Biker Gangs: Are they good or bad ?

[marharth]

Biker clubs are good. Biker gangs are terrible.

 

Big difference between a club and a gang. You do not have the right to sell illegal substances and partake in a ton of violence.

Edited March 2, 2012 by marharth

[Nintii]

@ dunmermaiden ... yes, I have family living in Auckland and they have mentioned the very same thing to me concerning the Biker gangs ... especially Black Power ... I have also read up on the biker situation in NZ and I must say that the situation is a lot worse than what people think ... especially amongst the Maori population ... I feel for you.

 

@ Jim_UK ... yes on the nose, that is what law enforcement is all about and NOT an invasion of people's democratic rights to gather, a violation of this point alone has very serious consequences in the greater scheme of things and it's here on issues such as this that Western governments will ultimately break through the barrier of freedom and begin to infringe on civil liberty.

 

@ Vagrant0 ... correct, they have marketed themselves to a certain extent ... I'm thinking - even though it's a game - if we will ever have criminal organizations like "The Saints" (*cough cough* hence my name) in SRTT where we can buy T-shirts etc., hopefully that will stay in the realm of fantasy ...

Though it would be sacriligious for any biker to let you put on their colors ... more than likely they'd kill you first ... ONLY club members wear club colors, period !

Actually the HA have a few chapters in ZA but predominantly in the Province of Gauteng ... as are most of the "biker gangs" ... in one of the first ever rock concerts I attended, they must have numbered in the thousands - various bikers clubs - as they sat together and then proceeded to beat the daylights out of the lesser mortals who never had a bike.

Yes they are racist but that's not why they started and I'm sure that in Aussie (Australia) where I also have family, they're no different or in the dozens of other chapters worldwide.

 

We sadly only have one black biker club ... The Eagles and though they are rejected by the mainstream white bikers, they have dug in their heels and are here to stay ... truly a

sad testament.

 

@ Marharth ... the HA and a lot of other bikers call themselves "clubs", when in actual fact they are gangs ...

 

According to my dad, the really big wars here between the bikers, were between the Hells angels and the Satan's Slaves ... I'm sure that Jim_UK would know about them as

they are well established in England ... and these wars produced a lot of blood.

A link to the Satan Slaves website ... awesome sound ... Rammstein ............ SL Website. this is what we normally think of bikers,

violent as the sound of their machines and music.

[HeyYou]

The biker gangs that MAKE THE NEWS are the ones that cause problems. We have no less than seven different 'gangs' here where I live. Two of them most folks would probably cross the street to avoid, but, guess what? NONE of them have been in the news for years. The rest of the 'gangs' are older folks that happen to ride motorcycles together. The most illegal thing they do is speed....... (and even that only 5 over the limit, maybe....)

 

You cannot outlaw an organization because of a what a few of them do. Otherwise, we would have outlawed corporations, after Union Carbide killed tens of thousands in India........

[Korodic]

Stuff

sounds like you're trying to defend them to some extent. I don't see the point. You admit they cause violent and bloodshed, yet you think the law should defend their right to gather? They have the right to gather peacefully, there is no reason to gather with the intent to hurt people.

 

At least religious extremists in the middle east can claim Jihad to attack an American troop, as an excuse for their bigotry, what excuse do a bunch of fairly privileged bikers have?

 

The point being is we deserve to live in a better society, and people who intend to ruin life for others should be punished. Do not defend the rights of others who do not respect the rights of others themselves. This organization has branded themselves as a gang, get rid of them.

[Dragonspyre]

Anyone can call their organization a gang. Just because you say "gang", doesn't mean you are looking for trouble.

 

If your "gang" isn't breaking laws, it's fine. Even if it is a few members causing problems, you should punish THEM.

[hoofhearted4]

are biker gangs a menace? depends what you describe as a gang. if you count only the ones in news reports, then yea, i guess they are. ad that could very well be the majority.

