David Barksdale

David Barksdale (born Donise David Barksdale; May 24, 1947 – September 2, 1974), also known as King David, was an American gangster and activist from Chicago, Illinois. He was the founder of the Black Disciples. He and Larry Hoover (leader of the Gangster Disciples) decided to merge and create the Black Gangster Disciple Nation. Barksdale died on September 2, 1974, due to kidney failure, at the age of 27.

David Barksdale
Barksdale mugshot taken by the Chicago Police Department on January 18, 1974
Born	Donise David Barksdale (1947-05-24)May 24, 1947 Sallis, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	September 2, 1974(1974-09-02) (aged 27) Chicago, Illinois. U.S.
Resting place	Restvale Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	King David Emperor David David Jones
Known for	Street gang leader (Chicago)
Spouse	Yvonne Yarber ​ (m. 1972⁠–⁠1974)​
Children	3

Biography

Born Donise David Barksdale in Sallis, Mississippi to parents Virginia and Charlie Barksdale, he was the tenth of thirteen children. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1957.

Within three years of arriving, Barksdale had formed a small but well-organized gang in his neighborhood. By 1966, his gang, having absorbed several weaker organizations into its ranks, was referred to as the Black Disciple Nation. Tensions grew between the Black Disciples and other gangs such as the Black Stone Rangers and the Supreme Gangsters.

Barksdale eventually grew sick of the bloodshed and proposed a merger with Larry Hoover, founder of the Supreme Gangsters, in 1973. Hoover accepted, and the Black Gangster Disciple Nation was born.^[1]

Over the course of his life, Barksdale was arrested 25 times but only served short jail sentences and was never convicted of a serious crime. On several occasions when he was arrested, he used the alias "David Jones".^[2]

Death and legacy

Barksdale's grave at Restvale Cemetery

On September 2, 1974, Barksdale died from kidney failure related to bullet wounds he received in a June 1970 assassination attempt by members of the Black P Stone Rangers armed with M14 rifles outside of a bar Barksdale was frequenting with Larry Hoover on 848 West 69th Street.^[3] The botched hit ended a truce that was in place at the time between the Rangers and the Disciples.^[4][5] Barksdale was buried at Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. He was survived by his three children: David, Melinda and Ronnie Barksdale (one of whom was murdered by a Black Disciple in 1996), and wife Yvonne Barksdale (née Yarber), until she was murdered three years later in June 1977.

Barksdale is still revered by the Black Disciples. Every year, a birthday celebration is held in his honor. In 2008, there was a parade that was sponsored and supported by the Black Disciples organization, and in a controversial move, registered by the Chicago City Council for the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. The parade was criticized by the Fraternal Order of Police, and officers administering the event were forewarned about potential gang violence.^[6]