Posted on 08/12/2006 4:17:00 AM PDT by SLB
STURGIS, S.D. (AP) -- Biker gangs have made the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally a violence-marred affair in the past.
The rally, which draws about half a million people each August to the Black Hills in western South Dakota, has since gotten older, laid-back and more diverse.
But this year, gunshots about 75 miles away reminded attendees about the gangs. Authorities said two men affiliated with the Hells Angels shot and wounded five Outlaws Motorcycle Club members in Custer State Park earlier this week.
Suzanne Church, who has ministered to biker gang members at Sturgis since 1997, said she hopes there's no more violence.
"We hate to see people die and go to hell," she said.
The rally attracts bikers of all walks of life, who ride throughout the Black Hills, a patch of forest and valleys 100 miles long and 50 miles wide on South Dakota's western edge. Sturgis, a town of about 7,000, is on the northern edge of the Hills, while Custer State Park is in the south.
Some Hells Angels members own land near Sturgis, so the gang has a presence at every rally, said Jim Bush, Sturgis police chief. Law enforcement officers knew that hundreds of Outlaws members planned to gather at a rented southern Hills campground, Bush said.
The Outlaws are one of the nation's four largest motorcycle gangs, along with the Hells Angels, Pagans and Bandidos. The Outlaws have chapters in 20 states, Europe, Canada and Australia.
A posting on its Web site said law enforcement agencies were informed of the group's plans to attend Sturgis.
It said: "We are not going there to makes any type of statement, or display of power. We are simply going there to enjoy the Sturgis venue, see the historical sights and spend time with our Brothers."
Authorities have their own term for the gangs.
"We classify these organizations as crime syndicates," said Bernard Zapor, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives field office in St. Paul, Minn.
The last major violence involving motorcycle gangs during the Sturgis rally was in 1990, when a Sons of Silence member shot an Outlaws gang member during a bar brawl in which two other Sons of Silence members were stabbed.
"They have not changed," Bush said of the major gangs. "They're as organized and involved in crime as they ever have been."
It was one of only a few major rally-related incidents of violence, Bush said. The only other gang arrests have been three or four members picked up for unrelated crime, he said.
"They usually get along pretty good," Bush said.
In Tuesday's shooting, Chad John Wilson, 30, of Lynnwood, Wash., and John James Midmore, 32, of Valparaiso, Ind., face five counts of attempted first-degree murder. A judge set bond Thursday at $5 million each.
One victim was still in critical condition at Rapid City Regional Hospital on Thursday. Another was in stable condition at a Sioux Falls hospital, said Sara Rabern of the South Dakota Attorney General's office.
On Main Street in Sturgis, a few people wearing Hells Angels vests and T-shirts were spotted at the 66th annual rally, which ends Sunday.
The gang runs a vendor table that sells club pins, T-shirts, bumper stickers and other items. None of three men staffing the table wanted to discuss the shooting. A worker at a tattoo shop down the street that the gang runs also refused comment.
Jim Vlahakis, state Division of Criminal Investigation director, said more than 300 Outlaws members representing 119 different chapters have been seen in the area, along with 80 to 100 Hells Angels members.
Vlahakis said authorities plan to meet with the two gangs to "try to head off any potential problems" but had not done so as of Thursday.
Officers were prepared to respond to gang violence, Bush said, adding that eventual retaliation is likely.
"It may not happen here," Bush said. "It could happen a month from now" somewhere else.
On the Net:
Outlaws: http://www.outlawsmc.com/
Hells Angels: http://www.hells-angels.com/
You need high self esteem to pay $30K for a slow motorcycle?
Thank you, I'm almost 40. It's nice to be thought of as a young whippersnapper by the old Harley riders.
Just remember, your going to be my age one day and its going to be sooner than you think.
Are you saying you gotta be a seasoned citizen to ride a Harley? That's what I'm saying!
I think it's another Gen-x/baby boomer thing....
When you get there I hope you don't run into somebody that you portray on this forum.
I can't figure out what that means.
Domestic terrorists
Exactly the point I was (trying) to make.
LLS
Being a "biker" I do take exception. Most of the people in the group do have tattoos, some have long hair some no hair. We ride whatever we want there are not a lot of Harleys. The majority of Us are Vets and conservatives.
Hells angels are not the typical biker. Bikers have charity rides here, The H.O.G.S. are blocking the protestors at Military funerals.
Some idiots give everyone a bad name.
We still scare people who are mis-informed, but most of us have careers. The only poeple we would "torture" are those who hit women or abuse cildren.
Don't lump all long hairs with the Angels.
"Exactly my point: you gotta be old to ride a Harley."
You pick your definition of mature and I'll pick mine.
Yet by your very admissions in this thread, you are one. The irony is almost too much.
Why?
That's a good book.
A very good friend of mine is a biker but with no affiliation. He is the primary leader against helmet laws - especially in Kalifornia. About 10 years ago we were leaving a hearing in Oakland and ran into Sonny and two body guards on the Courthouse steps. My friend who has some history with Sonny and will not talk about looked at him and said " F&*K you piece of $hit!". Now I have been to war and shot at more than once. I was never as scared for my life as at that moment. Sonny looked at him and said "Back at ya, mother f$%ker" and walked away. Much to my relief.
Out.
LOL I ride a Vespa and "real" motorcyclists don't even act like they see me on the road.
They almost always wave back at me.
Sweet - Is that the orig paint?
FL
No chance. It does get a lot of comments, however. I'm keeping the red Stella from Hell and selling the pink Vespa.
If it bleeds it leads.
This is a puff piece. This is no different than Nbc having a special reporter team wandering Athens during the 2004 olympics LOOKING for ANYTHING to report as a problem.
The outlaws must have a different set of rules then the other clubs. HA doesnt ever remove their cuts in bars and they never ever would let someone hold them for them. That cut is inked to the skin.
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