-it refers to Hunter Thompson's book , which pretty well documents that the real creation of "biker gangs" as such fierce fellows is largely the creation of Time and Newsweek--
Prohibition - II
1974. Banditos bikers. My Dad’s best friend and fellow officer:
https://www.odmp.org/officer/9617-detective-rodney-scott-morgan
RIP Det. Scotty Morgan. You’re a hero.
“Police found more than 100 weapons “
I haven’t heard how many are guns. And how many knives found were actually illegal to carry? I mean, this is Texas.
Not that I shed any tears for members of biker gangs, but I do wonder how many involved in fist fights were killed & injured by police gunfire and will the public actually get an accurate accounting of how many they killed and shot.
“Hunter Thompson’s book , which pretty well documents that the real creation of “biker gangs” as such fierce fellows is largely the creation of Time and Newsweek”
So biker gangs are not as evil as people think?
Feared by who should be the question.
Contrast with the American Legion Riders and the Patriot Guard Riders.
I rode when I lived in the Seattle area. There were lots of “biker Thursday” type events. My band played at one.
But most of the bikers, though some looked tough, were RUB’s (Rich Urban Bikers). And then there were the Bandidos. They were the guys you stayed away from. There was real risk of being hurt, physically, if only because you were near them when it went down.
The Yellow Bird tavern in Enumclaw was a hang out. I believe it also burned down and was rebuilt. But I could be wrong.
But they were the only group that I considered the “real deal” of biker gangs, as in, “matched what average people feared about biker gangs”.
So who won the shoot-out...the Bandidos or the Cossacks?
FBI-2011 National Gang Threat Assessment:
http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment
So, decide for oneself. Evil? But a threat they are.
The WaPo author of the article is Michael E. Miller, a foreign affairs reporter.
So the WaPo has officially decided to start covering the rest of the country (the part between the coasts) as a foreign country.
Some mugshots of those arrested, http://dfw.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2015/05/18/suspect-mug-shots-from-waco-twin-peaks-gang-battle/
Basically, all over the place as far as descriptions.
The few times I’ve encountered Bandidos, I’ve just quietly ducked away, and gone in the opposite direction. They’ve always been bad news.
If you want to know about bike gangs, read that magazine, Easy Rider.
Wild Hogs gone wild?
This event happened at a scheduled meeting of the -Texas Confederation of
Clubs and independents. Here is their statement on the happens.
Texas Family and Friends:
We are saddened by the tragic event that took place at the recent Texas Confederation
of Clubs & Independents meeting location in Waco, TX.
We as a community have worked very hard over the years to build a place of trust
and collaboration no matter what you ride or whether you choose to wear a patch
or are an independent in the our great State of Texas. We as a community hope the
public will not judge all of us by the actions of those responsible for the
senseless violence that unfolded in Waco.
We are steadfast as a community in representing Bikers in a positive fashion. We
protect our rights and freedoms at the State Capitol, we promote safety and
awareness on our area streets and highways, we embrace charitable work year
round improving the quality of life for those from our community in need as
well as for other organizations.
We are confident that the public who already knows us because we are men,
women, fathers, mothers, grand-parents, sons and daughters, professionals and
veterans all committed to being productive contributors to society.
We will not let this tragic event tarnish all the good Texas Bikers have
done and will continue to do for the community and all of those riders who
enjoy experiencing the open road on two wheels.
-Texas Confederation of Clubs and independents
end statement.
Link to the home page of the Texas Confederation of Clubs and independents
http://unitedclubsofwaco.org/Index.html
Check their calender and you’ll see this was a schedule meeting.
I have a friend who participates in River Rides, Aspen Rides, these are rides where from what he tells me, hundreds of bikers get together and take a long ride in the spring, fall. It doesn’t sound like any kind of troublemaking at all and maybe even for a good cause.
As for Sturgis, all told, from 1994 to 2012, 141 persons have died, seems about all of them in bike accidents, coming and going and there. That comes out to around 7 or 8 a year. I know there are some wild hairpin turns there so if one is drunk, you can see what might happen.
Step back and let the scum kill one another, then clean up the debris. A good strategy for dealing with undesirables.
The tl;dr version. The biker gang The Cossacks, which seems somewhat affiliated with the Hells Angels, decided to do a hostile takeover of Texas, which is the biker gang The Banditos territory.
Traditionally, the Hells Angels and the Banditos are bitter rivals.
Listing of the major gangs, via the Department of Just Us.
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ocgs/gangs/motorcycle.html
In high school, I had to kick out my Bandido roommate, for being a violent coward.