164-654: The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club ( RMMC ) or Rock Machine is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Montreal , Quebec , Canada in 1986. It has eighteen Canadian chapters spread across seven provinces . It also has nine chapters in the United States and eleven chapters in Australia, with chapters also located in 24 other countries worldwide. It was formed in 1986, by Salvatore Cazzetta and his brother Giovanni Cazzetta . The Rock Machine competed with
328-687: A first degree murder . Steinert was the biggest pimp in Montreal, owning the Sensations escort service, whose office in Montreal was destroyed in a case of arson in August 1996 by the Rock Machine. In his plea bargain struck in June 1996, Pelletier was sentenced to life imprisonment with a promise that he receive full parole after 10 years served, in exchange for which he shared all he knew about
492-639: A hoax , intended to make fools of those outside the outlaw biker world, and also to serve the purpose of provoking outrage among conservative public and authorities. Frequently, additional patches may involve symbols, such as the use of the Iron Cross , Nazi swastikas , the Sig Rune insignia of the Schutzstaffel or the Totenkopf . These may not indicate Nazi sympathies , but serve to express
656-518: A "patch-for-patch" basis, allowing members to trade their current patches for equivalent Hells Angels while the Bandidos required new members take a reduction in rank. Paul "Sasquatch" Porter, a founding member of the Rock Machine and the president of their Kingston chapter, wrote on the wall of the clubhouse: "Hello to all the RMMC, I wish you the best with your new colors! Bye my brothers!" Porter became
820-550: A Hells Angels-affiliated club called the Death Riders) at a motorcycle shop in Montreal. This ongoing feud largely stemmed over territory and the narcotics trade in Quebec, while also being fueled further by long-standing rivalries, deep-seated hatred and animosities between major players in the Quebec criminal underworld at that time. To provide a general idea of the criminal underworld involvement, it's essential to recall that
984-531: A brazen kidnapping and assault in Toronto. On 8 February 2005 as a member of the Bandidos Burling smashed through the window of a car to yank out a drug dealer named Adam Amundsen. Burling then beat Amundsen for several hours with a baseball bat and his fists to encourage him to pay back a $ 6, 000 dollar drug debt owned to the Bandidos. Burling was convicted of assault and kidnapping, and threatened both
1148-596: A club studied was 34. There are black clubs, white clubs, and Mexican and other Spanish-speaking clubs. Bikers in American prisons, as prisoners generally do, band together along racial lines. It is claimed that racial discrimination within clubs has led to creation of rival clubs in the past, such as the Mongols Motorcycle Club after members were rejected by the local Hells Angels chapter. Some clubs or individual chapters are now multi-racial, but
1312-410: A clubhouse or private compound . Clubhouses, which are often fortified and equipped with a sophisticated security system, serve as a meeting place for a club or chapter. In order to meet the expenditures of running an outlaw motorcycle club, namely the renting, purchase or furnishing of a clubhouse, groups raise funds primarily through membership dues and club fines, the sale of various items to members,
1476-425: A dominance myth of women by men and amplifying the deviance of the male club members. These myths about the women are: that they are subservient working-class women, used as objects for club sexual rites ; are hard-bitten, unattractive, and politically conservative; and that they are 'money makers' for the biker men and clubs, i.e., prostitutes, topless barmaids or strippers who are forced to hand over their money to
1640-614: A hitman, he also at periods worked for the Irish-Canadian West End Gang . During this period both groups started to expand into Ontario with both opening several clubhouses. The Rock Machine would open three chapters in Ontario ( Toronto , Kingston and Niagara Falls ), the Loners had aligned themselves with the Rock Machine, holding a party in Toronto in June 2000 that was attended by dozens of "machinists", as
1804-405: A hockey player turned loan shark, was also a target, but he survived by grabbing a waitress, Hélène Brunet, and using her as an involuntary human shield, ensuring that she took four bullets meant for him. Despite the way Brunet took bullets in her arms, legs and shin, Descoteaux was not charged. The shooter's were infamous Canadian hitman, Gerald Gallant and an unidentified associate of his. Gallant
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#17327767594101968-536: A large enough national impact to be prosecuted under the U.S. Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute. The California Attorney General also lists the Mongols and the Vagos as outlaw motorcycle gangs. The FBI asserts that outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) support themselves primarily through drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, and extortion , and that they fight over territory and
2132-510: A larger one-percent club and are sometimes required to wear a "support patch" on their vests that shows their affiliation with the dominant regional club. Smaller clubs are often allowed to form with the permission of the dominant regional club. Clubs that resist have been forcibly disbanded by being told to hand over their colors on threat of aggression. In Australia and the United States, many MCs have established statewide MC coalitions. These coalitions are composed of MCs who have chapters in
2296-602: A meeting of the leaders of various Hells Angels chapters and other California clubs in 1960 in which the various clubs parleyed over the mutual problem of police harassment. The clubs voted to ally under the patch. In 1963, the Outlaws became the first club east of the Mississippi River to begin wearing the "1%" emblem. Other patches may be worn by members, including phrases and symbols. The style or meaning of these other patches can vary between clubs. Some, such as
2460-722: A member of Hells Angels support club the Rockers MC and a future and prominent member of the Hells Angels. The attempt failed and Quebec police announced that they had arrested five members of the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club for planning to bomb the Evil Ones MC clubhouse which was also aligned with the Hells Angels. With current knowledge of events due to information from Sylvain Boulanger, it
2624-410: A one-piece patch for nonconformist social clubs, two-piece patch for clubs paying dues , a three-piece patch for outlaw clubs or side patches. The three-piece patch consists of the club logo and the top and bottom patches, usually crescent shaped, which are referred to as rockers. The number and arrangement of patches is somewhat indicative of the nature of the club. Since many motorcycle clubs wear
2788-482: A piece of shrapnel penetrated his head. Throughout the 1990s, the province of Quebec witnessed violent confrontations between rivaling outlaw biker gangs with activities that ranged from homicides to bombings. Such violence and brutality was a decade-long conflict between the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine, better known as the "1994 Biker Wars." The Quebec Biker Wars officially began on 13 July 1994, when three (3) masked-men shot and killed Pierre D'aoust (member of
2952-509: A pistol suppressor. After the arrest of Vézina, Frédéric Faucher became the Rock Machine's new national president on 11 September 1997, Alain "Red Tomato" Brunette was promoted to president of the Quebec City chapter. In mid 1997, an imprisoned Hells Angel, Denis Houle, was the victim of an unsuccessful assassination attempt when a Rock Machine member opened fire on him from beyond the prison fence. The resulting investigation first alerted
3116-714: A police crackdown on both groups in which 130 were arrested. in October 1995, Harold Pelletier, one of the heads of the Pelletier Clan(Member of the Alliance), turned himself in to the Sûreté du Québec , confessing that on the night of 7 August 1983, he murdered a drug dealer named Michel Beaulieu who was behind in his payments to the Pelletier Clan, and asked that the police provide him with protection from
3280-535: A prosecutor's request to seize ownership of the Mongols Motorcycle Club logo and name, saying the government had no right to the trademarks. Federal prosecutors had requested, as part of a larger criminal indictment, a court order giving the government ownership of the logo in order to prevent members from wearing the club's colors. Certain large one-percent MCs have rivalries between each other and will fight over territory and other issues. Sometimes smaller clubs are forced into or willingly accept supportive roles for
3444-580: A set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom , nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group. In the United States, such motorcycle clubs (MCs) are considered "outlaw" not necessarily because they engage in criminal activity, but because they are not sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and do not adhere to the AMA's rules. Instead, the clubs have their own set of bylaws reflecting
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#17327767594103608-457: A sign of rebellion against societal standards as opposed to racial ideology. Since 2007. The club has spread across Canada and throughout several other countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, Belgium, New Zealand, Sweden, Serbia, Norway, France, South Africa, England, Spain, Georgia, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Kuwait, Armenia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Turkey. As of 2022,
3772-475: A single, large MC are called charters or chapters , and the first chapter established for an MC is referred to as the mother chapter . The mother chapter serves as the ruling body of the club. Sometimes, the president of the mother chapter serves as the president of the entire MC, and sets club policy on a variety of issues, whereas other clubs either elect or appoint a National President for this role. Larger motorcycle clubs often acquire real estate for use as
3936-658: A situation that, according to police officials, was due to Boucher's respect for his friend, Cazzetta and the latter's connections with the Quebec Mafia , the only organized crime group that the motorcycle gangs were unwilling to attack. Founder of the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club, Salvatore Cazzetta was arrested at a pitbull farm located in Fort Erie, Ontario during 1994. He was charged with attempting to import more than eleven tons (22,000lbs) of cocaine valued at an estimated 275 million dollars US (adjusting for inflation
4100-497: A skull and crossbones patch, or the motto "Respect Few, Fear None", are worn in some clubs by members who commit murder or other acts of violence on behalf of the club. There are also wings or biker's wings , which are earned similarly to jump wings or pilot's wings , but with various color-coded meanings, e.g. in some clubs, it is said that a member who has had sex with a woman with venereal disease can wear green wings . It has also been suggested that these definitions are
4264-522: A truck, which was left near Boucher's favorite restaurant by Alliance member Martin Pellerin. The plan was to set off the explosives by remote control when Boucher arrived, killing him and everybody else in the restaurant, but a Montreal parking officer noticed the truck was parked illegally and had it towed, thus unknowingly foiling the plot. On 24 June 1995, Boucher founded the Nomads, an elite chapter of
4428-517: A vote of the membership and swear some level of allegiance to the club. Some clubs have a unique club patch (cut or top rocker) adorned with the term MC that are worn on the rider's vest, known as a kutte . In these clubs, some amount of hazing may occur during the early stages (i.e., hang-around, prospecting) ranging from the mandatory performance of menial labor tasks for full patch members to sophomoric pranks, and, in rare cases with some outlaw motorcycle clubs, acts of violence. During this time,
4592-462: A way that I didn't want to join them'". The founding members of the Rock Machine were Salvatore Cazzettta, his younger brother Giovanni and Paul "Sasquatch" Porter . Other founding members included, Johnny Plescio , Andrew "Curly" Sauvageau, Renaud Jomphe , Gilles Lambert, Martin Bourget, Richard "Bam Bam" Lagacé, Serge Pinel and several others. The majority of the Rock Machine were former members of
4756-676: Is " A La Vie A La Mort ", or "To the Life Until Death". The club also possesses a patch that reads "RMFFRM" which stands for "Rock Machine Forever, Forever Rock Machine", an extremely common tradition among outlaw motorcycle clubs. The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club gained the status of a "Hang-around" club in May 1999 and after eighteen months, became a probationary chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club on 1 December 2000. Bandidos National Officer Edward Winterhalder
4920-472: Is 1,344,200 square kilometres (518,998.5 sq mi), of which 839,200 km (324,016.9 sq mi) is in Canada and 505,000 km (194,981.6 sq mi) is in the United States. The basin covers parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada, parts of Minnesota , Wisconsin , Illinois , Indiana , Ohio , Pennsylvania , New York , Vermont , and nearly the entirety of the state of Michigan in
5084-409: Is frequently cited as evidence that these clubs do not deserve their negative media image. Outlaw clubs have been accused of using charity rides to mask their criminal nature . The American Motorcyclist Association has frequently complained of the bad publicity for motorcycling in general caused by outlaw clubs, and they have said that the presence of outlaw clubs at charity events has actually harmed
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5248-417: Is known that on 15 July 1994, the hierarchy of the Hells Angels in Quebec held emergency meetings in the city of Longueuil, Quebec . All four chapters in Quebec at the time were present (Montreal, Quebec City, Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke). There was also a meeting at Hells Angels bunker during this period of time. All chapters had to cast a vote on whether or not they would participate in the conflict against
5412-636: Is that country's sixth oldest surviving European place-name. The earliest regular Europeans in the area were the Basques , who came to the St Lawrence Gulf and River in pursuit of whales from the early 16th century. The Basque whalers and fishermen traded with indigenous Americans and set up settlements, leaving vestiges all over the coast of eastern Canada and deep into the St. Lawrence River. Basque commercial and fishing activity reached its peak before
5576-524: Is the second longest river in Canada. Lake Champlain and the Ottawa , Richelieu , Saint-Maurice , Saint-François , Chaudière and Saguenay rivers drain into the St. Lawrence. The St. Lawrence River is in a seismically active zone where fault reactivation is believed to occur along late Proterozoic to early Paleozoic normal faults related to the opening of the Iapetus Ocean . The faults in
5740-694: The Armada Invencible ' s disaster (1588), when the Basque whaling fleet was confiscated by King Philip II of Spain . Initially, the whaling galleons from Labourd were not affected by the Spanish defeat. Until the early 17th century, the French used the name Rivière du Canada to designate the St. Lawrence upstream to Montreal and the Ottawa River after Montreal. The St. Lawrence River served as
5904-730: The Bandidos , the Blue Angels, the Hells Angels and the Outlaws as criminal motorcycle gangs. Outlaw motorcycle clubs first began to appear in Ontario and Quebec in the early 1950s. In 1978, the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada launched Project Focus, an investigation into motorcycle gangs. By 2002, there were 26 motorcycle gangs operating in Canada, the largest and most powerful of which being
6068-661: The Champlain Sea , due to a rebounding continent from the Last Glacial Maximum , the St. Lawrence River was formed. The Champlain Sea lasted from about 13,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago and was continuously shrinking during that time, a process that continues today. The head of the St. Lawrence River, near Lake Ontario, is home to the Thousand Islands . Today, the St. Lawrence River begins at
6232-779: The Gulf of St. Lawrence : Flowing through and adjacent to numerous Indigenous homelands, the river was a primary thoroughfare for many peoples. Beginning in Dawnland at the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the river borders Mi'kma'ki in the South (what is today known as the Canadian Maritimes ), and Nitassinan in the North, the national territory of the Innu people . On the south shore beyond
6396-594: The Hells Angels for control of the street-level narcotics trade in Quebec . The Quebec Biker War saw the Rock Machine form an alliance with a number of other organizations to face the Hells Angels. The conflict occurred between 1994 and 2002 and resulted in over 160 deaths and over 300 injured. An additional 100+ have been imprisoned. Common nicknames for the organization include "R.M.", "Black & Platinum", "RMMC", and "1813". The official Rock Machine club motto
6560-437: The Hells Angels . Canadian biker gangs are involved in money laundering, intimidation, assault, attempted murder, murder, fraud, theft, counterfeiting, loan-sharking, extortion, prostitution, escort agencies, strip clubs, and the trafficking of illegal weapons, stolen goods, contraband, and illicit alcohol and cigarettes. Some of the other major biker organizations (aside from Hells Angels) that have operated in Canada, include
6724-507: The Hudson River . The Accommodation with ten passengers made her maiden voyage from Montreal to Quebec City in 66 hours, for 30 of which she was at anchor. She had a keel of 75 feet, and a length overall of 85 feet. The cost of a ticket was eight dollars upstream, and nine dollars down. She had berths that year for twenty passengers. Within a decade, daily service was available in the hotly-contested Montreal-Quebec route. Because of
Rock Machine Motorcycle Club - Misplaced Pages Continue
6888-913: The Mi'kmaw district of Gespe'gewa'ki , the river passes Wolastokuk (the Maliseet homeland), Pαnawαhpskewahki (the Penobscot homeland), and Ndakinna (the Abenaki homeland). Continuing, the river passes through the former country of the St. Lawrence Iroquois and then three of the six homelands of the Haudenosaunee : the Mohawk or Kanienʼkehá꞉ka , the Oneida or Onyota'a:ka , and the Onondaga or Onöñda’gaga’ . In
7052-503: The Mississippi River ) and the 16th-highest in the world. The estuary of St. Lawrence is often cited by scientists as the largest in the world. Significant natural landmarks of the river and estuary include the 1,864 river islands of the Thousand Islands , the endangered whales of Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park , and the limestone monoliths of the Mingan Archipelago . Long a transportation route to Indigenous peoples ,
