Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and Organized Crime in America

The Modern History of Organized Crime in America

Organized crime has a long history in the United States, predating the modern era of American law enforcement in many respects. The Prohibition era, spanning from 1920 to 1933, greatly increased the profitability of organized crime because of continued public demand for illegal alcohol after it was prohibited on a national scale by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. In many respects, this period was considered the heyday of organized crime because of the extent to which public officials and local—and in some cases even state—authorities were complicit with organized criminal gangs such as those led by Al Capone in Chicago. Even the modern-day National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) owes its origins to Prohibition and the rum runner's circuit, specifically the methods used by those involved in the illegal interstate transport of liquor throughout the American South during that period (Schmalleger, 2008).

By the time Prohibition was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933, the criminal enterprises that had profited most from the illicit alcohol trade had become so powerful and wealthy that they still rivaled even the largest American police forces in firepower. Even worse, their political infiltration enabled them to branch out into many other industries to such a degree that some of their largest investments—in concrete, construction, interstate trucking, and labor unions—persist into the modern era. It is widely acknowledged that during World War II, the Italian Mafia, or "La Cosa Nostra" (LCN), exerted such control over the ports along the Eastern seaboard that a tacit agreement between the federal government and LCN mob bosses effectively seeded much of port security and counter-espionage efforts to the Italian Mafia, particularly on the New York waterfront (Schmalleger, 2008).

Domestically, a gang culture has also emerged in urban areas throughout the United States in which entire local communities are terrorized by violent street gangs such as the Crips and Bloods and their many subsets and affiliated organizations. In addition to being responsible for drug trafficking, prostitution, and other major crimes in American cities, these criminal organizations are notorious for their hatred of law enforcement and have perpetrated numerous attacks in which police officers have been murdered. Civilians living in gang-dominated communities have been extremely reluctant to cooperate with police efforts to address gang-related crimes because of the propensity of these remorselessly violent street gangs to kill civilians who cooperate with criminal investigations or who testify against them at trial (Pinizzotto, Davis, & Miller, 2007).

The dominance of street gang culture in poor urban communities is particularly difficult to combat because of its multigenerational nature, in which children are raised in families where older siblings and even parents are involved in gangs. Even where that is not the case, street gangs are also notorious for recruiting members from among the pre-teen age group, when prospective gang members have no understanding of the dangers and futility of gang life (Pinizzotto, Davis, & Miller, 2007).

Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) have also played a significant role in contemporary organized crime since their evolution from social organizations of the 1950s and early 1960s into nationwide, and in some cases international, criminal enterprises. They are substantially involved in drug and weapons trafficking, in addition to being responsible for numerous violent confrontations among themselves in ongoing conflicts over the control of territory.

The Origin of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

In 1945, large numbers of returning American World War II veterans began purchasing Army surplus equipment such as original Jeeps and motorcycle touring bikes that had been used primarily as command transportation vehicles during the war. Demand for Harley-Davidsons in particular increased so dramatically that the company raised its production from approximately 200,000 units to well over one million by 1947 to accommodate demand. In many cases, war veterans had difficulty assimilating back into civilian society and developed a nomadic lifestyle, traveling the country with their fellow wartime service members (Henslin, 2002; Macionis, 2003).

Today, there are hundreds of OMGs in the United States, some of which also maintain international chapters overseas. While most motorcycle clubs are not engaged in organized crime, some of the biggest and best-known are considered bona fide outlaw organizations, referred to by other motorcycle clubs as "1 Percenters." They include the Banditos, Hell's Angels, Mongols, Outlaws, and the Pagans. In addition to drug and weapons trafficking, members of the 1 Percenters are often extremely violent, although much of their violence is restricted to inter-organizational rivalry over territory. They are also widely engaged in the unlawful intimidation of non-criminal motorcycle clubs and often enforce their rules—such as those governing the wearing of club patches in public—through the threat of violence, and with actual violence where threats are ignored (Schmalleger, 2008).

While different OMGs maintain their own rules for recruitment and membership, members generally start out as "hangers-on" before being proposed by existing gang members for consideration as "prospects." During the prospect period, prospective members are hazed through various rituals of differing character and degrees of humiliation, and they are typically required to fulfill any and all orders from established club members in addition to being responsible for menial chores in clubhouses and meeting areas. After a period of time as a prospect, full members vote on their admission to the club, at which point a single negative vote from an established member is grounds for refusal (Schmalleger, 2008).

Hell's Angels

The best known of the post-war motorcycle clubs was the Hell's Angels, formed in 1948 in San Bernardino, California. Their death's head insignia, still used by the organization today, was originally inspired by the markings of the 85th Medium Bomber Squadron (Schmalleger, 2008). Though not initially founded as a criminal organization, the Hell's Angels earned a fearsome reputation for their frequent run-ins with law enforcement and their turf wars with rival motorcycle gangs.

That reputation was furthered after a 1969 incident during a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, when a confrontation between a concertgoer and members of the Hell's Angels—hired as security by the band—ended in the stabbing death of the fan (Schmalleger, 2008). More recently, in 2002, the Hell's Angels were involved in a videotaped brawl at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, that resulted in the death of one Mongol member and two Hell's Angels. Since the 1960s, the Hell's Angels have been implicated in large-scale criminal operations involving the manufacture, sale, and distribution of large quantities of narcotics and other controlled substances on a national level (Schmalleger, 2008).

More broadly, the Hell's Angels finance their criminal enterprises through numerous other criminal activities such as extortion, money laundering, and property crimes including organized motor vehicle and motorcycle theft rings (Schmalleger, 2008). Current law enforcement estimates suggest that the Hell's Angels consists of approximately 100 chapters distributed across half of all American states, representing approximately 1,000 domestic members. International chapters number in excess of 100 additional chapters, representing an additional 1,000 to 1,500 members in as many as 26 foreign nations (Schmalleger, 2008).

Conclusion

In the modern era, widespread crackdowns and joint operations initiated by state and federal law enforcement authorities, along with legislative tools such as the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, have greatly reduced the influence of the Italian Mafia/LCN in American society. Organized crime still persists, but on a much smaller scale than half a century ago. However, whereas the power and reach of LCN has been greatly diminished, a significant influx of newer criminal enterprises has filled much of the void left in traditional criminal gang activities. Among the most pervasive are the Mexican drug cartels such as the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and those financed by numerous South American drug lords. Outlaw motorcycle gangs also continue to play a major role in contemporary organized crime despite the best efforts of the law enforcement community, aided by their mobility and their extensive criminal contacts throughout the United States and in dozens of foreign countries.

References

Henslin, J. (2002). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Macionis, J. (2003). Sociology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Pinizzotto, A., Davis, E., and Miller, C. (2007). Street gang mentality: A mosaic of remorseless violence and relentless loyalty. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, September 2007, 1–7.

Schmalleger, F. (2008). Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall.