Thread: The other side of the coin.

Sorry, but the Gypsy Jokers refer to themselves as 1%ers. They are considered by the FBI, the BATFE and Oregon State Patrol as an organized crime organization.

Originally Posted by joesixpack

Sorry, but the Gypsy Jokers refer to themselves as 1%ers. They are considered by the FBI, the BATFE and Oregon State Patrol as an organized crime organization.

ok, at this point I am gonna just shake my head and stay quiet.

Sincerely,

A proud Okie

I'm not saying that anyone who is a member of a motorcycle club is ipso facto a member of an organized criminal enterprise, but we're talking about the Gypsy Jokers, not the Kiwanis or the Rotary Club, or even 99% of the other motorcycle clubs out there. Do you think that just because the Hells Angles have a toy drive every Christmas that they don't also move millions of dollars worth of meth? Hell, even Al Capone set up a charitable institution to get milk for poor kids. Actually, the Hells Angles motto says it all, "When we do right, no one remembers, when we do wrong, no one forgets". Notice that they don't actually deny that they do wrong? No one here is suggesting that Harley owners are criminals. The issue is not the hardware someone owns, it's the associations that they choose.

I think your story illustrates a very good point, which is that most people, regardless of their background, will do the right thing when given the opportunity. And like I said in my initial post, it shouldn't be that surprising when it does happen. But don't think that this example somehow proves that they're not involved in (according to Wikipedia "Gypsy Joker" entry, at least) "Armed robbery, arson, assault, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, fraud, gun trafficking, homicide, identity theft, motorcycle theft, prostitution"

The non-bikers will never understand, its either in your blood or not. I'm OK with that though. I just don't like non-truths & folks spreading rumor that they don't have a clue about.

At one point last year, not sure if it's currenty, but if you rode thru Rockwall, TX on I-30 you were likely to get pulled over if you had a black jacket or vest with any patches that could be construed as "colors". There is a group of bikers in Idabel, OK that have quite a "reputation", but every encounter I've had with them has been like any encounter with...well, anyone.

In other words, folks shouldn't let a bad apple ruin a whole bushel.

And because you read it on the internet it's true...that's ashame. I'm with the Okie, shaking my head and done with this conversation as it's going nowhere.

First off........ wikipedia,really? You realize that ANYBODY can edit Wikipedia,right? And yeah,association is the point. By association, you are calling me a criminal. Has nothing to do with what I ride,but who I associate with. Before you say "But you are choosing to associate with criminals", I don't.I associate with ppl that demonstrate loyalty and honor. Much the same reason that I am on SRP. I judge individuals........individually. It is a concept that I picked up from my folks.

Are you a Gypsy Joker Harley?

And because you read it on the internet it's true...that's ashame. I'm with the Okie, shaking my head and done with this conversation as it's going nowhere.

Not because I read it on the web, I live in the Pacific NW, the Gypsy Joker territory. No, they don't ride into towns raping and pillaging but they are involved with quite a few run-ins with the law locally. And for a variety of things not limited to moving meth. All of the bikers I know are fine. I don't judge a person because he has a bike and wears leather, I do form a bit of a bias if they have colors though. And for good reason.

Ok now...

I understand not regarding all MCs as criminals, and I totally get that.
However, Hell's Angels and Outlaws are undeniably criminal organizations.

In Belgium, there has only been an official outlaw chapter since a couple of years.
several of them are now in jail for murdering one of their own. Those put away also had a long criminal record.
There is also a war between the Hell's angels and Outlaws, and every now and again, they raid each others' headquarters, beat up and / or kill some of the other guys, and at one point, one of them fired an RPG at the HQ of the other.

While I agree that not necessarily everyone in those MCs are hardened criminals, I think it is fair to call both criminal organizations, seeing as they regularly kill members of the other MC, and getting arrested and convicted for weapons and drug related charges. With everything that has happened over the last years, I can't really call them harmless biker enthusiasts with an independent lifestyle.

Belgium is not that big, so if anything happens between those 2 it makes the news.

FWIW In my youth I hung out with several bikers, and those I knew were fine (though sometimes rather rough) men. I don't really have anything against bikers by default.