Pagan and Hells Angels Motorcycle Gangs Operating In NYC To Expand Their Business
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I used to see the Pagan's on LI in the late 80's. They have had a presence in NY for decades. I had been in bars where they were at and I minded my own business. They never did anything that I saw other than have a good time. As with most MC's if you are respectful they are respectful back. Plus not all 1% are criminals. There are also some that yeah are criminals. Leave them alone and they leave you alone.
Many of the groups are involved in the drug trade and other organized crime type activities. The above is also what people would say about the mafia, "leave them alone and they'll leave you alone."
Must be the new generation. I'm out of the loop. Dominant club in the East used to be the Outlaws.
My ex bf (late 1990s) was the National President & a founding father of the MC who were rivals of the Outlaws. I was an alibi witness in a trial involving the firearm used to kill the Outlaw's Vice President, named "Satan", in the 1980s in Indiana.
To clarify, I was just a kid in the 1980s but the firearm had stayed in the possession of my BF's MC & had allegedly been used in another crime (not fatal) in the 1990s. I was subpoenaed to provide testimony on behalf of my BF as to his whereabouts when the alleged 1990's assault with that weapon took place; I was not a witness to any crime.
In retrospect; that was an ameteur move on the MC's part. They knew the ATF had been hunting for that weapon for a decade. It should have been retired.
Since my BF ended up in federal custody, I specifically remember being cautioned about keeping my mouth shut anytime I travelled east of New Mexico, because the Banditos controlled NM & they were an ally. Anything east of NM was considered Outlaw territory. Hell's Angels & Pagans were not a concern at that time. In fact, the HA's were allies. Don't remember hearing much about Pagans at all. Sometimes there were issues with the Mongols though.
I was club affiliated during the big undercover federal raid that made national news in 1998. I've got some crazy stories! Funny how the press romanticizes the 1%. The Denver Post would talk about murder & mayhem in one paragraph & then mention how my BF's brothers used to take care of a neighboring 94 year old widow's yard for free. Mention international weapons trafficking & then quote a clubhouse neighbor as saying "They're the best neighbors you'd want to have!". Lol.
The Hells Angels clubhouse and shooting incident took place on the street I grew up on. It's a quiet suburban area of the Bronx and prior to the HA buying the property it was an American Legion. The neighbors hate it and are too scared to make too much of a fuss.
Coschristi- there are several MC in NYC that are "big", the Pagans biggest of all, then there's the Ching a Lings (my aunt ran with them back in the 70s/80s) and a few others. Like the article stated, most NYC area HA's are white-collar middle-aged men. The other clubs not so much.
It's interesting that they would operate much in NYC given there's so many other organized crime groups active in the city. I guess they often kinda fly under the radar a bit while the FBI and DA are trying to become famous going after the mob.
It's interesting that they would operate much in NYC given there's so many other organized crime groups active in the city. I guess they often kinda fly under the radar a bit while the FBI and DA are trying to become famous going after the mob.
Most are affiliated with the mob. The Outlaws allegedly run work for the Gambinos, for example.
There's an element of this forum (as well as general society) that denies these 1% motorcycle clubs are bad people, that they're just a bunch of good ole boys getting together to ride and hang out for fun. They'll downplay any allegations that these clubs have long been involved in many nasty criminal activities. The irony is that these same people spare no fury in demonizing street gang elements like your typical South L.A. gangbanger, though they are all the same in principle.
I do get it though, the romanticization of these 1 percenters by these people. These bikers are everything what they and every other normal civilians are not, hardcore guys who have no fear and don't give a f**k about society or its rules. I suppose they represent an appealing but dying breed of (white) alpha males who aren't cowed by political correctness, who inspire fear and respect from not only the general public, but other street gangs as well.
I remember a story two white Navy senior chiefs told me back in the early 90's when I was in the Navy (where I was stationed in the Bay Area). These two were buddies and frequently went riding on the weekends on their Harley's while dressed in a typical biker outfit, jeans, leather jacket, Harley t-shirts. One day we were just chatting at our work space about what we did over the weekend. One of the chiefs told me that his bike broke down in a shady area of East Oakland. The two were stuck there for hours while they waited for assistance. He told me that a lot of black guys passed by but no one approached them or tried to mess with them the entire time they were stuck there. His guess is that the reason why no one messed with them was because they looked the part of bikers (and the Hells Angels has a chapter in Oakland I believe).
I found this to be an interesting point in the article from the OP:
Quote:
The Pagans are the more dangerous of the two notorious gangs, claims Croke.
“The Hells Angels, in my opinion, they’re like a business,” he said. “They have copyrights and doctors and lawyers who are members not involved in criminal activity. The Pagans are just violent individuals. They’re bad dudes. They don’t have two nickels to rub together but they don’t care.”
Hells Angels “sleep in five-star hotels,” he said. “Pagans sleep in dirt fields.”
Do you have anything to refute this portrayal of the HA? Just curious.
Most are affiliated with the mob. The Outlaws allegedly run work for the Gambinos, for example.
I've read some are partnering with street gangs especially latino gangs in certain areas too. Each wants to increase enrollment/numbers/power. And of course money from drug/gun trade.
In the 1980's the Mongols seized control of Southern California from the Hells Angels, and today, the Mongols are allied with the Bandidos, the Outlaws, the Sons of Silence and the Pagans against the Hells Angels. The Mongols have also maintained their ties with Hispanic street gangs in Los Angeles."
Outlaw bikers more closely resemble organized crime syndicates rather than street gangs. They deal in drugs, guns, prostitution, porn, and most of their violence is between rival clubs. In my day to day life I'm more concerned about the average thug on the street or mentally ill homeless addict than I am a 1% biker.
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Just curious.
