There is an article out of Oregon this morning that caught my eye, it's all about how the Hells Angels and the Mongols caused a rally to get shut down.
According to the article, the Run to the Cascades rally at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds was closed down by the police after they heard that although the Hells Angels had packed up as the Mongols "ordered them to" it was reported the Hells Angels were getting more members to come back to the event and retaliate. As there had already been two prior arrests at the rally, one in a dispute Friday night reportedly involving a knife, and another early Saturday after a man fired a gun at the fairgrounds, the police shut the rally down.
In BC this summer we riders experienced extreme police presence and harassment because the Hells Angels had booths at several events.
Now I personally know a few members of the Angels, people I like.
There are many I do not like - again for personal reasons.
My question for the day is how do you feel about organizations like the Hells Angels, the Mongols, the Outlaws etc...
What are you biggest concerns about them?
Is there anything we can do as a community to distance ourselves from the reputation these groups have?
Is there anything we can do to prevent our events from being shut down because of organizations who feel it is their right to fight over turf at a public event?
How do we riders protect the 99% from being profiled because of the actions of the 1%?
Any ideas? Thoughts? Comments?
I'd LOVE to hear them.
There is a lot of news in the feeds today, some of it may affect your day or life as a rider, so check out the news feeds at www.beltdrivebetty.com where our work is keeping YOU informed...
This past weekend I was at the CMDRA Drags in Edmonton and on Monday and Tuesday I was filming in the Peace River region with Joe Media for Travel Alberta. I am not sure which was the coolest experience as I was at the drags with my nephew Luke and in the VIP Skybox for Blackjacks Roadhouse in Nisku. Luke is my deceased brothers son and it was so wonderful to spend time with him!
Filming with the gang from Joe Media and fellow riders Greg from Peace River and Trayr from Calgary was definitely one of the cool experiences in life. I now understand why actors and actresses of any caliber get the big bucks. I was amazed at how hard the job really was. I enjoyed riding with Greg and Trayr and was amazed how well we did at riding together for three people who had never done so before! The video will be about 3 minutes long we are told, and will air on Youtube sometime in January. I am amazed that it took 2 very full days to get the filming done for a 3 minute video and can only imagine the work that will take place in the editing suite after that!
Our new clothing line has launched and we have hoodies, tees, tanks and long sleeves available - hope you will consider buying a shirt and supporting us so that we can continue to provide you with the news and tools we do! We have partnered with Urban Rebel Clothing in Vernon BC to provide a TOP NOTCH line and free shipping is offered on orders over $99! The BDB Store is where you can get our new clothing!
I am signing off for today by sharing a few giggle from friends on Facebook and by emails...
Have a fabulous Thursday everyone!
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider