WOG Magazine

Contents
• Membership
• “Biker” clubs
• One Percenters (1%ers)
• Ninety-Nine Percenters (99%ers)
• Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs
• Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
• Relationships between motorcycle clubs
• Motorcycle clubs in popular culture
• **See also: References, Books and Newspapers Articles and External Links

Membership

Motorcycle clubs vary a great deal in their objectives and organizations.

Mainstream motorcycle clubs or associations typically have elected officers and directors, and have annual dues. They may also sponsor annual or more frequent "rallies" where members can socialize and get to know each other. Some, such as BMW MOA and BMW RA annually publish in book form lists of members that can be used by touring motorcyclists needing assistance.

There are a great number of motorcycle riding clubs/organizations/associations with new ones being formed more than ever before in the history of motorcycling. Some are sponsored by various manufacturers, such as the Harley Owners Group and the Honda Riders Club of America. Large national independent motorcycle organizations, such as BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, BMW Riders Association, the STAR Touring and Riding Association, and the Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA), are abundant. Other clubs/organizations/associations exist for a specific purpose, such as the Patriot Guard Riders, who provide funeral escorts for military veterans.

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is the largest American motorcyclist organization. It serves as an umbrella organization for local clubs and sporting events. As of March, 2008, the AMA counts over 300,000 active members and many chartered clubs.

Clubs can include police, military, and firefighter clubs (or a combination thereof) such as the Iron Pigs MC, Steelhorse Posse MC, Iron Warriors MC, Shamrocks MC, Blue Knights MC, Defenders MC, Red Knights MC, Choir Boys MC, Knights Paladin MC, Dragonslayers FF MC, and Wind and Fire MC. Some Clubs claim to be "Law Enforcement Motorcycle Clubs" (LEMC's). An authentic LEMC consists of at least 75% Law Enforcement members and every Officer in the Club is a Law Enforcement Officer.

Various military and veterans MCs include the Armed Forces of America MC, U.S. Military Vets MC, the Vietnam Vets/Legacy Vets MC, the Proud Few MC, the Leathernecks MC, American Badgers MC, Veterans of Vietnam MC, Rolling Thunder MC, and the Buffalo Soldiers MC.

Still other MCs include the Boozefighters and the San Francisco MC. One online directory of MCs lists over 250 clubs.

**There are several websites on this information. Best to do a Google search for: “OnLine Directory of Motorcycle Clubs”

“Biker” clubs

In some "biker" clubs, as part of becoming a full member, an individual must pass a vote of the membership and swear some level of allegiance to the club. Some clubs have a unique club patch (or patches) adorned with the term "MC" that are worn on the rider's vest, known as colors. The oldest motorcycle clubs in the U.S. are the Yonkers MC, founded in 1903, the San Francisco MC, founded 1904, and the Oakland MC.

The typical internal organization of a motorcycle club consists of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, road captain, and sergeant-at-arms. Localized groups of a single, large MC are called chapters, and the first chapter established for an MC is referred to as the mother chapter. The president of the mother chapter serves as the president of the entire MC, and sets club policy Nationwide or even Worldwide in some cases, on a variety of issues.

In these clubs, some amount of hazing may occur during the prospecting period, ranging from the mandatory performance of menial labor tasks for full patch members to sophomoric pranks, and, in the case of some outlaw motorcycle clubs, acts of civil disobedience or crime. During this time, the prospect may be allowed to wear the club name on the back of their vest, but not the full logo, though this practice may vary from club to club. To become a full member, the prospect or probate must be voted on by the rest of the full club members. Successful admission usually requires more than a simple majority, and some clubs may reject a prospect or a probate for a single dissenting vote. A formal induction follows, in which the new member affirms his loyalty to the club and its members. The final logo patch is then awarded. Full members are often referred to as "full patch members" and the step of attaining full membership can be referred to as "being patched".

Most of these one-percenter MCs do not allow women to become full-patch members, but women can hold special status with the club. Membership in what authorities refer to as a 'Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs' is often racist as well as sexist, and membership in some Outlaw Clubs is closed to other than white races which have led to creation of rival gangs such as the Bandidos and the Mongols Motorcycle Club.

