I’ve always been fascinated with the inner workings of famous gangs, especially their leaders. This was even more so with parents who indoctrinate their children into their gangs. Perhaps they wanted to make a family business, a legacy filled with violence and blood. Maybe they wanted to claim their government’s power for themselves. Maybe they had no other way of knowing how to survive in the world, and are doing whatever they could to give the best life for them and their children. This was the case for the infamous gang leader, Ma Baker.

Ma Baker, also known as Kate Barker, was born in Missouri. Growing up, she was inspired by criminals such as Jesse James and was surrounded by those who understood how to survive the wild. In 1892, she decided to marry George Barker and had four sons with him. Her sons were illiterate, and through their mother’s teachings, were already susceptible to crime.

The family lived in poverty, and because George’s jobs weren’t enough to pay for them, Kate and her sons decided to turn to crime. They quickly garnered a reputation with the police. Whenever they were arrested, Kate would get sympathy from the police by playing the part of a desperate mother who just wanted her sons back. This, of course, worked. Whenever her sons were arrested, Kate refused to discipline her children and would fight when George tried to. It became abundantly clear that Kate was the leader of the family. This upset George, and in 1927 he left.

Between 1928 and 1931, Kate had nothing. She had no husband, and her sons were in prison. During this time, she started sleeping around with some of the local men. Eventually, one of her sons was released and committed a series of robberies. Kate and her new husband joined him. The gang committed many murders and robberies, and when police caught word of Kate’s involvement, she was lumped in with the gang. Despite one of her sons trying to shield her from their activities, Kate was still incredibly protective of them, so much so that many women in the gang went out of their way to avoid her. Eventually, the FBI caught up with the gang and killed Kate and her son in the shootout. Strangely enough, many decided to watch the shootout, just to see what was going on.

Writers have looked to Kate for inspiration when it came to crime families. Books such as Ma Barker by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss and a book with the same name by Sue L. Hamilton have covered her importance in crime history and reveal some of the psychology behind female criminals. What’s more, despite the evidence, the general public still continued to see her as the mastermind behind her sons' actions, as shown in movies like Public Enemies and Bloody Mama. Her story had been played over and over again by television shows as well. Even now, Kate Baker continues to show many writers and artists what it’s like to coddle their family members, regardless of their actions.