 | |
| Abbreviation | BSMC |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 1969 |
| Founded at | Boise, Idaho, United States |
| Type | Outlaw motorcycle club |
Region | Northwestern United States |
| Website | brotherspeedmc |
The Brother Speed Motorcycle Club is an American outlaw motorcycle club [1] [2] that was formed in Boise, Idaho in 1969, and is active in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. It once was referred to by the Oregon Department of Justice as one of the nine "motorcycle clubs" active in their state. [1] [3]
There are thought to be 100–300 Brother Speed members with chapters in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. [4]
Brother Speed was established by a group of high school friends who enjoyed riding together. The friends noticed an increase in motorcycles in the area and decided to run a newspaper ad looking for anyone interested in starting a club. A meeting was organized with approximately 20 people attending. A few weeks after the first meeting, the group came up with the name, "Brother Speed." The club's center patch is a winged skull with a cap, goggles, and scarf. Brother Speed's "colors" are black and gold. [5]
During the 1970s, the Brother Speed in Boise applied to the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels for permission to join the Angels. The Oakland club sent a representative to Idaho to assess the Brother Speed's suitability for membership, who recommended that the Brothers not be accepted into the Hells Angels. The reason why the Brother Speed was denied membership in the Hells Angels is unknown. [6] [ page needed ]
The Brother Speed has allegedly associated with the Hells Angels, the Outsiders, and the Devils Breed in order to acquire precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The Brother Speed chapter in Reno, Nevada, in collusion with the Hells Angels' Sacramento, California chapter and California Nomads chapter, has reportedly used twin-engine airplanes to transport drugs between northern California and Nevada. [7] The Brothers Speed in Idaho have allegedly been involved in sending methamphetamine, sealed inside the frames of motorcycles, to the Rebels in Sydney, Australia. [7]
Fearing that their operations would be taken over by the Hells Angels, the Brother Speed strengthened by beginning an alliance with the Bandidos of Texas in the early 1990s. [7] The club has purchased illegal weapons from members of the Aryan Nations in northern Idaho. [7] Brother Speed members have also assembled fully-automatic stun guns after ordering parts. [7]
In 2006, a member was sentenced to 21 years for distributing methamphetamine and lying about it in court. In 2005, federal and local officers raided the then Brother Speed clubhouse where it was believed many of the meth transactions had occurred. It was believed that the member was a major leader in a large meth trafficking ring. [8]
On 19 September 2009, up to 26 motorcycles ridden by members of the Brother Speed motorcycle club were involved in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 5 near Wilsonville, Oregon. The crash inflicted serious injuries on two of the bikers, sent ten to the hospital, and closed off that portion of I-5 for four hours. [1] [2] [9] [10] One of the critically injured Brother Speed members improved and was released from the hospital; the other died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. [11]
In April 2012, two members of Brother Speed were arrested on suspicion of harassment, menacing, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person. After chasing a car in Eugene, Oregon, they were reportedly hitting the car with their hands and a metal hook attached to a leather leash. [12] In May 2012, five of the Idaho Falls members of Brother Speed, attacked two members of Pocatello's Empties motorcycle club at a gathering for a child who was suffering from cancer, nearly 400 bikers having gathered that Saturday to grant the child’s wish to participate in a motorcycle rally. [13]
The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, incorporated as the American Outlaws Association or its acronym, A.O.A., is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Founded in McCook, Illinois in 1935, the Outlaws MC is the oldest outlaw biker club in the world. With 441 chapters located in 43 countries, and a membership of over 3,000, the club is also the third-largest in the world, behind the Hells Angels and the Bandidos. Outlaws members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply the Pagans, is an outlaw motorcycle club formed by Lou Dobkin in 1957 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The club rapidly expanded and by 1959, the Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets and riding Triumphs, began to evolve along the lines of the stereotypical one percenter motorcycle club.
An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker club or bikie club, is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group.
The Mongols Motorcycle Club, also known as the Mongol Brotherhood or Mongol Nation, is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969, the club is headquartered in Southern California. Although the Mongols' main presence lies in California, they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 "full-patched" members are in the club. The Mongols are the fifth-largest outlaw biker club in the world, after the Hells Angels, the Bandidos, the Outlaws and the Pagans.
Harry Joseph Bowman, also known as "Taco", was an American outlaw biker and gang leader who served as the international president of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club between 1984 and 1999. During his tenure as president, the club had chapters in more than 30 cities in the United States and some 20 chapters in at least four other countries.
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The Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club (GJMC) is a "one-percenter" motorcycle club that was originally formed in San Bernardino, California on April Fool's Day, 1956. Though founded in the United States, the MC expanded successfully overseas and gained significant notoriety in Australia, the United States, and Norway.
El Forastero Motorcycle Club (EFMC) is a one-percenter motorcycle club which was established after being turned down for a chapter by the Satan Slaves MC. The El Forasteros are well known for their criminal activities, and are considered by law enforcement to be among the many second-tier, after the "Big Four", outlaw motorcycle clubs.
The Warlocks Motorcycle Club, also distinguished as the Harpy Warlocks or the Philly Warlocks, is an American outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Philadelphia in 1967. The club is most prominent in the Delaware Valley, including Philadelphia, Delaware County and South Jersey, as well as in the nearby Lehigh Valley.
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The Loners Motorcycle Club (LMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada in 1979. It has seventeen chapters in Canada, eleven chapters in Italy, eleven in the United States. They also possess several chapters in other countries across the world. The club was established by two prominent Italian-Canadian bikers, Frank Lenti and Gennaro Raso.
The Satan's Choice–Popeyes War was the first major outlaw motorcycle club conflict in Canada's history, involving the country's two largest Motorcycle Clubs; the Satan's Choice from Ontario, and the Popeyes from Quebec. The conflict lasted from 1974 until 1976 and saw the two motorcycle clubs battle for dominance in the country. The conflict misleadingly known in Canada as the "First Biker War" would begin a year later in 1977.
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The Dirty Dozen Motorcycle Club (DDMC) was an outlaw motorcycle club in Arizona. Founded in 1964, the Dirty Dozen became the preeminent motorcycle gang in the state, and ultimately merged with the Hells Angels in 1997.
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