Hells Angels

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Hells Angels MC
Abbreviation
  • HA
  • 81 [1]
  • HAMC
  • Big Red Machine [2]
FoundedMarch 17, 1948;76 years ago (1948-03-17) [3] [4]
FounderOtto Friedli [4]
Founded at Fontana, California,
United States [5]
Type Outlaw motorcycle club
Headquarters Oakland, California,
United States [6]
Region
Worldwide (592 charters in 66 countries) [7]
Membership
6,000 [8] [9]
Key people
 Sonny Barger
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Common nicknames for the club are the "H.A.", "Red & White", and "81". [10] With a membership of over 6,000, and 592 charters in 66 countries, the HAMC is the largest "outlaw" motorcycle club in the world. [8] [9] [11]

Contents

Many Hells Angels members are involved in organized crime, such as drug trafficking, and engage in violent conflict with members of other outlaw motorcycle clubs and organized crime groups. Involvement in organized crime and violence has historically extended to the organization's most senior leadership. Many police and international intelligence agencies, including the United States Department of Justice, the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, the Australian Federal Police, and Europol, consider the club an organized crime syndicate. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

History

The Hells Angels originated on March 17, 1948, in Fontana, California, when several small motorcycle clubs agreed to merge. [19] Otto Friedli, a World War II veteran, is credited with starting the club after breaking from the Pissed Off Bastards motorcycle club over a feud with a rival gang. [20] According to an alternative theory, the Hells Angels were founded on November 15, 1951, in San Bernardino, by Dick White, a member of the Redlands Road Runners. [21] [22]

According to its website, the club's name was suggested by Arvid Olsen, an associate of the founders who had served in the "Hell's Angels" squadron of the Flying Tigers in China during World War II. [23] In a letter written to The Guinness Book of World Records by a member on the Hells Angels' behalf, it is instead stated that the club's name was taken from the "Hell's Angels" squadron of the 303rd Bombardment Group, which was active in the European theater of World War II. [24] It is at least clear that the name was inspired by the tradition from World Wars I and II whereby the Americans gave their squadrons fierce, death-defying titles; an example of this lies in one of the three P-40 squadrons of Flying Tigers fielded in Burma and China, which was dubbed "Hell's Angels". [25] In 1930, the Howard Hughes film Hell's Angels showcased extraordinary and dangerous feats of aviation, and it is believed that World War II groups that used that name based it on the film. [20] According to the Hells Angels' website, they are aware that there is an apostrophe missing in "Hells", but "... it is you who miss it. We don't". [26]

This B-17F, tail number 41-24577, was named Hell's Angels after the 1930 Howard Hughes movie about World War I fighter pilots. Boeing B-17F-25-BO Fortress 42-24577 Hells Angels.jpg
This B-17F, tail number 41–24577, was named Hell's Angels after the 1930 Howard Hughes movie about World War I fighter pilots.

Some of the HAMC's early history is not clear, and accounts differ. The club's first official charter was reportedly drawn up in Fontana in 1950. [24] Various autonomous Hells Angels charters were formed throughout California in the decade following the club's foundation, by nomadic members who moved from one city to another. [29] The San Francisco ("Frisco") charter was reportedly founded by former members of the Market Street Commandos in 1954. A North Sacramento charter was established in 1956, followed by another charter in Sacramento the following year, which was formed by two brothers, James "Mother" Miles and Pat Miles, who were former members of the Hell Bent for Glory biker club. [30] The Sacramento charter later disbanded and relocated to Richmond as a Nomads chapter in 1965. [31] According to Ralph "Sonny" Barger, founder of the Oakland charter in 1957, other early charters of the club were founded in Gardena, and elsewhere, with the members usually unaware that there were other clubs. One of the lesser-known clubs was in North Chino/South Pomona in the late 1960s. Barger has been credited with helping to unify these various disparate charters under common club bylaws. [32] [33] [34]

Other sources claim that the San Francisco Hells Angels were organized in 1953 by Rocky Graves, a Hells Angel member from San Bernardino ("Berdoo"), implying that the "Frisco" Hells Angels were very much aware of their forebears. [35] The "Frisco" Hells Angels were reorganized in 1955 with 13 charter members, Frank Sadilek serving as president, and the smaller, original logo. The Oakland charter, at the time headed by Barger, used a larger version of the "Death's Head" patch nicknamed the "Barger Larger", which was first used in 1959. It later became the club standard. [36] The first charter to open outside California was established in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1961. [20]

The Hells Angels are often depicted in semi-mythical romantic fashion like the 19th-century James–Younger Gang: free-spirited, iconic, bound by brotherhood and loyalty. At other times, such as in the 1966 Roger Corman film The Wild Angels , they are depicted as violent and nihilistic, little more than a violent criminal gang and a scourge on society. [37]

The club became prominent within, and established its notoriety as part of, the 1960s counterculture movement in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District, playing a part at many of the movement's seminal events. Members were directly connected to many of the counterculture's primary leaders, such as Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, Allen Ginsberg, Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, Timothy Leary, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Mick Farren, and Tom Wolfe. "Gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson's book about the club launched his career. From 1968 to 1969 the Hells Angels of San Francisco headquarters was at 715 Ashbury (across from the Grateful Dead house at 710 Ashbury). [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

In 1973, members from several branches of the organization protested at an Environmental Protection Agency hearing about a proposed transportation plan that included restrictions on motorcycle use and sales to get California to meet the new Clean Air Act standards. [43]

Insignia

Insignia of the Hells Angels from Karlsruhe charter, with the '1%' patch on the gates HAMC BD.jpg
Insignia of the Hells Angels from Karlsruhe charter, with the '1%' patch on the gates

The Hells Angels' official website attributes the official "death's head" insignia design to Frank Sadilek, past president of the San Francisco charter. [44] The colors and shape of the early-style jacket emblem (before 1953) were copied from the insignias of the 85th Fighter Squadron and the 552nd Medium Bomber Squadron. [44]

The Hells Angels have a system of patches similar to military medals. The specific meaning of each patch is not publicly known, but the patches identify each biker's specific or significant actions or beliefs. [45] The official colors of the Hells Angels are red lettering displayed on a white background—hence the club's nickname "The Red and White". The patches are worn on leather or denim jackets and vests.

Red and white are also used to display the number 81 on many patches, as in "Support 81", "Route 81". The 8 and 1 stand for the respective positions in the alphabet of H and A. [46] Friends and supporters of the club use these in deference to club rules, which purport to restrict the wearing of Hells Angels imagery to club members. The diamond-shaped one-percenter patch is also used, displaying "1%" in red on a white background with a red merrowed border. The term "one-percenter" is said to be a response to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) comment on the Hollister incident to the effect that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens and 1% were outlaws. The AMA has no record of such a statement and calls this story apocryphal. [47]

New York Hells Angels patch Hells Angels-03.jpg
New York Hells Angels patch

Most members wear a rectangular patch (again, white background with red letters and a red merrowed border) identifying their respective charter locations. Another similarly designed patch reads "Hells Angels". When applicable, members of the club wear a patch denoting their position or rank within the organization. The patch is rectangular and, like those described above, displays a white background with red letters and a red merrowed border. Some examples of the titles used are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sergeant at Arms. This patch is usually worn above the charter location patch. Some members also wear an "AFFA" patch, which stands for "Angels Forever; Forever Angels", referring to their lifelong membership in the club (i.e., "once a member, always a member").

An additional patch worn by select club members consists of two Nazi-style SS lightning bolts below the words "Filthy Few". Some law enforcement officials claim that the "Filthy Few" patch is awarded only to those who have committed or are prepared to commit murder on the club's behalf. [48] [49] Hells Angels have denied this interpretation, however, comparing it instead to a merit badge awarded to those who are "the first to arrive at a party and the last to leave". [50] According to reports from law enforcement and prosecutors, another patch similar to the "Filthy Few" patch is the "Dequiallo" patch. [51] "Dequiallo" is a reference to El Degüello , a bugle call played by the regimental band of Antonio López de Santa Anna's army at the Battle of the Alamo. [49] This patch allegedly "signifies that the wearer has fought law enforcement on arrest." [52] There is no common convention as to where the patches are placed on members' jackets/vests.