7216-673: The North Atlantic Ocean . Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence , traversing Ontario and Quebec in Canada and New York in the United States. A section of the river demarcates the Canada–U.S. border . As the primary drainage outflow of the Great Lakes Basin , the St. Lawrence has the second-highest discharge of any river in North America (after
7380-602: The Outlaws Motorcycle Club . In July 2000, Boucher's plans to set up an internet company were derailed when Robert "Bob" Savard, the loan shark who charged 52% interest on the loans he made to the desperate and needy, was gunned down at the Déjeuners Eggstra! restaurant in the north end of Montreal, Savard had been a Hells Angels associate for several years and was considered a right-hand man for Boucher. Savard's dinner companion, Normand Descoteaux,
7544-672: The Port of Montreal , but also as the Hells Angels have sought to obtain control of the street level trade from other rival or independent gangs in various regions of Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette, quoting from the Provincial Court of Manitoba , defines these groups as: "Any group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have voluntarily made a commitment to band together and abide by their organizations' rigorous rules enforced by violence, who engage in activities that bring them and their club into serious conflict with society and
7708-696: The Thousand Islands chain near Alexandria Bay, New York and Kingston, Ontario ; the Hochelaga Archipelago , including the Island of Montreal and Île Jésus ( Laval ); the Lake St. Pierre Archipelago (classified a biosphere world reserve by the UNESCO in 2000) and the smaller Mingan Archipelago . Other islands include Île d'Orléans near Quebec City and Anticosti Island north of the Gaspé . It
7872-434: The Waffen SS 's double lightning bolt on one of their patches, it is mainly to show respect to the club's historical roots as opposed to the racial meaning of the symbol, due to large numbers of their founding members being a part of the SS Motorcycle Club. It is also worn due to its status in the motorcycle community. It is seen as an outlaw symbol, as society dictates people should not wear it, thus outlaws usually wear it as
8036-434: The Warlocks MC of Pennsylvania sued over their exclusion from a charity event. The primary visual identification of a member of an outlaw motorcycle club is the vest adorned with a large club-specific patch or patches predominantly located in the middle of the back. The patches will contain a club logo, the name of the club, and the letters MC, and a possible state, province, or other chapter identification. This garment and
8200-468: The illegal drug trade and collect $ 1 billion in illegal income annually. Motorcycle gangs frequently begin mutually beneficial partnerships with independent criminals, and maintain a large network of associates by doing so. Crimes are typically carried out by associates rather than "full patch" members in order to protect the club from implication by law enforcement. In 1985 a three-year, eleven-state FBI operation named Roughrider culminated in
8364-414: The probative value of such items is far outweighed by their unfairly prejudicial effects on the defence. Some outlaw motorcycle clubs can be distinguished by a "1%" or "Diamond" shape patch worn on the colors. This is said to refer to a comment made in 1960 by William Berry, a former president of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying
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#17327767594108528-497: The 16th century, French explorers visited what is now Canada and gave the river names such as the Grand fleuve de Hochelaga and the Grande rivière du Canada , where fleuve and rivière are two French words ( fleuve being a river that flows into the sea). The river's present name has been used since 1604 when it was recorded on a map by Samuel de Champlain Champlain opted for the names Grande riviere de sainct Laurens and Fleuve sainct Laurens in his writings, supplanting
8692-406: The 1960s. Here, they are commonly referred to as "bikie gangs". At present, there exist an abundance of outlaw motorcycle clubs in Australia - many of which are homegrown clubs (founded within the country) and have since expanded overseas. However, a good amount of the country's groups are chapters of international one-percenter clubs which originated outside of Commonwealth of Australia such as
8856-403: The 1990s. In 1992, Belgium's Blue Angels club became the first international club in the country when they merged with the Blue Angels of Scotland. The Hells Angels opened its first Belgian chapter in Ghent in 1997. In 1999, the Outlaws formed its first chapter in Belgium through a "patch over" of an indigenous Outlaws club based in Mechelen . The Belgian Federal Police has designated
