What it means to be a Hells Angel

Todd Magee

Why the Hells Angels? Intrigued by gang culture and why people join these

clubs. I wanted to study the Hells Angels because they are one of the longest running motorcycle clubs. The Hells Angels are steeped in American culture. They are one of the most mysterious and well-known biker gangs. I want to examine the history of the club and the mystique it carries.

The Hells Angels are now in over 30 countries and have in excess of 250 chapters. They have grown to be the biggest motorcycle clubs in the world. There are many documentaries, books, and undercover activities by law enforcement about the club and their structure, with many questions still unanswered.

HELLS ANGELSThe Hells Angels are a very secretive and mysterious club. They are a group of people that fiercely protect their culture from outsiders. There are not many people outside of the club that have had a look on the inside.

How they startedThe club was founded after WWII and named after an elite pilot squadron. In 1958 Sonny Barger was the first leader of the club where they made their transformation from a party club into an enterprise setting up chapters all over California. The first public showing of their newfound behavior was at a Rolling Stones Show in Altamont, Dec 6, 1969 when they were hired for security, but it turned into a man getting killed by the group. By the 80’s they had grown to 70 chapters in and outside of the United States.

View of the cultureThis is how they view themselves

Warning: Biker language

Organizational Structure

The structure of the club is surprisingly set-up like any other organization with a top down management style, or a functional structure. Their structure is very similar to the military with a President, Vice President, and their officers.President

Vice President

Seargeant at Arms

Club Member

Prospect

Hang Around

Intelligence Officer

Club Member

Prospect

Hang Around

Road Captain

Club Member

Prospect

Hang Around

How to join At the very bottom of the organization is the “hang around” and

this person is the grunt for the club. They will do whatever is asked by the members without hesitation. They will not be given inside information about the organization and do not get to wear the colors of the club. This stage of the membership process is used to see if the person has what it takes to be a Hells Angel. Once the hang around has proven themselves to the club they will be given a probationary status called a “prospect”.

The prospect can expect to spend time at this level for at least a year while the club once again scrutinizes every move they make and they will also perform a full background check to validate your story. A prospect will be given a vest to show that they are a prospect, but theirs is missing the rockers. The rocker is the part of the vest that shows the club name and the area that they represent. A prospect will be given a top and bottom rocker upon their induction into the club.

Becoming a member The Angels meet at “church” to discuss new memberships

and business decisions. Notes are maintained for each church meeting and are once again discussed at national rallies where all top leadership is attending. Once the prospect’s membership is voted on at church they will have full access to the organization and their activities.

TOP ROCKER

BOTTOM ROCKER

They are not alone When you think of a Baptist Church you would

think of a loving and caring environment, for example the local First Baptist Church in Troy, Ohio has core values that value the word of the bible, God, people, and the church. There is no mention of God being vengeful for our sins.

When you think of the Hells Angels you would think that they would have a website named “godhatesfags.com”, but in fact it is a Baptist Church.

The Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Church

There can be differing opinions on topics, but to be as extreme as the WBC is in a sense similar to the Hells Angels. Similar to the motorcycle clubs, most churches are for the good, but there are the outrageous.

Are they really that bad?

The common assumption of the group is that they set out to cause crimes and are only together for a common “bad”, yet they do show that they have the ability to care. During the now infamous shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona there were six killed and many wounded, a 9-year-old, Christina Green, was among the killed. In an article written by James King from the Phoenix New Times, a church from Topeka, Kansas, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) plans to protest at her funeral because they believed that Christina "was killed for your rebellion when God sent the shooter to deal with idolatrous America."(King, 2011) According to James King from the Phoenix Times “Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has rallied and peacefully prevented the group from getting close to funeral processions.” (King, 2011)

Are they really that bad?Does the media create this negative image of the club?

Warning: Biker language

They can be very bad Not to be confused, the Hells Angels are not a group of

people that are model citizens. They have been implicated in almost every type of crime there is. The most common crimes with the Hells Angels are shootings, either they are shooting, or they are being shot at. Typically another motorcycle club is feuding with the Angels and it moves from fists to guns.

The club makes money by selling guns, drugs, murder for hire, and prostitution. The first drug ever sold by the group was PCP in the 60’s and the term “beads and beards” was coined referring to the sales to the hippie culture at the time. The Hells angels are now one of the largest distributors of methamphetamines in the United States. This behavior is really where the 1%er patch comes into play.

Conclusion This group could be considered to many, a detriment to

society, or possibly a saving grace to those who have lost their way and need something to belong to. None the less they have not been a very beneficial group to society as a whole.

References Administrator (2012). Hells Angels Motorcycle Club World. http://www.hells-angels.com/?HA=faq  King, James (Jan 10, 2011). Westboro Baptist Church to Protest Funeral of 9-

Year-Old Girl Murdered in Tucson Shooting; Hells Angels to the Rescue?http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/01/westboro_bapstis_church_to_pro.php  First Baptist Church (2007). Mission and Values.http://www.fbctroy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=4&id=17&Itemid=33  Westboro Baptist Church (October, 2008) Barack Obama is Antichrist.http://godhatesfags.com/fliers/archive/20081024_antichrist-obama.pdf

Vancouver Province (September 17, 2008). Life as a Hells Angel Prospect:http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5b78bc4c-31b7-48ec-bc19-5a1751b8d6ce