Posted on 05/20/2015 10:10:09 AM PDT by bgill
Bullets ricocheted around the parking lot of Twin Peaks, the Waco restaurant where a motorcycle gang shootout left nine dead, just minutes after Theron Rhoten pulled in on his vintage Harley chopper for a regional motorcycle club meeting, according to Rhoten’s wife. Katie Rhoten told The Associated Press that her husband ran for cover and was later arrested, along with antique motorcycle enthusiast friends and other “nonviolent, noncriminal people.” Authorities swept up around 170 bikers who had descended on the restaurant for what one club member described as a gathering to discuss laws protecting motorcycle riders.... McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara and Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton declined to comment Tuesday on allegations that innocent bikers were arrested.
(Excerpt) Read more at kxan.com ...
it is the ‘straight’ and the ‘company’ ... we never hide!
SMR and the indicator says ‘MARS’?
Your understanding agrees completely with my understanding. If you show up wearing items that show you to be a member of a criminal gang, why can’t you be arrested on the spot then and there?
But Waco is no stranger to the idea of Alinskying a group and summarily executing/incarcerating them.
The Confederation of Clubs isn't an "outlaw" organization, but more of an organization to represent motorcyclists across the board, from veterans clubs to Christian clubs, to others based on similar interests/occupations (like Firefighters and even police), to promote common goals including legislative ones, and to facilitate raising money for charitable causes.
That some of the clubs involved are 1% doesn't mean they don't share the same concerns about road construction issues and other legislation that the rest of the motorcycling community does, so it stands to reason they'd have representatives present as well.
The sad part is that someone decided to sort out issues between a couple of clubs in what is supposed to be a peaceful and neutral venue. But from what info is out, the ones who did the most 'sorting' were police, who by some accounts are the ones who did all the killing.
That they are investigating themselves in this matter does nothing to bolster my confidence in their impartiality, any more than the ATF and FBI 'investigating' the ashes of Mt. Carmel.
That the bonds set effectively keep all who were there, regardless of affiliation, from commenting on the event is even more suspicious, considering it was the police who may have been the homicidal factor.
It is a pretty solid bet that most, if not all of the cell phones taken will be returned wiped, if at all, and that the motorcycles will be sold off before the owners get out.
Damned few honest people will be able to post bond, if any, and the presumption of innocence for any of those rounded up seems completely dead, even around here with a few exceptions.
My leading contender is the guy on the left in the photo at post #48
“I thought I was among friends here, for the most part.”
I continue to be amazed at how many here choose to believe and defend every word of ABCCBSCNNNBC/AP without question, especially if there is no overt political connection to the story.
but why does the ‘establishment’ cover our ears?
Excellent post
Free Republic got lotsa not so free posted
don’t question, please ... it isn’t as it has been before .... it is another photograph of another lesson learned ...
time to hold the heart by the picket fences ....
Well put.
Stephen, Lord knows Free Republic tried it’s Best ... Don’t sit on the Fence or be in the Past Tense, America ... No More Dividing Up the Pieces, please!
In America, there is this little thingy called a "presumption of innocence" until proven guilty in a court of law.
The one 'gang' possibly being ignored here is the one that, by some accounts, did most, if not all of the killing.
They have been known to isolate themselves from the rest of society, socially and stay within their own circles.
They have a distinctive way of dressing, carry weapons with impunity, and have been known to bend the rules on occasion for fun and profit or other, less tangible motives.
I'm not saying they are all bad, but it works both ways.
At least I will say that a few make them look bad in the press, because it sells dead trees and soap.
Funny, but both groups have that in common.
It’s pretty clear that most of the folks posting here have no experience with motorcycle clubs.
I spent several years in a county ABATE chapter which most of the folks here would call a ‘club’, so I’ve got a small amount of knowledge on the subject that I can hopefully share.
In terms of motorcycle groups and clubs, there are one-percenters and the rest of us.
From the article: “Buscemi disputed the police claim that the meeting was to resolve a turf war, saying groups had planned to discuss laws protecting motorcycle riders at the meeting, which he said has been going on bimonthly for 18 years.”
The meeting in Waco was a motorcycle rights meetup which means that anybody who rides is welcome and there are usually “neutral territory” and “No Colors” rules in place to prevent strife.
One-percenters don’t follow the rules and in the photos released it’s clear that there were a lot of colors being worn.
Any turf war was between the Banditos and Cossacks and their affiliate clubs, not the majority of the folks (99-percenters) who showed up at the regular bi-monthly meetings.
The police, however, seem to have arrested everyone in order to let the courts sort it out later. Sort of a “Kill ‘em all and let God sort it out” approach.
I’ve noticed some bogus information coming from the police, however.
— The “I won’t dignify these gangs by giving their names” crap that concatenates everyone into the ‘gang’ classification.
— The “hundreds of weapons found” BS is another point of contention. When is a screwdriver a weapon? When it’s convenient for the cops.
— The refusal of the police to say how many of the dead ‘may’ have been shot by cops is another issue. It will be interesting to see if that information comes out and how long it takes to do so.
— The tacit admission that undercover officers were inside the restaurant was interesting. What part of the drama did they play?
Now, I don’t know any of the folks involved, neither am I interested in what the one-percenters do (as long as they leave me out of it) but I’m pretty sure that the police are obscuring the truth and/or intentionally misleading the public.
Take your tripe elsewhere. You are interfering with viable and valid comments and questions.
You remind me of a crazy evangelical preacher at the Plaza of the Americas in Gainesville FL circa 1979.
Not willing to converse, only to sermonize. As a uber-frequent poster on this thread you have stated nothing of substance, only sniped at other members.
Thank You Cliff ... May the Truth never Fail ... Like a Sinking Stone ...
But the important question is: "May I mamu dogface to the banana patch?"
Wheeling ... West Virginia ... Two Months from Timber on this Maiden Voyage to Vicksburg ...
You may call me Mr. Dweller... Cliff is for my neighbors and friends.
At first I was thinking: Too many bong-hits.
But if that was the case, he should be asleep by now.
Maybe he ate the brown Acid?
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