"Angels Forever, Forever Angels" is also the club's traditional motto. [53] Other Hells Angels slogans include "When we do right, nobody remembers. When we do wrong, nobody forgets"; [54] "Three can keep a secret if two are dead"; [55] and "When in doubt, knock 'em out", which was coined by New York City charter member Vincent "Big Vinny" Girolamo. [56] [57]

Intellectual property rights

The Hells Angels incorporated in 1966, trademarking the club's name and four symbols. [49] The club filed a trademark infringement lawsuit for the first time on October 26, 1989, when the Hells Angels lodged a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against Concorde-New Horizons, which produced the film Nam Angels , and against Media Home Entertainment, which distributed the film on video, over infringements on the club's registered trademarks. [58] [59] The suit was settled out of court. [49]

According to The Globe and Mail , the Hells Angels considered seeking an injunction to block the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from broadcasting the miniseries The Last Chapter, because of how closely the biker gang at the center of the series resembled the Hells Angels. [60]

In March 2007 the Hells Angels filed suit against the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group alleging that its film Wild Hogs used both the name and distinctive logo of the HAMC without permission. [61] The suit was eventually voluntarily dismissed [62] after the Angels received assurances from Disney that the references would not appear in the film. [63]

On October 7, 2009, Fritz Clapp, attorney at law for the HAMC, contacted online games community FOCO, demanding the removal of all membership marks and club trademarks from the Los Santos Roleplay Forum, a messageboard for the San Andreas Multiplayer modification for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas . While members of the community were skeptical at first, Clapp posted a tweet confirming his identity. [64] [65]

In October 2010 the Hells Angels filed a lawsuit against Alexander McQueen for "misusing its trademark winged death heads symbol" [66] in several items from its Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. The lawsuit also aimed at Saks Fifth Avenue and Zappos.com, which stock the jacquard box dress and knuckle duster ring that bear the symbol, which has been used since at least 1948 and is protected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A handbag and scarf were also named in the lawsuit. [67] The lawyer representing Hells Angels claimed: "This isn't just about money, it's about membership. If you've got one of these rings on, a member might get really upset that you're an impostor." [68] Saks refused to comment, Zappos had no immediate comment and the company's parent company, PPR, could not be reached for comment. [69] The company settled the case with the Hells Angels after agreeing to remove all of the merchandise featuring the logo from sale on their website, stores and concessions and recalling any goods that had already been sold and destroying them. [70] [71] [72]

In fall 2012 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Hells Angels sued Toys "R" Us for trademark infringement, unfair competition, and dilution in relation to the sale of yo-yos manufactured by Yomega Corporation, a co-defendant, which allegedly bear the "Death Head" logo. In its complaint, [73] Hells Angels asserted that the mark on the yo-yos would likely lead people to mistakenly believe that the toys originate with Hells Angels. Yomega filed counterclaims against Hells Angels for cancellation of the "Death Head" registrations on grounds of alleged fraud in the procurement of the registrations. [74] The case settled and the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice.

As of December 2013, the Hells Angels sells its branded merchandise at a retail store in Toronto, Ontario. [75]

In 2019, the Hells Angels sued Redbubble in the Federal Court of Australia for infringing on its trademark, launching another suit in 2021 after providing evidence that Redbubble had continued to breach the trademark. [76] The 2019 case concluded with the Hells Angels being awarded $5,000 in damages. In July 2022, in the second ruling against Redbubble, the company was ordered to pay the club more than $78,000. [77]

Membership

A club member at a biker gathering in Australia, 2008 Hells Angels-05.jpg
A club member at a biker gathering in Australia, 2008

To become a Hells Angels "prospect", candidates must have a valid driver's license, a motorcycle over 750cc (46 cu in), and "the right combination of personal qualities." It is said the club excludes child molesters and people who have applied to become police or prison officers. [78] Intravenous drug use is also forbidden among club members. [56] Members in North America are required to ride U.S.-built motorcycles; Harley-Davidson bikes are most common in the club, although other American brands, such as Victory and Indian, are also permitted. [79]

After a lengthy, phased process, a prospective member is first deemed a "hang-around", indicating that he is invited to some club events or to meet club members at known gathering places. [46] If the "hang-around" is interested, he may be asked to become an "associate", a status that usually lasts a year or two. At the end of that stage, he is reclassified as "prospect", participating in some club activities, but not having voting privileges while he is evaluated for suitability as a full member. The last phase, and highest membership status, is full membership or "full-patch". [80] The term "full-patch" refers to the complete four-piece insignia, including the "Death Head" logo, two rockers (top rocker: "Hells Angels"; bottom rocker: state or territory claimed) and the rectangular "MC" patch below the wing of the Death's Head. Prospects are allowed to wear only a bottom rocker with the state, province or territory name along with the rectangular "MC" patch.

