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. Barksdale was the founder of the Black Disciples. He and Larry Hoover (leader of the supreme gangsters) decided to merge and create the Black Gangster Disciple Nation. He was seen as a hero in the black community because he operated a free breakfast program in englewood to poor children and he and the disciples marched with Martin Luther King Jr in Marquette Park. He was a close friend of Fred Hampton. Barksdale died on September 2, 1974, due to kidney failure, at the age of 27.