Jousters - Origins

Origins

The Jousters started in the early 1960s, around the area of Ashland and Taylor streets, calling themselves the Taylor Street Jousters. The Taylor Street Jousters were an offshoot to a gang that previously controlled the area, that gang was known as The Taylor Street Dukes.

The ethic makeup of the Taylor Street Dukes, and then later, the Taylor Street Jousters was primarily Italian.

By the mid 1960s, the Jouster's main symbols of representation, were a medieval knight's helmet, and a simple cross, that was used in their graffiti, murals, gang business cards and on gang sweaters. Their official colors were a light blue, and a Navy blue sported together, and red, white, and blue to represent their American heritage.

In the early 1970s, the Taylor Street Jousters battled with other gangs over turf. They also began to form branches on Fullerton and St. Louis and North Ave and Damen. Their main rivals were the Puerto Rican and Mexican immigrants moving into their territory. Starting in the mid 70s they became tightly allied with the Chicago Gaylords. In defiance of the Puerto Rican and Mexican gangs, the Jousters also adopted the American flag as an additional symbol, and like the Gaylords; took a White Pride stance. They were also part of the "Stone Greasers" association, which basically meant that they prided themselves on being a gang that originated from the greaser gangs of the 1950s and 1960s.

By the early 1980s, the Jousters had firmly established additional sets on the street corners of Honor and Bloomingdale, Sawyer and Altgeld, Hanson Park and other spots. All these sets or branches used a "T-J" in their graffiti, and murals as a reference to the fact that were honored to have originated from the Taylor Street Jousters. One of their slogans that could be heard around this time period was, "Blue on blue, will always be proud and true."

At this time, the Hanson Park Jousters were allied with a neighboring White gang known as Cragin Park Playboys, through an alliance called, PVJs. PVJ stood for Playboys, Ventures, and Jousters. Even though the Ventures had disbanded, the Playboys and Jousters were still paying honorable homage to them by keeping them on the original title. The Jousters also continued their strong unity with the Gaylords, calling this unification GFJ. This stood for Gaylords, Jousters and Freaks. The Freaks were another predominately White street gang.