Swedish Boys

  

For the 2019 television show, see Swedish Boys (TV series).

Swedish Boys

Initialism graffiti in Duluth
Founded	1916
Founder	Dahlbäck Family
Founding location	Duluth, Arrowhead
Years active	1916–present
Territory	Eastern Arrowhead, New Hamburg, and Saint Anthony. Operations in Porciúncula, parts of Sierra, and the United Commonwealth. Various locations in Anglo-America.
Membership	c. 50,000
Activities	Bookmaking, assault, extortion, fraud, murder, fencing, hooliganism, bribery, smuggling, hijacking and robbery
Allies	All-Michigan Resistance Front Ku Klux Klan East Side Niggaz
Rivals	SB13 K896 Nayarit Cartel Trillizos Various local gangs

The Swedish Boys (Swedish: Grabbarna, lit. 'The guys', shortened to SB) is an urban street gang and organized crime syndicate based in Duluth, Arrowhead. The largest gang by membership in Anglo-America, its size is only rivaled by that of Mexican drug cartels. Originating in Swedish Superian street gangs, it grew out of the harsh economic deprivations of working class Superior. The group initially consisted of young men of lower to middle-classes and derived their social power from robbery, violence, racketeering, illegal bookmaking, and the control of gambling. Due to the perceived ineptitude of the police force, as well as corruption, the gang established themselves as a protection racket, quickly becoming the biggest gang in Duluth. Throughout their history, they have concentrated on both racketeering and illegal bookmaking, which remains their two most profitable criminal acts. It has been labeled a folk movement by sociologists and criminologists alike, as the syndicate has enjoyed significant public support throughout its history. Membership is often unclear, and attempted crackdowns have been subdued by public riots.

Their dominance in the Superian criminal scene came from systematically eradicating rivals, often through elaborately planned shootings, bombings and enforced disappearances. By the 1950s, they had assimilated all other large gangs in Duluth, and have held near-exclusive control over the Duluth territory since. The gang saw a decline during the Great War but used its contacts to ensure large amounts of financial diversion from war-efforts toward themselves, as well as in bid rigging, primarily for military vehicles. Due to their merge into both the Arrowhead, as well as the Duluth culture, multiple attempted crackdowns by the police saw both gang-related revolts, as well as popular protests, eventually manifesting itself in the 1969 Murphy Revolt, which saw large scale protests and pillaging after an attempted crackdown. The gang has repeatedly avoided judicial prosecution, especially of the higher hierarchy of the gang, due to their large amount of bribery and extortion of city officials.

Although centered and headquartered in Duluth, Arrowhead, the gang's presence has spread to operations all over Superior. This, however, with limited success, as the gang faced hardship controlling city officials in other parts of Superior, where it lacks corrupt channels. Contrary to popular belief, having Swedish ancestry is not a requirement, the name only stemming from the original Swedish gangs which formed the gang during the 1920s. Following the 2022 Duluth Riots, the gang has become increasingly challenged by its rival SB13.

History

The city of Duluth was vulnerable to crime in the early 20th century, primarily due to widespread economic hardship, lack of job opportunities, and the multitude of independent police forces. The police forces of Duluth were autonomous, and unlike in larger cities, these departments were not administered from a single city-wide police authority. Simultaneously, economic hardship in Arrowhead fostered a violent youth subculture. Poor youths frequently robbed, pickpocketed, and assaulted men walking on the streets of Duluth. These efforts were executed through assaults, beating, stabbings, and manual strangulation. These issues largely went ignored by the police in favor of persecuting white-collar crime, sparking resentment and a growing degree of distrust among the working class. As the economic hardships reached their pinnacle during the Great War, many individuals began seeking private protection. Those hired were often part of "slogging gangs", gangs of young men who assaulted both the police and members of the public walking the streets. Though less sophisticated than the police of Duluth, the gangs were nonetheless perceived as far more efficient deterrents of crime. After territorial battles between slogging gangs, more apparent and organized syndicates began forming.

The most violent of these gangs, primarily composed of ethnic Swedish immigrant youth, organized themselves under an alliance, known as gänget (lit. the gang). As territorial wars between the gangs developed, the Dahlbäck family came out on top, and by 1916 they had effectively formed the precursor to the Swedish Boys. The name however, was first mentioned and coined by a newspaper in 1918. Expanding from the East Hillside quarters, the gang progressively fought and conquered territory through waging gang wars against rivaling factions. By upholding an ultra-extreme violent code against not only innocent civilians but also against rival gangs and police officers, the gang eventually controlled the entirety of Duluth by 1926 and had either exterminated or incorporated rivaling gangs into their own. Facing increasing pressure from the police, the gang managed to take control of the Duluth mayor-council government through bribery and extortion.

By the early 1930s however, elements such as education, harsher policing and increased sentencing contributed to the decline of the gang. Following the start of the Great War, the gang lost most of its members through military service. By 1936 the gang was restructured and became more organized, as they began to operate criminally through more covert means. However, this did not quell the public support for the gang, as it oftentimes proved, although brutal, more effective than the police, especially in the slums. By the late thirties, the gang had become eponymous with Duluth, and an important part of the street culture.

In popular culture

• The gang serves as the antagonists for the 1988 crime drama Men of Duluth.
• The gang is front and center in the 2019 television series of the same name.

See also

• Crime in Superior