Known Aliases: BPSN, Stones, Blackstones, El Rukns (former designation under Jeff Fort), Almighty Black P. Stone Nation, Moorish Science Temple faction (El Rukns), P-Stones
Origin: Woodlawn, South Side, Chicago, Illinois — circa 1959. Originally formed as the Blackstone Rangers by Eugene 'Bull' Hairston and Jeff Fort on the 6300 block of South Blackstone Avenue. Evolved into the Black P. Stone Nation and subsequently the El Rukns under Fort's leadership in the late 1970s following conversion to Moorish Science Temple ideology.
Active Regions: Primary AOR: Chicago (South Side — Woodlawn, Englewood, Grand Crossing, Chatham, Auburn Gresham), Joliet (IL). Secondary AOR: Milwaukee (WI), Detroit (MI), Kansas City (MO), Memphis (TN), Jackson (MS), and various Southern states. International: Jeff Fort's El Rukn faction attempted to establish contact with the Libyan government (Muammar Gaddafi) for state-sponsored terrorism funding in the mid-1980s. Active within IDOC and Federal BOP facilities. Estimated membership: 6,000–8,000.
Known Alliances: People Nation, Vice Lords, Latin Kings
Known Rivalries: Gangster Disciples (GD) — primary organizational rival, particularly following the 1960s–70s power struggles on the South Side. Black Disciples (BD) — sustained territorial conflict. Mickey Cobras — periodic factional hostilities despite People Nation co-affiliation. Maniac Latin Disciples — Folk Nation adversary. Various Folk Nation-aligned sets — blanket opposition.
Primary Identifiers: Colors: Red and black. Symbols: Five-pointed star, crescent moon, pyramid with the 'All-Seeing Eye,' seven (7, El Rukns), Moorish flag (El Rukns faction), sun. Numeric codes: 7-4-14 (G-D-N reversed = No GD), 5 (People Nation). Tattoos: Five-pointed star with embedded crescent, pyramid on chest/back, 'BPSN' or 'Stone' across stomach, Moorish Science Temple motifs (El Rukns), sun symbol. Apparel: Chicago Bulls (red/black), Cincinnati Reds, University of Louisville (red/black). Hand signs: Open palm with fingers extended (representing five-pointed star), fist over heart ('Stone to the bone'). Graffiti: Pyramids, crescent moons, five-pointed stars, upside-down pitchforks (disrespecting Folk Nation), 'BPSN,' 'Almighty Stones.'
Executive Summary:
The Black P. Stone Nation (BPSN) is classified as one of the oldest and most operationally significant criminal street organizations in the United States, with origins dating to 1959 in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. Founded by Eugene 'Bull' Hairston and Jeff Fort as the Blackstone Rangers, the organization underwent multiple transformations — from street gang to federally-funded community organization (receiving OEO/War on Poverty grants in the late 1960s), to Islamic-influenced fraternal order (El Rukns), to its current decentralized People Nation-aligned structure. Fort's El Rukn faction is notable in U.S. criminal history for its attempted 1986 compact with the Libyan government of Muammar Gaddafi to conduct domestic terrorist acts in exchange for $2.5 million — a case that resulted in Fort's 80-year federal sedition sentence.
Current BPSN illicit operations encompass multi-kilogram narcotics trafficking (heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl), arms trafficking, extortion, robbery, wire fraud, and retaliatory violence including murder-for-hire. The organizational hierarchy retains vestigial elements of the El Rukns' military-style command structure, with 'Generals' overseeing territorial operations and 'Ambassadors' managing external relations with allied organizations. Federal law enforcement has conducted sustained RICO operations against BPSN leadership, including the landmark El Rukn trials of the late 1980s–early 1990s, which dismantled the organization's upper echelon. Despite these disruptions, successor leadership has maintained operational continuity, and the BPSN remains a cornerstone of the People Nation alliance within both the Illinois Department of Corrections and Chicago's street-level drug markets.