Prospect (gang)
Prospect means a person with the status of a trial member within certain clubs , especially rocker or motorcycle clubs (MCs). In the case of club mergers / crossovers, entire motorcycle clubs or delegations from clubs can also have prospect status.
meaning
Typically, the term refers to aspirants or candidates who must complete a probationary period before becoming a full member. The prospect time primarily serves to build up a mutual trust relationship and to provide mutual evidence. As a rule, prospects do not have many rights, but mainly duties. They are, so to speak, errand boys who are first allowed to take on lower and less popular jobs.
Of an approximately two-month trial period with the Hells Angels is in Willi Wottrengs Martin-Schippert reported -Biografie. In the case described, the Swiss “Lone Stars” were examined as a whole as an association. They sent their delegation to Oakland , USA. Among other things, this had to guard the clubhouse of the "Hells Angels". After passing the exam, two representatives from Oakland traveled to Switzerland to inspect the new charter.
Importance for the individual
As a rule, you don't immediately join a club as a prospect ( temporary brother ).
The "hangaround"
In the USA, this phase of getting to know each other used to be a time in which a freebiker who was not affiliated with a club was constantly “hanging around” in front of the clubhouse; The hangaround helped the club when needed, was occasionally taken away and both got to know each other. He is loosely connected to the club, without obligations, but obviously without rights.
Today the hangaround is a common step on the way to full membership as a member . Depending on the club and hangaround, the time can be up to a year or even longer. Although there are still neither rights nor obligations on both sides, the intention to participate in club life and to want to become a member has been declared. In some cases, hangarounds of a club can already be identified by a patch. The initiative for inclusion as a hangaround will mostly come from the freebiker, but there are also MCs who approach the freebiker.
The "Prospect"
If a hangaround proves itself through dedication, honesty and respect, and if mutual expectations are met, the club will name the previous hangaround a prospect, ie a "temporary brother". The prospect time can again be up to a year or longer. Depending on the club, this status is associated with further rights and obligations, such as regular participation in club meetings, work at club events and trips. The prospect time serves to strengthen the mutual trust and to check whether the candidate and the club are compatible in all respects. The status of the Prospect is often recognizable by its robe through the lower part of the back badge ( colors ), the “Bottom Rocker”, the “MC” patch or the “Prospect” lettering. The popular belief that prospects hold an underrated position within their clubs does not apply to most MCs.
Responsibility for one another assumes that the club members live in close proximity. Some MCs have created the status of “nomads” or “nomads” for members who live remotely.
See also
literature
- Michael Ahlsdorf : Everything about Rocker 1 The laws, the history, the machines , Huber Verlag , 2002, ISBN 978-3-927896-09-3
- Michael Ahlsdorf: Everything about Rocker 2 The laws, the history, the machines , Huber Verlag, 2004, ISBN 978-3-927896-11-6
- Michael Ahlsdorf: Everything about Rocker 3 The laws, the history, the machines , Huber Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-927896-30-7
- Willi Wottreng : Tino - King of the Underground. The wild years of the youngsters and rockers. With photos by Karlheinz Weinberger . Orell Füssli, Zurich 2002, ISBN 3-280-02821-3 ( review ( memento of August 31, 2005 in the Internet Archive )).