged a 50 percent tax on profit for the selling of
narcotics as opposed to the traditional 75 percent. Many of these Four
Corner Hustlers, whose main base of operation was in Austin and
Garfield Park neighborhoods used the Black Diamond. Amongst the "Young
Turks" was Angelo Roberts. Angelo Roberts was given a leadership
position in the organization by Walter Wheat due to his relationship
with Wheats daughter, despite Angelo Roberts young age. As such,
disputes for leadership positions continued.