MC members are not usually referred to by their given names, but instead refer to each other by nicknames, or road names, sometimes even displaying their road name on the club vest. Whether or not this practice was carried over from the military aviation history of colorful pilot call-signs some believe it has but it is not known.

Larger motorcycle clubs of this type often acquire real estate for use as a clubhouse or private compound. These clubs often have security features such as closed-circuit television monitors, motion detector lights, and barbed wire-topped fences. As well, the clubhouse or compound walls may be reinforced materials such as steel-plates or kevlar to provide ballistic protection.

The primary visual identification of a member of an MC is the vest adorned with a specific large club patch or patches, predominantly located in the middle of the back. The patch(es) will contain a club logo, the name of the club, and the letters "MC", and a possible state, province, or other chapter identification. This garment and the patches themselves are referred to as the "colors", or, sometimes, "cuts", a term taken from the early practice of cutting the collars and/or sleeves from a denim or leather jacket.



Many non-outlaw motorcycle riding clubs (as opposed to MCs) such as Harley Owners Group (HOG) also wear patches on the back of their jackets or vests, but the letters "MC" are nowhere to be seen on such patches. This is an important distinction, for only true Motorcycle Clubs sport the "MC" moniker.

The 1% patch is what distinguishes the outlaw Motorcycle Clubs from normal Motorcycle Clubs. Motorcycle Associations or Rider Clubs are not allowed to wear the MC patch.

The colors worn by members of these clubs will either consist of a one-piece patch , two-piece patch, or a three piece patch. The Three Piece Patch Set consists of the club logo and the top and bottom patches, usually crescent shaped, which are referred to as rockers. The number and arrangement of patches is somewhat indicative of the nature of the club. All true Motorcycle Clubs will have a three-piece patch arrangement. Not all (or even most) clubs sporting a three-piece patch are one-percenters, however. The club patches always remain property of the club itself, not the member, and only members are allowed to wear the club's colors. A member must closely guard their colors, for allowing ones colors to fall into the hands of an outsider is an act of disgrace and may result in loss of membership in a club, or some other punishment. Contrary to recent popular belief, a 5 Piece Patch Set does not exist. The separate designation patch (MC, VC, SBR, etc) is sometimes called the CUBE Patch. Some clubs do not count it as part of the color set.

Law enforcement agencies have confiscated colors and other club paraphernalia of these types of clubs when they raid a clubhouse or the home of an MC member, and they often display these items at press conferences. These items are then used at trial to support prosecution assertions that MC members perform criminal acts on behalf of their club.

One Percenters

Members of motorcycle clubs are often viewed in a negative light by traditional society. This perception has been fueled by the movies, popular culture, and highly publicized incidents. One of the earliest and most notorious of these occurred in Hollister, California in 1947 and is now dubbed the Hollister riot.

Whether or not an actual riot occurred is debatable, but there was a motorcycle rally in Hollister from July 4 to July 6 of that year that was attended by about 4000 people.

Several newspaper articles were written that, according to some attendees, sensationalized the event and Life magazine ran an article and a staged photograph of an intoxicated subject on a motorcycle parked in a bar.

The film The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando, was inspired by the event, and it became the first in a series of movies that depicted bikers and members of motorcycle clubs in this stereotypical manner. The press asked the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) to comment on the Hollister incident and their response was that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, and the last one percent were outlaws. Thus was born the term, "one percenter".

During the 1940s and 1950s, at rallies and gatherings sponsored by the AMA, prizes were awarded for nicest club uniform, prettiest motorcycle, and so forth. Some clubs, however, rejected the clean-cut image and adopted the "one-percenter" moniker, even going so far as to create a diamond shaped 1% patch to wear on their vests as a badge of honor (displayed above). One-percenter clubs point out that the term "one-percenter" simply means that they are committed to "biking and brotherhood", where riding is not just a weekend activity, but a way of living. These clubs assert that local and national law enforcement agencies have co-opted the term to paint them as criminals.

