Outlaw Motorcycle Gang

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Members of the Californian charter of the Hells Angels with typical leather cowls

An Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (also Outlaw Motorcycle Club , acronym OMCG or OMC ) is a designation that was coined by law enforcement agencies in the United States and has also been used in Europe for several years. Cruiser and chopper motorcycles, especially from the Harley-Davidson brand , the pursuit of freedom from the mainstream and non-conformity, and the intense loyalty to one's own gear and its “laws” form the core of the subculture . The applicable laws, however, are rejected and gang members explicitly demonstrate their willingness to use physical violence. Many of the internationally organized outlaw motorcycle gangs are part of organized crime and operate extortion , drug trafficking and pimping to finance their activities . Territories ruled by a gang are defended against other gangs with murder and manslaughter , and gang wars that last for years, such as between the Hells Angels and Bandidos , sometimes ensue .

Origin and the "Onepercenter" mark

The so-called Hollister Bash in the small Californian town of Hollister is considered the origin of the OMCG . There was a big motorcycle weekend of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) on July 4, 1947 , during which there were riots and disputes. In retrospect, it is controversial as to what extent the riots actually had. The American press reported on the Hollister Bash , which can be translated as both party and brawl, in different, mostly drastic ways, including posed photos of allegedly drunk outlaw bikers, one of which appeared with a large article in Life magazine.

1% er symbol as a patch

After the AMA allegedly issued a statement that 99% of American bikers, i. H. their own members are said to have been described as righteous and peaceful citizens who meet their families for a motorcycle ride at the weekend, and who are said to have branded the rest, i.e. 1% of American bikers, as lawless brawlers and drunkards the bikers, who could not identify with the "Sunday driver mentality" of the AMA members, had a joke and sewed 1% badges on their frocks .

“Onepercenter” or “1% er” became the self-chosen term for rockers who wanted to live their lifestyle without consideration or compromise. This attitude is demonstrated by wearing a diamond-shaped onepercenter patch on the cowl or by wearing a corresponding badge on motorcycles and clubhouses. The use of the 1% patch is only tolerated by outlaw motorcycle gangs in the USA. The patches are removed from other bikers under threat or use of force. In some motorcycle clubs, the term Onepercenter is used like an addition to a name .

Organized crime

The FBI regards the OMCGs in the USA as a threat to public safety in the places of their activity because of their far-reaching criminal activities, their propensity for violence and their resistance to law enforcement . The FBI considers OMCGs to be highly structured criminal gangs , whose members commit violent crimes and among other things. a. the weapons and - drug dealing to pursue, as well as extortion and trafficking. OMCGs have a highly centralized governance structure that governs membership rules, behavior, and criminal activity.

In 2008, according to FBI statistics, there were between 280 and 520 OMCGs in the United States that were nationwide, regional or local. These OMCGs can have a single chapter or hundreds of chapters worldwide. The FBI estimated the number of OMCG members in the US at around 20,000 in 2008.

In 2008 the FBI counted five OMCGs among gangs of national and international standing:

  • Bandidos , with 2000 to 2500 members in the United States and 13 other countries. The Bandidos are particularly active in the western and southern US, where they transport and trade in cocaine , marijuana, and methamphetamine .
  • Hells Angels , with 2000 to 2500 members in 27 countries, of which 900 to 950 are in the USA. The Hells Angels are active in the drug trade with cocaine, hashish , heroin , LSD , MDMA and PCP , and commit u. a. Extortion of protection money, grievous bodily harm, murder and money laundering .
  • Mongols , with 800 to 850 members in the US. Active in drug trafficking in cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine. The Mongols defend their territory against rivals with murder.
  • Outlaws , with approximately 1700 members in 13 countries, including 700 members in the US. The club dominates the Great Lakes area and is involved in drug trafficking. a. active with methamphetamine. The outlaws carry out arson , assault , extortion, murder, money laundering and pimping.
  • Sons of Silence , with 250 to 275 members in the US. Members of the Sons of Silence have committed crimes such as murder, assault, drug trafficking, racketeering, pimping, money laundering and arms trafficking . They are considered the most violent MC gang in the US.

In Germany , individual chapters of OMCGs have been banned by the locally responsible federal states, see list of motorcycle club bans in Germany .

Trivia

  • Sons of Anarchy is an American drama series about a fictional motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original (often abbreviated as SAMCRO in the series or further corrupted to Sam Crow ). A spin-off series under the name Mayans MC has been in production since 2018.

See also

literature

  • Daniel R. Wolf: The Rebels: A Brotherhood of Outlaw Bikers . University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1991, ISBN 0-8020-2724-5 . ( Excerpts from this in the Google book search. Wolf's work is considered the first ever social anthropological study of bikers , and it focuses exclusively on outlaw bikers.)

Web links

Commons : Outlaw motorcycle clubs  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Denise Redder: Security Talk . In: Bikers News . No. 359 , March 2012, p. 14-15 .
  2. ↑ Heino Vahldieck : Rocker and gang crime as a problem of internal security in Germany . ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ; PDF; 32 kB) Lecture given at the BKA conference “Phenomena of violence: structures, developments and the need for reaction” in October 2010.
  3. ↑ a b National Gang Threat Assessment 2009 . FBI, p. 8.
  4. ↑ a b c d e National Gang Threat Assessment 2009 . FBI. Appendix D. Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, pp. 30-31.
  5. ^ Andrew H. Maxwell: Motorcyclists And Community In Post-Industrial Urban America . In: Urban Anthropology and Studies of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development , Vol. 27, N3. 3/4 (Fall-Winter 1998), p. 264, JSTOR 40553345 .