Follow the Leader is a four-part docuseries exploring various fringe cultures across the Americas. Thus far, host Jamali Maddix has spent time with vigilante predator hunters, “Passport Bros” in search of king treatment, and the AR15-worshipping Rod of Iron Ministries.In each episode, Maddix speaks with leaders and key figures of these different groups to investigate their values, lifestyles, and missions. For the fourth and final episode of Follow the Leader, Jamali traveled to Chicago to investigate the current state of the city’s infamous gang underworld. With most gang leaders locked up in prison, gang loyalty and protection are seemingly out the window while violence and incarceration are at all-time highs. Members as young as 14 years old walk the streets with handguns, warning it’s dangerous just to be outside. “This is our everyday life. Everybody just running around in chaos,” one member said.“This, right here, right now, is dangerous,” he added, referencing standing outside in the group. “Going to restaurants, that’s dangerous. Going to the laundromat, dangerous. Going to funerals, dangerous.”To keep each other safe, members “move like the military,” he said, and going to jail is the least of their concerns.“I’d rather be in the cell than dead,” another young member said.It seems they have no other alternative, no safe haven or simple escape, despite being children—some of whom never get the chance to finish high school. Jamali spoke with older gang members about this new era for Chicago’s gang underworld, who do their best to look out for one another. But with their leaders behind bars, different gangs overlap and interact, turning the underworld into a sort of free-for-all. “If there was structure, the kids wouldn’t be killing kids,” one of the older gang members said, adding that there used to be rules, such as avoiding violence when there’s family around. “Now, motherfuckers would kill you and your kid.”Authorities have formed a gang desistance program to address the ongoing issue. This program helps the individuals address core, self-limiting beliefs and offers resources for them to get out of jail and stay off the streets. The fourth episode of Follow the Leader explores the program and the complexities of Chicago’s violence, shedding light on the humbling realities gang members face.The docuseries is only available in the US but is shared in its entirety on the VICE YouTube channel. To learn more about Chicago’s infamous gang underworld, you can watch the fourth episode below. For more information about the series itself, head here to read our interview with Jamali.The post WATCH: The New Era of Chicago’s Infamous Gang Underworld appeared first on VICE.