Mr. Sonny Barger and others went even further than wearing the rhombus-shaped patch on their colors and had the symbol tattooed on their upper bodies. In his autobiography, Mr. Barger recalls how, early on (1950's), there was an informal agreement amongst the one-percenters, regardless of gang affiliation, with certain guidelines such as "no stealing" (from each other), no "rat-packing" (on fellow one-percenters) and so forth. However, Mr. Barger and his fellow members soon quit the "one-percenters club" because, as he describes it in his book, they felt that the other self-described one-percenters were not of equal status to the Hells Angels, and since a Hells Angel's primary allegiance needed to be to his fellow Angels, there was no need or desire for any such further affiliation with this self-described group.

Ninety-Nine Percenters

While one-percenters garner much publicity for their activities and misdeeds, there are many, many more motorcycle clubs and bikers that instead identify as ninety-nine percenters; that is to say, not one-percenters. Indeed, as of March, 2006, the American Motorcyclist Association, an organization that is the very antithesis of one-percenters, counts 269,884 active members and many chartered clubs.[13]

99%er MCs include police, military, and firefighter clubs (or a combination thereof). Some Clubs claim to be "Law Enforcement Motorcycle Clubs" (LEMC's) An authentic LEMC consists of at least 75% Law Enforcement members and every Officer in the Club is a Law Enforcement Officer.

Various military and veterans MCs include the Armed Forces of America MC, U.S. Military Vets MC, the Vietnam Vets/Legacy Vets MC, the Proud Few MC, the Leathernecks MC, American Badgers MC, Veterans of Vietnam MC, Rolling Thunder MC, and the Buffalo Soldiers MC. In addition to the many independent and "outlaw" MCs, there are a great many motorcycle riding clubs, including those sponsored by various manufacturers, such as the Harley Owners Group, Iron Indian Riders Association, Honda Riders Club of America, BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, and several others. Other riding clubs exist for a specific purpose, such as the Patriot Guard Riders, who provide funeral escorts for military veterans and the M/M or Motorcycle Ministries that have an evangelistic goal and a servant’s purpose in the motorcycle community.

Furthermore, some groups define themselves as "associations". These consist of persons from all backgrounds, to include law enforcement, fire and military, but are open to anyone. Although associations do parallel "MC" standards such as established by laws and prospecting members, they do not use MC on their colors. Associations try and maintain a friendly atmosphere with all clubs 1% or 99% but will never form an alliance with any club. In most cases associations will try to fall in line with "local biker politics" as long as they stay within the confines of the law. The association will err on the side of the law in all cases, especially those who have law enforcement as association officers. Examples of associations are South West Desert Riders El Paso TX.

See also

List of motorcycle clubs

References

1. ^ AMA Newsroom: Facts and Figures, retrieved September 10, 2007
2. ^ Motorcycle Club Index, retrieved September 25, 2007
3. ^ 1% - Example of Bylaws- Motorcycle Club and Riding Club Education]
4. ^ Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs- OZBiker.org
5. ^ Gangs in Maryland- University of Maryland
6. ^ Outlaw Motorcycle Groups- Laurier College
7. ^ Dozens of outlaw bikers arrested in ATF sting- MSNBC.com, Oct 21, 2008
8. ^ Five charged in murders of eight Bandidos bikers- CTV.ca, June 10, 2006, Retrieved October 10, 2007
9. ^ The United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit, Case Nos. 95-2829 and 95-2879; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. JOHN E. IRVIN and THOMAS E. PASTOR, Defendants-Appellants
10. ^ Dougherty, C.I. (1947-07-05). "Motorcyclists Take Over Town, Many Injured", San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 24 October 2007.
11. ^ Dougherty, C.I. (1947-07-06). "2000 'Gypsycycles' Chug Out of Town and the Natives Sigh 'Never Again'", San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 24 October 2007.
12. ^ Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Ralph "Sonny" Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club [1]
13. ^ AMA Newsroom: Facts and Figures, retrieved September 10, 2007
14. ^ Motorcycle Club Index, retrieved September 25, 2007
15. ^ The Rebels: A Brotherhood of Outlaw Bikers, by Daniel R. Wolf, University of Toronto Press, 1991
16. ^ FBI Safe Street Violent Crime Initiative - Report Fiscal Year 2000- FBI.org
17. ^ 2004 Annual Report- Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, cisc.gc.ca
18. ^ Motorcycle Gangs- Connecticut Gang Investigators Association
19. ^ 2004 Annual Report- Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC), cisc.gc.ca
20. ^ Organized Crime in California - 2004 Annual Report to the Legislature- California Department of Justice
21. ^ Dozens of outlaw bikers arrested in ATF sting- MSBNC.com, October 21, 2008
22. ^ Organized Crime Investigation- by T. O'Connor, Austin PEA State University
23. ^ Organized Crime Fact Sheet- Public Safety Canada
24. ^ The Hells Angels' Devilish Business- CNN.com, November 30, 1992
25. ^ Biker Gangs in Canada- CBC News, April 5, 2007
26. ^ Narcotics Digest, Gangs In The United States- the National Gang Center
27. ^ Comprehensively Combating Methamphetamine: Impact on Health and the Environment- DEA Deputy Chief Joseph Rannazzisi, congressional testimony on October 20, 2005
28. ^ The Hells Angels' Devilish Business- by Andrew E. Serwer, Fortune Magazine, November 30, 1992
29. ^ Sonny Barger Kicks Starts Life as a Free Man by Violating Parole- by Philip Martin, Phoenix New Times, December 2, 1992.
30. ^ Sonny Barger Kicks Starts Life as a Free Man by Violating Parole- by Philip Martin, Phoenix New Times, December 2, 1992
31. ^ Busting Hell's Angels- Time Magazine, May 13, 1985
32. ^ Dozens of Outlaw Bikers Arrested in ATF Sting.- MSNBC.com, October 21, 2008
33. ^ Was Noye case witness killed by Hell's Angels?- Guardian Observer, October 15, 2000
34. ^ Organized Crime Fact Sheet- Public Safety Canada
35. ^ The Biker Trials: Bringing Down the Hells Angels, by Paul Cherry, ECW Press, 2005
36. ^ Fallen Angel: The Unlikely Rise of Walter Stadnick in the Canadian Hells Angels, by Jerry Langton, Wiley & Sons, 2006
37. ^ Cops Gone Bad- Bikernews.net
38. ^ Storm Approaching- by Michael Jamison, The Missoulian, July 2000
39. ^ Ex-Hells Angels official says cops kept out of club- by Adrienne Packer, Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 5, 2006
40. ^ Laughlin Shootout: Signs told of melee in making- by Glenn Puit and Dave Berns, Las Vegas Review Journal, April 30, 2002
41. ^ 73 Bikers Arrested- New York Times, March 13, 2002
42. ^ Hells Angels sue Disney over film- BBC.com, March 11, 2006. HAMC vs Walt Disney

Books and Newspaper Articles

• Hayes, Bill. The Original Wild Ones: Tales of The Boozefighters Motorcycle Club, Est. 1946. St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, 2005.
• Veno, Arthur, The Mammoth Book of Bikers, Constable & Robinson, 2007 (ISBN 0-7867-2046-8)
• Vieth, Errol, "Angels in the Media: Constructing Outlaw Motorcyclists", in Consent and Consensus, edited by Denis Cryle and Jean Hiliier, Perth, API Network, 2005, 97–116 (ISBN 1-920845-12-7).
• Winterhalder, Edward, Out in Bad Standings: Inside the Bandidos Motorcycle Club - The Making of a Worldwide Dynasty, Blockhead City Press, 2005/Seven Locks Press, 2007 (ISBN 0-9771-7470-0)
• Winterhalder, Edward, & De Clercq, Wil, The Assimilation: Rock Machine Become Bandidos – Bikers United Against the Hells Angels, ECW Press, 2008 (ISBN 1-5502-2824-2)

External links

CNN article on outlaw bikers