| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| The other 1 percent: A guide to the racist, sexist bikers |
| 2015-05-21 |
| A bit of silliness by a Salon writer who believes that calling bikers sexist will bring tears to their (bikers') eyes In the parking lot of a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Tx. this Sunday, nine were killed, 18 injured and at least 170 arrested in a shootout between the Bandidos and the Cossacks — two rival biker gangs believed to be fighting for control of Texas. OMGs, or outlaw motorcycle gangs, are organizations that take advantage of their motorcycle clubs in order to conduct criminal activities. According to the FBI, "OMGs are highly structured criminal organizations whose members engage in criminal activities such as violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking." The most notable gangs include the Hells Angels, Mongols, Outlaws, Sons of Silence and the Bandidos. OMGs first formed after World War II, as subcultures that promoted nonconformity and the outlaw life. "Thrill-seeking attracted some returning veterans to choose a saloon society lifestyle centered around motorcycles," wrote James Quinn, a professor at the University of North Texas. "Positive views of military experiences, and the intense camaraderie they bred, also made such a lifestyle attractive." In fact, bikers and law enforcement are still intertwined — one of the bikers busted in the Waco shooting is a retired detective. They adopted the term "one percenters" to describe themselves after a 1960s speech from the then president of the American Motorcycle Association argued that 99 percent of motorcyclists lived according to the law. The one percenters, obviously, do not. Today, OMGs are actually a fairly small portion of the U.S. gang population, with only 2.5 percent of gang members belonging to an OMG, however the FBI considers them a disproportionately large threat. In the 2013 National Gang Report, the FBI found that 11 percent of respondents report that OMGs are the most violent gang type in their areas. More insipid garbage at the link... |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 I thought their primary purpose was to provide villains for heroes in bad movies to beat up in bar fights? |
| Posted by: Fred 2015-05-21 13:53 |