Four Corner Hustlers (4CH, 4CHN, FOES, SOLID 4'SThe Four Corner Hustlers were founded in about 1967 by four individuals: "King" Walter Wheat, Freddy "Malik" Gauge, Monroe "Money" Banks, and Richard "Lefthand" Goodman. Wheat (who was previously a member of the Vice Lords) is considered the gangs official founder, with Gauge serving as his “right hand man.” The gang formed in the West Garfield Park neighborhood in the vicinity of Madison and Pulaski. The gangs original colors were brown and black and they hung at Delano school and their territory encompassed Madison to Jackson, Pulaski to Independence. They initially partook in petty theft and vandalism but had strict rules not to victimize community members. Upon taking on the Apache Vice Lords (led by Benny Lee, who would eventually become the Insane Vice Lords) they flipped Vice Lord, adopting that gang's colors(Black/Gold) and symbols.

The gang operated as a small group in the Garfield Park neighborhood throughout the late 1960's, and throughout the 1970s, often fighting area clubs and engaging in petty theft and vandalism. Their main source of income at the time was robbery, and they where known for ripping off freight trains and trucks. Later they would expand to other parts of the west side such as Austin. When the 1980s were ushered in, the crack epidemic hit the streets, and many 4CH members began to partake in drug dealing. Violence became widespread, even amongst Hustler members, and hundreds of them were killed or incarcerated. The turmoil angered Wheat, who was said to be a more classic organization member, and he constantly dealt with subordination within his ranks.

In the mid-80s, a group of Four Corner Hustlers began to operate in the Garfield Park and Austin led by Monroe "Money" Banks; this group adopted the “Black Diamond” as a symbolic reference to their gang and sold millions of dollars worth of narcotics, which began to establish a reputation for the Four Corner Hustler outside the of the west side. In the late 1980's, Freddy Gauge died while incarcerated (Gage’s elaborate funeral drew over 5,000 mourners. Gauge , at age 29, died while drinking moonshine booze the night before he was to be released from the Menard state prison, where he had been jailed for shooting a police officer on Valentine’s Day, 1972. ) Walter Wheat then took over the organization’s operations solely. However, in the early 1990's, Monroe Banks proclaimed leadership over the entire organization though this was disputed by some older, high-ranking members of the gang. The tension and disagreements within the gang lead Walter Wheat to retire from the organization’s 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 also used the Black Diamond.Amongst one of t the "Young Turks" was Angelo Roberts who had been chief of the Henry Horner Homes 4CHs.. Angelo Roberts was given a leadership position in the organization by Walter Wheat due to his relationship with Wheat’s daughter, despite his young age. As such, disputes for leadership positions continued. Due to turmoil in leadership, Walter Wheat reassumed his position in the organization. This would prove to be a bad decision as Wheat was killed in 1993; Angelo Roberts was the principle suspect in orchestrating the hit. He also allegedly arranged the hit of one of the founders, Richard "Lefthand" Goodman. Roberts was arrested on drugs and weapons charges in the mid 1990's. After release, he attempted to blow up the Area 4 Police (Harrison District) station with LAWS anti-tank rockets. The Feds were in on the plot all along, as they secured the straw seller, a member of the Black Souls, with pictures of the rockets and wire tapped conversations between he and Roberts, while the latter was incarcerated. After release, Roberts was about to purchase the weapons, when he sensed something fishy, and thus didn’t meet in person with the Federal informant. He eluded capture from authorities for weeks and even made America's Most Wanted as they pursued him across the United States.Angelo Roberts was killed in 1995, his body found frozen stiff in the trunk of a car on the city southside. Several sets still pay homage to Angelo Roberts, adopting the moniker "Angelo 4's".

Four Corner Hustlers(4CH) Info

||Territory| U.S NationWide
Years Active|1960s - Present
Ethnicity|Mostly African Americans, some Hispanics (Spanish Foes)
Symbols| Black Diamond, 5 Point Star, Cane, Playboy Bunny, Top hat, Martini Glass
Aliases |4ch, 4chn, 4:38
Colors|Black, Gold, & Red
Membership |10,000-25,000+
Phrases/Slogans|Solid world, if you not solid don't holla
Criminal Activities|Drug trafficking, robbery, theft, murder, prostitution, extortion
Allies |People Nation, Vice Lords, Black P.Stones, Latin Kings, Mickey Cobras, New Breeds, Black Souls,Coles Mob GDs
Rivals |Folk Nation, Gangster Disciples, Maniac Latin Disciples, Latin Puchucos, Vice Lords to an extent, Black P.Stones to a extent, Mickey Cobras to a extent

Four Corner Hustlers(4CH) Symbols

The Four Corner Hustlers symbols are all adopted from the Vice Lords, and include the cane (strength), tophat (shelter), dice (hustling), dollar sign (money), playboy bunny (swiftness), martini glass (celebration), and white gloves (purity). However, what makes the 4CHs unique, give the gangs its “own identity,” and has been a source of contention, is the black diamond. Most contend that the “b.d.” was adopted from Mad Black Souls, who had used that symbol for years. The founder of the Black Souls was a cousin to Walter Wheat, so the gangs had a relationship from the start. However, under the leadership of Monroe Banks, the two groups formed a stronger bond. According to sources, one of Banks underbosses, “Hodari Joe,” suggested the gang use the black diamond as a “tester” to ingrain into the soldiers’ mind that the 4CHN was a separate nation from the Vice Lords. After Banks’ death, many leaders scrambled to position themselves as candidates for leadership of the entire gang. As stated, among them was Angelo Roberts, who led the Henry Horner Homes 4CHs. Under “Lo”, the b.d. concept became increasingly popular and in fact, the main symbol for the gang. By the late 90s, many 4’s were claiming they were “no longer VLs” and decided not to “tag” the five pointed star (however, the black diamond was never meant to “replace” the “5”) which cause confusion. The “4 points of the diamond” became “love, hate, kill, take,” which was never officially codified (the 4CH to this day don’t have an “official literature”, they abide by VL lit) but became prominent on the streets.