An unidentified member of the Hells Angels' New Hampshire chapter heads to a hearing at the state Supreme Court in Concord earlier this month. (Bob LaPree/Union Leader)
Posted on 06/14/2002 3:02:50 AM PDT by 2Trievers
LACONIA — As hundreds of members of Hells Angels gather from across the country this week for the largest motorcycle rally in the Northeast, concern for the presence of rival gangs intensified yesterday with word that members of such groups had been seen among the crowds in Weirs Beach.
Yesterday, members of various chapters of the Hells Angels were walking Lakeside Avenue keeping a lookout for members of gangs such as the Outlaws, whom police intelligence sources have said could possibly appear at Laconia’s 79th Annual Bike Week. Other groups that dislike the Hells Angels could also be present among the thousands of riders.
At the New Hampshire Chapter of the Hells Angels clubhouse at the end of Filmore Avenue in Weirs Beach yesterday, a truck barricaded the entrance to the property, which has become a bit of an encampment this week with tents on the lawns.
To be sure those who were not wanted on the property left, a tall man stood guard, arms folded and legs spread, glaring at the driver, motioning to leave immediately.
While none of the members would speak on the record, a number of them said they all were keeping a watchful eye out and have seen signs that make them worry that all might not be as quiet as they might hope.
Hells Angels said they were also receiving considerable support from the crowd, they said, and they feel that if any violence were to erupt, any antagonists would quickly be out-numbered.
Many members from Hells Angels chapters in California are here along with members from the East Coast chapters and Canada.
Those who have been associated with the Hells Angels for years said they have never seen anything as bad as the break-down in the truce among clubs that has led to a string of violence directed at the club, not only in the United States but in other countries.
And no one, it seems, is in a position to negotiate a new agreement that would spare bloodshed
New Hampshire State Police Lt. Terry Kinneen, a nationally known expert on motorcycle club violence, told the Laconia Licensing Board several weeks ago that the rival Outlaws have indicated they had plans to come to Laconia during Bike Week.
In February, 23 heavily armed members of the Outlaws were stopped by police on their way to a confrontation with Hells Angels in Revere, Mass., and on Feb. 23 there was a violent confrontation between Hells Angels and Pagans in Plainsview, N.Y., in which there was one death and 10 injuries.
Last year, he said, there was a truce that included a requirement that the Outlaws not come to Weirs Beach during Bike Week. For more than 20 years, the Hells Angels have been coming to Bike Week and it has come to be considered a Hells Angels event.
Kinneen said more than 80 Outlaws stayed in Alton for the final weekend of the event last year and came as far as the Laconia-Gilford town line, but turned around under the watchful eye not only of police but of Hells Angels members who met them at the town line.
This year, he said, that is not likely to occur.
But whether the rival’s mere presence at the event would lead to violence, no one is quite sure.
Most said they did not feel it likely that any violence would occur in the center of Weirs Beach with the public involved but that if something were to occur, it would more likely not be an orchestrated event but a single act of bravado by a “prospect” or young recruit of one of the gangs.
Many believe that the Hells Angels will not start anything but would most certainly end things.
The most recent confrontation occurred during the Laughlin River Run, a rally of about 80,000 motorcyclists in Nevada on April 27.
There, inside a busy casino, three Hells Angels were killed and 10 other people wounded. Blamed for the attack were members of the rival Mongols, a group with its roots in California.
Since then, several biker gatherings have been canceled, including the 100th Anniversary of Harley Davidson in Old Bridge, N.J., which was to be held May 2.
Citing grave concerns, the Licensing Board voted against the Hells Angels vending sites for the event, but that decision was appealed to the Supreme Court and overturned.
There are 11 vending permits that have been issued for various chapters of the Hells Angels, but only in the past few days have all the vending sites been set up.
Law enforcement officials are also keeping a close eye and a tight lip on the situation, and if they have any information, they are not sharing it with either the Hells Angels, members said, or the public.
Yesterday, the crowds in Weirs Beach were growing larger and louder as the day wore on, and roadways in all directions were filled with riders heading to the Lakes Region.
|
|
An unidentified member of the Hells Angels' New Hampshire chapter heads to a hearing at the state Supreme Court in Concord earlier this month. (Bob LaPree/Union Leader)
Such as "Hello, girlfriend."
It's going to be a cold, wet and miserable weekend here in New England anyway. Looks like I'm going to be cooped up inside all weekend. So I'll probably crank up the fireplace one last time before the summer and get some serious reading done. Hopefully the warm weather makes it up this way eventually. I think we've only hit 80 degrees maybe two or three times this year.
This is too funny...LOL~
Imagine if we conservatives were like that...
Never mind.
Isn't that what gives us such irrepressible charm? LOL &;-P
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.