To become a full member, a "prospect" must be unanimously confirmed by the rest of the full club members. [81] Before votes are cast, a "prospect" usually travels to every charter in the sponsoring charter's geographic jurisdiction (state, province, or territory) and introduces himself to every "full-patch" member. This allows each voting member to become familiar with the "prospect" and ask any questions of concern before voting. Some form of formal induction follows, wherein the "prospect" affirms his loyalty to the club and its members. The final logo patch (top "Hells Angels" rocker) is then awarded at the initiation ceremony. The step of attaining full membership can be called "being patched".

Even after a member is patched in, the patches remain the property of HAMC, not the member. On leaving the Hells Angels or being ejected, a member must return his patches to the club. [82] Members must pay dues, and are required to attend mandatory club meetings and motorcycle runs. [56] Charter meetings, known as "church", are typically held at clubhouses or a member's residence. In 1978, members were required to pay $20 per month to the local charter, and $10 per month to the state charter. The money is used by the club to finance motorcycle runs and funerals, and to fund the travel of club officers to state and national meetings. Hells Angels may become exempt from paying dues after a certain period of time as a member of the club. [24]

Racial policies

The club is not officially a racially segregated organization. [83] [84] In the U.S., at least one charter allegedly requires that a candidate be a white male, [85] and Sonny Barger said in a 2000 BBC interview, "The club, as a whole, is not racist but we probably have enough racist members that no black guy is going to get in it." [81] At that time the club had no black members. [81]

A few nonwhite members have been noted in the United States. In 1967, Hunter S. Thompson remarked upon a "Chinese Mel from [San Francisco] and Charley, a young black person from Oakland". [86] Steven Wayne Yee, a Chinese-American member of the Hells Angels' Cleveland charter, was convicted of murder in 1990. [87] [88] The Satan's Angels MC in Vancouver had a black member when it merged with the Hells Angels in 1983. The San Francisco and Anchorage charters threatened to have the Vancouver charter expelled from the club when they learned of the situation; the matter was ultimately resolved when the man changed his nationality to "Hawaiian". [89] An unsanctioned Hells Angels charter in Windsor, England was granted official status in 1985 shortly after its only black member, John Mikkelsen, had died in police custody. [90] Another notable is Gregory Woolley, a high-ranking member of the Rockers MC in Montreal who was the protégé [91] and bodyguard of Hells Angel boss Maurice Boucher (who spent five years in a notoriously white-supremacist motorcycle gang, the SS). Woolley became an associate of the Hells Angels Montreal charter [92] in the 1990s and later tried uniting street gangs in Quebec after Boucher was imprisoned. [93]

In another interview with Barger in 2000, he said, "if you're a motorcycle rider and you're white, you want to join the Hells Angels. If you're black, you want to join the Dragons. That's how it is whether anyone likes it or not. We don't have no blacks and they don't have no whites." [94] When asked whether that could change, Barger replied, "Anything can change. I can't predict the future." [94] Tobie Levingston, who formed the black motorcycle club East Bay Dragons MC, wrote in his book that he and Barger have a long-lasting friendship and that the Hells Angels and Dragons have a mutual friendship and hang out and ride together. [95]

In a 1966 Ebony article about motorcycle rebels in the African-American community, the Chosen Few Motorcycle Club said that they see no racial animosity in the Hells Angels and that when they come into Chosen Few territory they all get together and party. [96] A Hells Angel member interviewed for the magazine insisted there was no racial prejudice in any of their clubs. He said, "we don't have any Negro members", but maintained that no blacks have sought membership. [96] At one point in the 1970s, the Hells Angels sought to consolidate the various motorcycle clubs and offered every member of the Chosen Few a Hells Angels patch, an offer that was declined. [97]

Organization

Hells Angels clubhouse in Oakland, California Hells Angels-02-MJ.jpg
Hells Angels clubhouse in Oakland, California

The Hells Angels became the first notarized and organized outlaw motorcycle club, and the biker clubs formed subsequently have reportedly imitated the Angels' insignias, rules, doctrines and rituals. [24] Hells Angels charters are governed by an officer corps, consisting of a president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, sergeant-at-arms and road captain. [24] Charters are composed of between ten and twelve members on average. [98] Each charter has autonomy regarding member discipline and minor policy changes. [56]

In contrast to other prominent motorcycle clubs in the United States, the Hells Angels organization is not headed by a national or international president; it is instead governed by regional officers, who are each chosen to represent a collective of localized charters at monthly regional meetings. Regional officers are divided into two groups: those who attend the West Coast Officers Meeting ("WesCOM") to conduct the policy, actions, and affairs of the Hells Angels' charters in the Western United States, and those who attend the East Coast Officers Meeting ("ECOM") to govern the charters in the Eastern United States. [56] The dividing point of the east and west regions is Omaha, Nebraska. [99] In states with multiple charters, weekly state meetings are also held in addition to charter meetings. [56]

Although the Hells Angels have no official "mother charter ", the club's de facto national headquarters remained in its founding location of San Bernardino, California until club founder Otto Friedli was imprisoned in 1958. [49] [56] The club's unofficial headquarters was then relocated to Oakland, California by Sonny Barger, who succeeded Friedli as the Hells Angels' de facto national president. [24] The Oakland charter has traditionally been able to maintain a preeminent position as "first among equals" because it has the largest membership of any charter the United States and because of Barger's esteem among club members internationally. [89] The Oakland charter is responsible for making major decisions within the club and granting new charters. Any motorcycle club seeking to join to the Hells Angels must apply to the Oakland charter for membership, and the applicant club must be monitored and approved of by the Oakland Hells Angels before being granted membership. [24]

In New York state, the HAMC is incorporated as the Church of Angels, a nonprofit religious organization. [100]

Worldwide charters

The former Hells Angels clubhouse at 77 East 3rd Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City Hells Angels clubhouse East Village.jpg
The former Hells Angels clubhouse at 77 East 3rd Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City

The HAMC acknowledges more than 100 charters in over 29 countries. New Zealand had the first charter of the Hells Angels outside the United States; the club founded a charter in Auckland in 1961, and has since taken over gangs in Whanganui. [101] Europe did not become widely home to the Hells Angels until 1969 when two London charters were formed. The Beatles' George Harrison invited some members of the HAMC San Francisco to stay at Apple Records in London in 1968. [102] [103] According to Chris O'Dell, only two members showed up, Frisco Pete and Bill "Sweet William" Fritsch. [104] Two people from London visited California, "prospected", and ultimately joined. Two charters were issued on July 30, 1969; one for "South London"—the reimagined charter renewing the already existing 1950 South London charter—and the other for "East London", but by 1973 the two charters came together as one, called "London". The London Angels provided security at a number of UK Underground festivals, including Phun City in 1970, organized by Mick Farren. They awarded Farren an "approval patch" in 1970 for use on his first solo album Mona, which also featured Steve Peregrin Took (credited as "Shagrat the Vagrant"). [105]

In 1977, the Hells Angels arrived in Canada with the Popeye Moto Club patching over to form the Hells Angels' Montreal charter. [106] During the 1980s and 1990s, there was a major expansion of the club into the rest of Canada. The Quebec Biker War was a violent turf war that began in 1994 and continued until late 2002 in Quebec. The war began when the Hells Angels in Quebec began to try to establish a monopoly on street-level drug sales in Quebec. Many drug dealers and crime families resisted and established groups such as the "Alliance to fight the Angels", led by the Rock Machine. The war resulted in the bombings of many establishments and murders on both sides. More than 160 people died, over 300 were injured, [107] and over 100 bikers were incarcerated. [108]

Members of the Spanish charter were involved in a killing and tried. [109]

A list of acknowledged charters can be found on the HAMC's official website. [110]

Support clubs

Hells Angels chapters often oversee smaller motorcycle clubs within their locality, known as support clubs or "puppet" clubs. [111] [112] These clubs serve as a potential source of recruitment and earnings for the Hells Angels, and, according to law enforcement, carry out crimes on the Hells Angels' behalf in order to shield the Hells Angels from scrutiny. [111] [113] The Hells Angels also use support clubs to establish an initial presence in an area before forming a full-fledged charter. [114] Support clubs may be established for the sole purpose of providing assistance to the Hells Angels, or begin as independent clubs before coming under the Hells Angels' control. [114] Such clubs may maintain relations with the Hells Angels for protection or to bolster their reputation. [115] Members of puppet clubs attend Hells Angels events and associate with Hells Angels at gatherings. [113] Puppet club members are also permitted to wear a diamond-shaped "81" patch on their vests, which indicates their adherence to the Hells Angels. [113] [116]

The Red Devils Motorcycle Club, a biker group with chapters in nearly 20 countries, is the official and most prominent support club of the Hells Angels. [117] [118] [119] The Hells Angels have more than two dozen support clubs in Canada. [114] In Norway, the Hells Angels have built up a network of support clubs over which they exert control and hold responsibility for administering three-piece back patches. [116] The Hells Angels have also formed support groups, such as AK81 in Denmark and the Red & White Crew  [ sv ] in Sweden, which consist of young males who do not own motorcycles. [116]