 

do we go in with SWAT and shut them down? no.

 

do we arrest them when they do something wrong? yes

 

am i a biker, or even ride a bike? nope

[Korodic]

Anyone can call their organization a gang. Just because you say "gang", doesn't mean you are looking for trouble.

 

If your "gang" isn't breaking laws, it's fine. Even if it is a few members causing problems, you should punish THEM.

in today's meaning of the word it generically is. :armscrossed: If a few members were becoming rowdy, you deal with them... when your group as a large majority is known for selling drugs and killing people, you shut it down.

[Vagrant0]

if we will ever have criminal organizations like "The Saints" (*cough cough* hence my name) in SRTT where we can buy T-shirts etc., hopefully that will stay in the realm of fantasy ...

it won't be a biker organization. Many biker groups are based around sentiments of anarchy, being outsiders, and destroying society. The ones that aren't simply don't have the organization or presence to even try.

[Aurielius]

Life in the Outlaw motorcycle gang. Here's what it's like, federal authorities say, to be a member of the Outlaws:

"Only men are allowed.

Each member of the gang, officially known as the American Outlaw Association, must own an American-made bike.

Members are allowed in only after a probationary period, during which they may be called on to do menial tasks to "earn the respect" of the members. Membership requires a unanimous vote of the chapter.

Federal prosecutors in Virginia outlined the gang's practices in a 50-page indictment unsealed this week.

Twenty-three current or former members and four associates are accused of participating in a criminal enterprise that engaged in crimes including assaults, drug dealing and illegal gambling.

The indictment details the criminal allegations against the group. As a longtime police and courts reporter, however, I also found that it offered an unusual window into the inner workings of what federal officials say is a highly-organized group.

Members belong to a chapter that has a president, vice-president, treasurer and an enforcer, the indictment explains. Chapters are grouped into regions run by a boss. And a national president oversees the organization.

Members wear leather or denim vests on which they display patches, according to court papers. One patch shows the club emblem, a skull with crossed pistons.

Another patch reads "Snitches are a Dying Breed," which authorities say shows a "commitment to identify, expel, and, if necessary, murder" people associated with the club who cooperate with law enforcement.

Women can't join, but they may be allowed to wear a vest with a patch that reads: "Property of Outlaws."

The members call them "old ladies.""-Washington Post

[Nintii]

 

[sounds like you're trying to defend them to some extent. I don't see the point. You admit they cause violent and bloodshed, yet you think the law should defend their right to gather? They have the right to gather peacefully, there is no reason to gather with the intent to hurt people.

 

At least religious extremists in the middle east can claim Jihad to attack an American troop, as an excuse for their bigotry, what excuse do a bunch of fairly privileged bikers have?

 

The point being is we deserve to live in a better society, and people who intend to ruin life for others should be punished. Do not defend the rights of others who do not respect the rights of others themselves. This organization has branded themselves as a gang, get rid of them.

 

Defend them only so far as their right to gather as people ... if I give the impression that I like their violence and drugs then I'd like to state right here and now that .. I'm sorry - not that I need to apologise - but to make it clear that I do not condone that type of behavior at all, ever and never will.

I knew them first hand and that is what endears me to them, because I saw people and not "gangsters", that's my angle.

You're quite right, people should not be afraid in their neighborhoods ... where is your law enforcement ?

 

Today it's a bunch of bikers you're going to ban until one day you find yourself banning a group of trombone players, then you know that the brown stuff has hit the fan because your civil liberties have been shot to hell.

Hey, I like nice people ...

 

I feel the same as Nyxalinth does, if they don't bother you then leave them alone but if they get on your case THEN contact law enforcement but don't cover them all with the same blanket.

Dragonspyre and Hoofhearted are both correct, your definition of "gang" doesn't neccessarily define their actions as being bad, right ?

Again as HeyYou also states and as i've alredy said, we only hear of the bad ... where is the good news on bikers.

I