That is because some here intentionally misrepresent non-criminal clubs as gangs to further an agenda. And quite frankly, I don’t really give a rat’s behind one way or the other, outside the fact I hate to see scores of people’s rights violated, and the human toll that extends far beyond.
On the date of the incident only the Bandidos were designated by DPS as a criminal gang. And that is still true, is it not?
As far as the Cossacks and their sub-clubs, it’s pretty clear some, like Clendennen (and I use him as an example simply because he is one of the few we know anything about), seem clueless, and uninvolved in any criminal aspect or intent.
And short of an email, text message or recorded phone call or other compelling evidencing individual “Clendennens” in this mess were knowing participants, I’m willing to not see their and their families’ lives utterly destroyed over a simple stupid decision to play dress up in a vest, and go have beers with their buddies on the weekends.
Some here seem to pass it off as collateral damage. Some seem to delight in the destruction.
A few beers ... You left out the gunfight and murders
“That is because some here intentionally misrepresent non-criminal clubs as gangs to further an agenda.”
Which “non-criminal clubs”? And what could be the agenda?
I haven’t seen any of that, but I have seen plenty of the opposite, people claiming that all the outlaw bikers there that day were just “vets” or “Christian bikers”, etc. Well Vet clubs and Christian clubs don’t wear 1% patches and act like outlaw clubs. I’m not sure why some posters constantly pretend that these criminals are just regular bikers, but seems like there is an agenda there for sure.
“As far as the Cossacks and their sub-clubs, it’s pretty clear some, like Clendennen (and I use him as an example simply because he is one of the few we know anything about), seem clueless, and uninvolved in any criminal aspect or intent.”
I don’t know, people accused of crimes act clueless all the time. Seems silly to judge anything based on that.
“And short of an email, text message or recorded phone call or other compelling evidencing individual “Clendennens” in this mess were knowing participants....”
Well, we’re not even at the point where that type of evidence is normally disclosed. Everyone wants to rush to judge the cops guilty before due process even begins to play out. I’m all for reigning in the cops if they are guilty, but to assume the cops are the ones in the wrong here, when we KNOW the guys arrested are, at least for the vast majority, members of organized crime groups, seems quite foolish.
“On the date of the incident only the Bandidos were designated by DPS as a criminal gang. And that is still true, is it not?”
I don’t really get the point of this argument either. It isn’t as if DPS creates criminal gangs. They must exist (and grow to some size and level of activity) before DPS gathers enough intel to designate them. So just because a group isn’t listed yet does nothing to prove they aren’t a criminal operation.
In the case of the Cossacks, I go by the “looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck” rule. They dress like outlaw bikers, they associate with outlaw bikers, and they get in gang wars with outlaw bikers. If someone can explain to me a sensible reason why a club that wasn’t criminal would do that, I’d love to hear it.