Club mergers

Over the years, the Hells Angels have amalgamated a number of smaller outlaw motorcycle clubs in a process known as a "patch-over". [120]

Hells Angels club mergers
YearLocationOriginal Club/CharterHells Angels CharterReferences
1967United StatesAnimals MC
Gooses MC		Hells Angels Cleveland [121]
1969Aliens MC NomadsHells Angels New York City [122]
Hackers MCHells Angels Rochester [123]
1973GermanyBloody Devils MCHells Angels Hamburg [124]
United StatesStorm Troopers MCHells Angels Durham [125]
1975Grateful Dead MCHells Angels Bridgeport [126]
1976Tribulators MCHells Angels Charleston [125]
1977Canada Popeye MC Hells Angels North (Montreal) [127]
1978United StatesSatan's Slaves MCHells Angels San Fernando Valley [128]
Tar Heel Stompers MCHells Angels Charlotte [125]
NetherlandsKreidler Ploeg OostHells Angels Amsterdam [129]
1979United StatesOriginal Jokers MCHells Angels Winston-Salem [125]
1980NetherlandsMad DogsHells Angels Haarlem [129]
DenmarkUnionen MCHells Angels Copenhagen [130]
1982SpainHells Angels Spain [131]
1982United States Grim Reapers MC MinneapolisHells Angels Minneapolis [132]
Brothers MCHells Angels Anchorage [133]
1983CanadaSatan's Angels MCHells Angels Vancouver [134] [135]
198413th Tribe MCHells Angels Halifax [136]
Gitans MC Hells Angels Sherbrooke [137]
1985DenmarkBlack Sheep MCHells Angels South (Helsingør)
1990GermanyPhoenix MCHells Angels Berlin [138]
1991CanadaSatan's Guard MCHells Angels Trois-Rivières [139]
1992NorwayRowdies MCHells Angels Trondheim [140] [141]
DenmarkNordstjernen MCHells Angels Aarhus [142]
1993SwedenDirty DräggelsHells Angels Malmö [143]
1994United StatesHell's Henchmen MCHells Angels Illinois
Hells Angels Indiana		 [144]
1996SwedenRebels MCHells Angels Helsingborg
FinlandOverkill MCHells Angels Helsinki [145]
DenmarkMental Midgets MCHells Angels Odense [146] [147]
NorwayCustomizers MCHells Angels Oslo
The Shabby Ones MCHells Angels Stavanger [148]
DenmarkAvengers MCHells Angels Aalborg
1997SwedenChoppers MCHells Angels Stockholm [149] [150] [151]
Canada Grim Reapers MC Hells Angels Alberta [152]
United States Dirty Dozen MC Hells Angels Arizona [153]
1998Canada Rebels MC Hells Angels Saskatoon [152]
1999NorwayScrewdrivers MCHells Angels Hamar [154] [155] [156]
SwedenGamlestadens MCHells Angels Gothenburg [151]
2000CanadaLos Bravos MCHells Angels Winnipeg [157]
Last Chance MC
Lobos MC
Para-Dice Riders MC
Satan's Choice MC 		Hells Angels Ontario [158] [159]
2001DenmarkPiraterne MCHells Angels Randers [160]
2002United StatesBrothers Fast MCHells Angels Denver [161]
2004Canada Bandidos MC EdmontonHells Angels Red Deer Nomads [162]
2015United StatesNorth Coast MCHells Angels Akron [163] [164]

Criminal activities and incidents

Various U.S. law enforcement agencies classify the Hells Angels as one of the "big four" motorcycle gangs, along with the Pagans, the Outlaws, and the Bandidos, and contend that members carry out widespread violent crime and organized crime, including drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, extortion, and prostitution operations. [165] [166] In Australia, the Hells Angels are included among the "big six", with the Bandidos, the Comanchero, the Finks, the Mongols, and the Rebels. [167] [168] All Hells Angels charters are autonomous and operate on their own. As such, some charters refrain from any illegal activity, while others operate as crime syndicates. [169] Members of the organization have continuously asserted that they are only a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have joined to ride motorcycles together, to organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies, and that any crimes are the responsibility of the people who carried them out, not the club as a whole. [170] [171]

In May 2019, a court in Utrecht issued a verdict that made the Netherlands the first country to completely ban the Hells Angels. The presiding judge called it "a danger to public order and the rule of law". [172] Other countries such as Germany had banned local charters, but never the entire club. [173] [174] [175] [176] On July 15, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands reaffirmed the ban, making it permanent. [177]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outlaw motorcycle club</span> Motorcycle subculture

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongols Motorcycle Club</span> International outlaw motorcycle club

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Bowman</span> American outlaw biker and gangster (1949-2019)

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.

