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| Texas motorcycles, politics and guns: welcome to the biker world | Texas motorcycles, politics and guns: welcome to the biker world |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The day of civic action started with a prayer and a moment of silence on the sunny steps of the Texas capitol in Austin. Flanked by cameramen and behind a dais, a biker led a prayer, asking that Texas’s lawmakers act with “righteous wisdom” when considering his group’s legislation. He then led the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem. | |
| A Texas state representative then came out to court the bikers from behind the same dais. | A Texas state representative then came out to court the bikers from behind the same dais. |
| “You people epitomize the people that came out of the Reagan revolution,” Republican state representative Bill Zedler told the black-leather- and blue-jean-clad crowd. | “You people epitomize the people that came out of the Reagan revolution,” Republican state representative Bill Zedler told the black-leather- and blue-jean-clad crowd. |
| Milling casually among the members of motorcycle clubs and independent riders were Los Bandidos, the gang described as a fearsome criminal syndicate by law enforcement and a major part of the violence in Waco, Texas, on 17 May that left nine dead, 18 injured and 170 arrested and charged with conspiracy, most held on $1m bond. | Milling casually among the members of motorcycle clubs and independent riders were Los Bandidos, the gang described as a fearsome criminal syndicate by law enforcement and a major part of the violence in Waco, Texas, on 17 May that left nine dead, 18 injured and 170 arrested and charged with conspiracy, most held on $1m bond. |
| Related: Waco shootout: how a friendly Sunday get-together ended in a biker bloodbath | Related: Waco shootout: how a friendly Sunday get-together ended in a biker bloodbath |
| The biker subculture is a splintered if interconnected world of organizations ranging from Christian clubs to veterans’ chapters to criminal fraternities such as the Bandidos. | The biker subculture is a splintered if interconnected world of organizations ranging from Christian clubs to veterans’ chapters to criminal fraternities such as the Bandidos. |
| All have been thrust into the spotlight by the violent events in Waco. The Sunday afternoon gathering at the Twin Peaks restaurant there was meant to update riders on legislation, but spiraled out of control just after midday. | All have been thrust into the spotlight by the violent events in Waco. The Sunday afternoon gathering at the Twin Peaks restaurant there was meant to update riders on legislation, but spiraled out of control just after midday. |
| Police describe the clubs involved – the Bandidos in particular – as criminals. The syndicates launder money, sell drugs and are perpetrators of 11% of the gang violence in the country, authorities say. | |
| But the organizations describe themselves in family terms – brotherhood, kinship, belonging – and say they are just hardworking individuals who love the freedom that riding a motorcycle brings. | But the organizations describe themselves in family terms – brotherhood, kinship, belonging – and say they are just hardworking individuals who love the freedom that riding a motorcycle brings. |
| As police continue to investigate the shootings in Waco – and the Texas legislature considers deregulating “open carry” of handguns – bikers’ lobbying activities at the state legislatures suggest a more nuanced picture of the biker world in Texas than that described by law enforcement, one in which bikers seek paths to legitimacy and to combat their historically rough reputation. | |
| “This capitol is our house too,” said one of the bikers at the dais that day in Austin in January 2015. “We’re also here to let these people know – who we voted for – to let them know that our voices are going to be heard. This is our day. This is our opportunity to shine, and we will shine.” | “This capitol is our house too,” said one of the bikers at the dais that day in Austin in January 2015. “We’re also here to let these people know – who we voted for – to let them know that our voices are going to be heard. This is our day. This is our opportunity to shine, and we will shine.” |
| Bikers’ lobbying priorities have covered areas as varied as firearms rights, privacy protections and traffic laws. | Bikers’ lobbying priorities have covered areas as varied as firearms rights, privacy protections and traffic laws. |
| In 2013, following the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than 2,000 bikers gathered in Austin to lobby against gun restrictions, local television station Fox 7 News reported. Many expressed support for a bill that would have made proposed federal gun restrictions unenforceable in Texas. | In 2013, following the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than 2,000 bikers gathered in Austin to lobby against gun restrictions, local television station Fox 7 News reported. Many expressed support for a bill that would have made proposed federal gun restrictions unenforceable in Texas. |
| “They’re going to try to take our guns because some looney tune killed a bunch of people,” biker John Johnson told Fox News 7 at the time. “This country was founded where we all had guns, the right to bear arms.” At least two of the bikers arrested in Waco on Sunday appear to have been at that 2013 rally, according to Facebook posts. | “They’re going to try to take our guns because some looney tune killed a bunch of people,” biker John Johnson told Fox News 7 at the time. “This country was founded where we all had guns, the right to bear arms.” At least two of the bikers arrested in Waco on Sunday appear to have been at that 2013 rally, according to Facebook posts. |
| Other advocacy, according to newsletters, has focused on privacy rights and motorcycle safety legislation. | Other advocacy, according to newsletters, has focused on privacy rights and motorcycle safety legislation. |
| In 2011, one group called Texas Abate Confederation Inc lobbied against information collection by Texas’s so-called “fusion centers”, which act as information sharing centers for federal, state and local law enforcement. Texas’s fusion centers were recently found collecting data on peaceful animal rights protesters. | |
| This year, bikers lobbied to make “splitting lanes” legal. Already widely practiced (and in some states legal and considered safe), splitting lanes is when a motorcyclist rides between cars in traffic. Every few years, the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents (TCOC&I) lobbies against laws that would require riders to wear helmets, said William Smith, a Dallas-based attorney who works with the TCOC&I and who has represented bikers in the past. | This year, bikers lobbied to make “splitting lanes” legal. Already widely practiced (and in some states legal and considered safe), splitting lanes is when a motorcyclist rides between cars in traffic. Every few years, the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents (TCOC&I) lobbies against laws that would require riders to wear helmets, said William Smith, a Dallas-based attorney who works with the TCOC&I and who has represented bikers in the past. |
| The meeting in Waco on 17 May was meant to be an afternoon to debrief members of the TCOC&I after the National Coalition of Motorcyclists conference in Denver, Colorado. | The meeting in Waco on 17 May was meant to be an afternoon to debrief members of the TCOC&I after the National Coalition of Motorcyclists conference in Denver, Colorado. |
| The lobbying activities point to a sense of legitimacy even among some of the largest “outlaw” gangs in the country, and are part of organized activities that members often point to in response to being described as criminals by law enforcement. | The lobbying activities point to a sense of legitimacy even among some of the largest “outlaw” gangs in the country, and are part of organized activities that members often point to in response to being described as criminals by law enforcement. |
| Organized charity runs and toy drives are evidence of civic engagement, they say, even as law enforcement experts insist some motorcycle clubs veer into criminality. | Organized charity runs and toy drives are evidence of civic engagement, they say, even as law enforcement experts insist some motorcycle clubs veer into criminality. |
| Over the past several years, thousands of organized bikers have asked lawmakers for legislation. | Over the past several years, thousands of organized bikers have asked lawmakers for legislation. |
| “We don’t tell people you need to vote Democrat or Republican,” Smith said. “We say: here are the individuals, this is how they compare with our beliefs, and whatever you do just go vote.” | “We don’t tell people you need to vote Democrat or Republican,” Smith said. “We say: here are the individuals, this is how they compare with our beliefs, and whatever you do just go vote.” |
| TCOC&I holds an annual legislative ride. It fosters voter enrollment and encourages members who are convicted felons to vote. And while Smith describes the organization as a “grassroots” coalition, law enforcement remains dubious. | TCOC&I holds an annual legislative ride. It fosters voter enrollment and encourages members who are convicted felons to vote. And while Smith describes the organization as a “grassroots” coalition, law enforcement remains dubious. |
| Police now believe that more than 300 weapons, including chains, brass knuckles and firearms were found in the Twin Peaks restaurant. (As police have struggled to process evidence from the scene this number has fluctuated between 100 and 1,000.) Texas may deregulate “open carry” of handguns as early as Friday, but Smith said members of the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents were divided about this proposal. | Police now believe that more than 300 weapons, including chains, brass knuckles and firearms were found in the Twin Peaks restaurant. (As police have struggled to process evidence from the scene this number has fluctuated between 100 and 1,000.) Texas may deregulate “open carry” of handguns as early as Friday, but Smith said members of the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents were divided about this proposal. |
| Smith said he would “not belong to an organization that engages, sponsors or participates in anything illegal”, and he called the shooting the result of “a few bad apples”. | Smith said he would “not belong to an organization that engages, sponsors or participates in anything illegal”, and he called the shooting the result of “a few bad apples”. |
| Steve Cook, an oft-cited expert on biker gangs and police officer in Kansas City, Missouri, described TCOC&I as an oversight group that allows Los Bandidos to keep a watchful eye on smaller clubs. | Steve Cook, an oft-cited expert on biker gangs and police officer in Kansas City, Missouri, described TCOC&I as an oversight group that allows Los Bandidos to keep a watchful eye on smaller clubs. |
| “It’s a control thing,” he told the Waco Tribune. “Bandidos are pulling all the puppet strings. It’s basically a way of telling the other clubs, ‘This is how we’re going to do things.’ It’s a way to keep track of them and make sure no one is communicating with the Hells Angels.” | “It’s a control thing,” he told the Waco Tribune. “Bandidos are pulling all the puppet strings. It’s basically a way of telling the other clubs, ‘This is how we’re going to do things.’ It’s a way to keep track of them and make sure no one is communicating with the Hells Angels.” |
| While the legislative rallies clearly show the diversity in the motorcycling world, and the interconnected nature of the clubs, they also show that Bandidos have taken established paths to lobby lawmakers. | While the legislative rallies clearly show the diversity in the motorcycling world, and the interconnected nature of the clubs, they also show that Bandidos have taken established paths to lobby lawmakers. |
| At the 2015 rally in the capitol, men wearing Bandidos “colors” – vests emblazoned with symbolic patches – mixed with other motorcycling clubs and independent riders. | |
| Where the video can be found online indicates how interconnected these clubs are. It was published on Texas Abate Confederation Inc’s website, but posted through the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents’ YouTube account. | |
| The TCOC&I publicized the 17 May meet-up at Twin Peaks’ restaurant in Waco. The woman who reportedly booked the Twin Peaks patio for the meeting, Sandra Lynch, was a member of Los Pirados, a smaller club. | The TCOC&I publicized the 17 May meet-up at Twin Peaks’ restaurant in Waco. The woman who reportedly booked the Twin Peaks patio for the meeting, Sandra Lynch, was a member of Los Pirados, a smaller club. |
| Los Pirados, as well as Los Bandidos, appear to be members of the United Clubs of Waco (Ucow). | Los Pirados, as well as Los Bandidos, appear to be members of the United Clubs of Waco (Ucow). |
| The Cossacks, a group that law enforcement has described as rivals of Los Bandidos, are not. | The Cossacks, a group that law enforcement has described as rivals of Los Bandidos, are not. |
| Lynch regularly organized charity and lobbying events in the biking world, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports. | Lynch regularly organized charity and lobbying events in the biking world, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports. |
| Regional leaders of the TCOC&I did not respond to requests for comment. |