Hollister riots
The Hollister Riot , in English as Hollister Riot or Hollister Bash referred, of 3 to 6 July 1947 in the California town found at the weekend Hollister on the edge of a biker meeting place, that of the American Motorcyclist Association had been approved (AMA). They are part of the founding myth of the rocker subculture.
Gala Motorcycle Gypsy Tour
The Gala Motorcycle Gypsy Tour had been held in Hollister since 1930 and was a three-day event of the motorcycle scene at the time, which was approved by the AMA. Numerous motorcyclists came to the city for the occasion. The three days of the event included various races, joint excursions, dance events and competitions. The event is considered a forerunner of the later rallies or runs, as they are common in the rocker scene today. Hollister was a small town with 5,000 inhabitants up to this point. Their residents take part in the meeting in various ways, including providing sleeping places.
The 1947 event
July 3, 1947
The 1947 event was the first after the end of the Second World War and was accordingly very popular on the first day. 4,000 to 5,000 participants had come to town, including numerous members of the early motorcycle gangs such as the Boozefighters MC , the Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington, and the Market Street Commandos . Many of them participated in the war and wanted to forget and celebrate these experiences above all. Hollister Main Street has been closed to motorcyclists and general traffic. The event that followed turned into a binge that more and more bikers joined. On the first day, however, there were only a few arrests and the situation remained relatively calm.
4th July 1947
When the party continued the next day, reinforcements were requested from the local police force. The California Highway Patrol sent 30 emergency services who began to crack down on the bikers with batons and tear gas in the morning . 59 people were arrested and sentenced to a few daily sentences or short prison terms of up to 75 days. The maximum sentence was 90 days in prison. It was mostly improper behavior in public, i.e. public urination or drunkenness. There are also said to have been several injuries, most of them probably due to careless driving or minor scuffles. Meanwhile, a music group provided a distraction at the festival to calm the heated spirits.
The end of the event
The event ended normally and by Saturday evening most of the bikers left town. Overall, some of the furniture was broken and three seriously injured people were injured. The situation in Hollister had calmed down a few days later. The Gypsy Tour also continued the next year.
Press coverage
Various news agencies were already on site on Friday, which gave the mood on site in a highly distorted manner and probably described the situation as more threatening than it actually happened. On July 21, Life magazine featured a picture of a drunken motorcyclist on his bike, a Harley Davidson Flathead, drinking beer amid broken glass. Barney Peterson , the photographer of the picture, sold the picture, which was originally intended for the San Francisco Chronicle , through the Associated Press . The image was spread around the world and quickly became a symbol of the rocker movement, but also for the opposite side. The exact background was not revealed until 1997. Two journalists from American Rider motorcycle magazine revealed that the photo was posed. The biker seen on the motorcycle was a passerby who was persuaded by the photographer to pose for the photo. It was neither his motorcycle, nor can it be proven today that he even owned one.
Another myth arose around the AMA and its statement about the events. Allegedly, the AMA later alleged that 99% of US motorcyclists were righteous citizens and that AMA members were not involved in the protests. In protest against this view, the rockers would have introduced the Onepercenter logo, which is now worn by some MCs on the cowl. In fact, this quote from the AMA could not be proven. The quote became a myth that continues to affect the rocker scene to this day. It is believed to be based on a letter to the editor, printed in response to the photo in Life magazine and written by Paul Brokaw, an editor of AMA magazine Motorcyclist , that has been misrepresented over the years.
Hollister's events were filmed in Der Wilde (1953). This film developed into a cult film of the youthful scene in Germany, which shaped the early rocker image, in particular through the portrayal of Marlon Brando .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Michael Ahlsdorf : One percent . In: Everything about Rocker 2 - The laws, the history, the machines , Huber Verlag, 2004, ISBN 978-392789-611-6 . Pp. 70-79
- ↑ a b c d Legendary biker meeting: Harley hell Hollister. one day , accessed on July 8, 2012 .
- ↑ a b C. I. Dourghty Jr .: HAVOK IN HOLLISTER. Motorcyclists Take Over Town, Many Injured. In: San Francisco Chronicle . Cestcop.com, July 5, 1947, archived from the original on November 3, 2015 ; Retrieved July 9, 2012 .
- ↑ Original text: “Words are difficult to express my shock in discovering that motorcyclist picture [see Life July 21, 1947: 31]. It was very obviously arranged and posed by an enterprising and unscrupulous photographer. We regretfully acknowledge that there was disorder in Hollister - not the acts of 4,000 motorcyclists, but rather of a small percentage of that number, aided by a much larger group of non-motorcycling hell-raisers and mercenary-minded barkeepers. We in no manner defend the culprits - in fact drastic action is under way to avoid recurrences of such antics. You have, however, in presentation of this obnoxious picture, seared a pitiful brand on the character of tens of thousands of innocent, clean- cut, respectable, law-abiding young men and women who are the true representatives of an admirable sport. ”quoted from William L. Dulaney: A Brief History of" Outlaw "Motorcycle Clubs. International Journal of Motorcycle Studies, November 2005, accessed July 9, 2012 .