The Nordic Biker War was a gang war that began in January 1994 and continued until September 1997 in parts of Scandinavia and Finland, involving the Hells Angels and Bandidos outlaw motorcycle clubs. The conflict is also known as the Great Nordic Biker War or Second Biker War to distinguish it from the earlier Copenhagen Biker War, which took place between 1983 and 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club</span> Motorcycle club

Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club (GGMC) is a motorcycle club that began around a motorcycle racing team and friends based out of Los Angeles, California in the United States in 1942. The group was informal and not chartered until 1946. Soon after, the organization spread out from southern California, establishing chapters in Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Indiana, Wyoming, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. The Galloping Goose are considered by law enforcement to be among the many second-tier, after the "Big Four", outlaw motorcycle gangs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road Rats Motorcycle Club</span> English outlaw motorcycle club

The Road Rats Motorcycle Club (RRMC) is an English outlaw motorcycle club established in London in the 1960s. Arguably one of the "oldest and toughest motorcycle clubs in the country", the Road Rats are notorious for having fallen out with almost every motorcycle club in the United Kingdom and a few outside of the UK. The club became notable for its clashes with the English Hells Angels chapter, including a shooting on Chelsea Bridge, the Satans Slaves, in which two Road Rats were killed, and for murdering one of the founders of the Cycle Tramps motorcycle gang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents</span> Criminal incidents involving the Hells Angels

Numerous police and international intelligence agencies classify the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) as a motorcycle gang and contend that members carry out widespread violent crimes, including drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, gunrunning, extortion, and human trafficking operations. Members of the organization have continuously asserted that they are only a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have joined to ride motorcycles together, to organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies, and that any crimes are the responsibility of the individuals who carried them out and not the club as a whole. Members of the club have been accused of crimes and/or convicted in many host nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popeye Moto Club</span> Defunct outlaw motorcycle club from Quebec, Canada

The Popeye Moto Club, also referred to as the Popeye(s) MC, and often shortened to simply The Popeyes was a French-Canadian outlaw motorcycle club and criminal organization based in Quebec. At their peak, they were as the second-largest biker gang in all of Canada, behind the rivaling Satan's Choice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael O'Farrell (biker)</span> American outlaw biker and gangster (1949–1989)

Michael Vincent O'Farrell, nicknamed "Irish", was an American outlaw biker and gangster who served as the vice-president and acting president of the Oakland, California, chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC). O'Farrell was alleged by law enforcement officials to be the second-in-command to Sonny Barger, the reputed international president of the Hells Angels. During the early-mid 1980s, he deputized for Barger, serving as the Oakland chapter president and de facto international leader of the Hells Angels, while Barger recovered from a throat operation for cancer. O'Farrell was murdered in a bar fight in 1989 shortly before he was due to start serving a prison sentence for conspiring to bomb the clubhouse of a rival motorcycle gang, the Outlaws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents in California</span>

Numerous police and international intelligence agencies classify the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club as a motorcycle gang and contend that members carry out widespread violent crimes, including drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, gunrunning, extortion, and prostitution rings. Members of the organization have continuously asserted that they are only a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have joined to ride motorcycles together, to organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies, and that any crimes are the responsibility of the individuals who carried them out and not the club as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullshit Motorcycle Club</span> Defunct outlaw motorcycle club

Bullshit Motorcycle Club, most commonly shortened to Bullshit MC, was a Danish outlaw motorcycle gang and organized criminal group active during the 1980s. They were best known for engaging in a violent turf war against the rivaling Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Bullshit MC formed during the late 1970s in Tårnby, Amager as the result of a merger between the Filthy Few and Nøragersmindebanden, two outlaw motorcycle clubs who had decided to band together in an effort to oppose the takeover of the ambitious Hells Angels, who had then recently expanded into Scandinavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Dozen Motorcycle Club</span> Outlaw motorcycle club

