In 1972, Chicago prosecutors charged nine Black men with the murders of multiple white victims, including two entire families, alleging the killings were part of a nationwide conspiracy tied to a shadowy, all-Black terrorist organization known as De Mau Mau – a claim that fueled widespread panic across the country.
This episode was researched & scripted by Wendy & Beth Williams and edited by Minnie Williams.
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Footnotes
Illinois.gov. (04/30/2015). En Blanc Minute Sheet. Retrieved 01/19/2026 from https://prb.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/prb/documents/en-banc-minutes/04-april-2015-open-minutes.pdf
The New York Times. (06/14/1973). Killing Suspects Found Dead. Retrieved 01/19/2026 from https://www.nytimes.com/1973/06/14/archives/killing-suspects-found-dead.html
Casemine. (02/13/1976). People v Taylor. Retrieved 01/20/2026 from https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59149571add7b049345cedfe
Tolman, Ari. (03/24/2017). A Black Vietnam Vet from Chicago, an Embattled State’s Attorney, and the Panic Over the “De Mau Mau Murders” of 1972. UPLC. Retrieved 01/20/2026 from https://www.uplcchicago.org/who-we-are/news-events/our-blog/overview.html/article/2017/03/24/a-black-vietnam-vet-from-chicago-an-embattled-state-s-attorney-and-the-panic-over-the-de-mau-mau-murders-of-1972
Wickoff, Whitney Blair. (05/03/2010). Jackson State: A Tragedy Widely Forgotten. NPR. Retrieved 01/24/2026 from https://www.npr.org/2010/05/03/126426361/jackson-state-a-tragedy-widely-forgotten
Plys, Cate. (10/23/2022). This Crazy Day in 1972: The De Mau Mau Murders. Roseland Chicago: 1972. Retrieved 01/24/2026 from https://roselandchicago1972.substack.com/p/this-crazy-day-in-1972-de-mau-mau
Adamsick, Arline. (09/04/2022). Looking Back. The Vedette. Retrieved 01/24/2026 from https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/2022/09/04/looking-back-390/
Time. (10/30/1972). The Nation: De Mau Mau. Retrieved 01/25/2026 from https://time.com/archive/6840474/the-nation-de-mau-mau/
Chow, Andrew R.; Bates, Josiah. (06/12/2020) As Da 5 Bloods Hits Netflix, Black Vietnam Veterans Recall the Real Injustices They Faced During and After the War. Time. Retrieved 01/25/2026 from https://time.com/5852476/da-5-bloods-black-vietnam-veterans/
Kincaid, Robert; Tran, Van. (05/29/2022). The Unique Bond Between Black Americans and the Vietnamese During the Vietnam War. Asia Matters for America. Retrieved 01/25/2026 from https://asiamattersforamerica.org/articles/the-unique-bond-between-black-americans-and-the-vietnamese-during-the-vietnam-war
Casemine. (05/12/1976). People v Peatry. Retrieved 01/25/2026 from https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914c620add7b049347d8e21
Vietnam Veterans Against the War. (05/1973). De Mau Mau. Retrieved 01/26/2026 from https://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=993#
CaseLaw. (11/01/1976). People v. Clark. Retrieved 01/29/2026 from https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/people-v-clark-no-889781943
O’Connor, Phillip; Jaediker, Kermit. (10/22/1972). Vietnam Spawns a Bloody Brotherhood. Daily News. Retrieved 01/30/2026 from https://www.newspapers.com/image/465819476/
The Daily Herald. (01/23/1973). Gun Linked to Killings in Barrington Hills. Retrieved 01/30/2026 from https://www.newspapers.com/image/45810642/
The New York Times. (10/16/1972). 8 Blacks Accused Of Killing Whites. Retrieved 01/30/2026 from https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/16/archives/8-blacks-accused-of-killing-whites-slaying-of-9-including-7-in-2.html
Plys, Cate. (10/25/2022). Mike Royko 50 Years Ago Today: Mike on “De Mau Mau”. Roseland Chicago: 1972. Retrieved 01/30/2026 from https://roselandchicago1972.substack.com/p/mike-royko-50-years-ago-today-mike-14a
Time. (10/30/1972). The Nation: De Mau Mau. Retrieved 01/30/2026 from https://time.com/archive/6840474/the-nation-de-mau-mau/
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