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents in the United States</span>

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is designated an outlaw motorcycle gang by the Department of Justice. Based primarily in the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes region, the Mid-Atlantic and New England, there are an estimated 92 Hells Angels chapters in 27 U.S. states, with a membership of over 800. Due to the club's designation as a "known criminal organization" by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, the United States has a federal policy prohibiting its foreign members from entering the country. The Hells Angels partake in drug trafficking, gunrunning, extortion, money laundering, insurance fraud, kidnapping, robbery, theft, counterfeiting, contraband smuggling, loan sharking, prostitution, trafficking in stolen goods, motorcycle and motorcycle parts theft, assault, murder, bombings, arson, intimidation and contract killing. The club's role in the narcotics trade involves the production, transportation and distribution of marijuana and methamphetamine, in addition to the transportation and distribution of cocaine, hashish, heroin, LSD, MDMA, PCP and diverted pharmaceuticals. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the HAMC may earn up to $1 billion in drug sales annually.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, an international outlaw biker gang, has been involved in multiple crimes, alleged crimes, and violent incidents in Canada. The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) has designated the Hells Angels an outlaw motorcycle gang. Hells Angels MC have been linked with drug trafficking and production, as well as many violent crimes including murder, in Canada.

Numerous police and international intelligence agencies classify the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) as a motorcycle gang and contend that members carry out widespread violent crimes, including drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, gunrunning, extortion, and prostitution rings. Members of the organization have continuously asserted that they are only a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have joined to ride motorcycles together, to organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies, and that any crimes are the responsibility of the individuals who carried them out and not the club as a whole.

References

  1. ↑ Gartrell, Nate (June 29, 2022). "Sonny Barger, famous Hells Angel and bestselling author, dead at 83 of cancer". The Mercury News . Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. ↑ Hells merchandise barred from Friday 13th Monte Sonnenberg, Simcoe Reformer (May 8, 2019) Archived May 8, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "The Founding of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club". Hells-Angels.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Inside the biker gangs: the truth about guns, drugs and organized crime". The Independent. UK. August 14, 2007. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ Drewery, George (Spring 2003). "3 Skulls, Wings & Outlaws – Motorcycle Club Insignia & Cultural Identity" (PDF). Inter-Cultural Studies; A Forum on Social Change & Cultural Diversity. Vol. 3, no. 2. p. 29. ISSN   1445-1190. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2006.
  6. ↑ The Hells Angels’ devilish business (Fortune, 1992) Archived March 9, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Andy Serwer, Fortune (December 2, 2012)
  7. ↑ Hells Angels MC World Archived October 17, 2022, at the Wayback Machine At the bottom of the homepage under "CHARTERS WORLDWIDE" is a listing of all current info - continents, countries, areas and charters
  8. 1 2 Hells Angels organizing on P.E.I., say RCMP Kevin Yarr and Sally Pitt, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (September 23, 2016) Archived September 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  9. 1 2 Hells Angels clubhouses in Kelowna, Nanaimo and Vancouver seized by government Jacqueline Gelineau, Houston Today (February 15, 2023) Archived February 17, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "81" is a metonym. As 'H' and 'A' are the 8th and 1st letter of the alphabet.
  11. ↑ Miller, Michael E. (May 18, 2015). "How the Bandidos became one of the world's most feared biker gangs". Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
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  111. 1 2 Barker, Tom (September 2005), "One Percent Biker Clubs -- A Description", Trends in Organized Crime, vol. 9, no. 1, Springer New York, pp. 101–112, doi:10.1007/s12117-005-1005-0, ISSN   1084-4791, S2CID   144003167, Puppet Clubs. In addition to the Big 5 and the Independent clubs there are also "puppet" clubs that do the bidding of the larger clubs, act as potential recruiting sources, serve as cannon fodder in the wars between clubs, and give a portion of their illegal gains to the larger club. The Red Devils MC is well known as a puppet club for the HAMC as are the Black Pistons MC as a puppet club for the Outlaws. The Outlaw Nation and the Bandido Nation list their puppet clubs on their national websites.
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  114. 1 2 3 Show them the money: Profit, contacts trump biker lifestyle as Hells Angels evolve Dale Carruthers, The London Free Press (June 6, 2024) Archived June 9, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
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  128. ↑ The origins of Paranormal Witness' haunted outlaw biker Bryan Enk, Syfy (September 21, 2016) Archived November 29, 2022, at archive.today
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