9020-570: The 1995, with the adoption of three-piece vests). The official Rock Machine club motto is " A La Vie A La Mort ", or "To the Life Until Death". The club the possesses a patch that reads "RMFFRM" which stands for "Rock Machine Forever, Forever Rock Machine", an extremely common thing among outlaw motorcycle clubs. In April 1992, Giovanni Cazzetta was arrested by police and charged with trafficking narcotics, police found him to be in position of three kilograms of cocaine worth around $ 120,000(modern equivalent when adjusting for inflation of $ 246,000 US). He
9184-442: The 2021 value is $ 513,238,697). Claude Vézina , who was President of the Quebec City chapter at the time, became the new National President of the Rock Machine. Renaud Jomphe was made President of the Montreal chapter, while Marcel Demers became the President of the Quebec City chapter until eventually opening the Beauport chapter in late 1996. Recently promoted Hells Angels Montreal President Boucher began to increase pressure on
9348-432: The Angels in exchange for more information about his crimes. Ultimately, Pelletier confessed to committing 17 murders between 1983 and 1995, yet he was convicted only of the murder of Beaulieu. Pelletier's murder of Beaulieu was classified as second degree murder , despite the fact Beaulieu had fallen asleep after Pelletier got him drunk before he was shot. Since the murder was premeditated, it should have been classified as
9512-506: The Angels, that unlike the other chapters, had no geographical limit and were to operate all over Canada. To join the Nomads, applicants were required to commit murders, which ensured that no undercover police agents could enter the Nomads chapter. Additionally, only the highest-quality Angels who had proven themselves could join the Nomads. On 13 August 1995, a Jeep wired with a remote-controlled bomb exploded, killing Hells Angels associate Marc Dube and an 11-year-old boy, Daniel Desrochers, who
9676-425: The Appalachian division at all. The source of the North River in the Mesabi Range in Minnesota (Seven Beaver Lake) is considered to be the source of the St. Lawrence River. Because it crosses so many lakes, the water system frequently changes its name. From source to mouth, the names are: The St. Lawrence River also passes through Lake Saint-Louis and Lake Saint-Pierre in Quebec. The St. Lawrence River and
9840-442: The Bandidos Canada (Rock Machine) including all of its Quebec manpower and many other associates. This put an end to the conflict as it was the first time since the start of the war that both sides had large numbers of men and their respective leaders in custody and facing charges. All in all it is the deadliest recorded biker conflict in history with over 162 dead, over 300 wounded, 100 plus arrested and 20 people missing. It also cost
10004-448: The Beauport chapter and National president Fred Faucher of the Quebec City chapter, were accused of distributed more than two kilograms of cocaine a month and generated almost $ 5 million in profits annually(modern equivalent of $ 8,347,967). Alain Brunette would he promoted to the position of national president, until he became the first president of Bandidos Canada on 1 December 2001, Jean-Claude Belanger would replace Brunette as president of
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#173277675941010168-411: The Hells Angels after they gave the narcotics community of Quebec an ultimatum to have them as their mandatory supplier of all contraband goods and narcotics. This offer was refused and the Alliance was formed; due to the Hells Angels' "monopolistic attitude" they had decided to take the initiative and strike first. A day after on 14 July 1994, The Rock Machine attempted to assassinate Normand Robitaille,
10332-434: The Hells Angels and gave them a list of the remaining members of the Dark Circle which basically led to their collapse, leaving the Rock Machine and fragmented members of the "Alliance" to face the Hells Angels and their support clubs. By 1999 the Rock Machine MC were seriously looking to align itself with longtime Hells Angels rivals the Bandidos Motorcycle Club as the other factions in the Alliance had been devastated, with
10496-415: The Hells Angels and the Mongols MC. The year 2007 saw an increase of the country's amount of OMCG chapters. According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission , there are (at least) 38 outlaw motorcycle gangs operating across the nation as of 2020. Outlaw biker clubs first began to appear in Belgium in the 1970s, and the Belgian biker scene continued to be dominated by small local clubs until
10660-466: The Hells Angels in Quebec at that time (i.e. 1994) were backed by Vito Rizzuto (of the Montreal Mafia), while the Rock Machine were affiliated with the criminal coalition known as the Alliance Against the Angels (otherwise known as the Dark Circle). The two central figures in the 1994 conflict were the leaders of the two warring gangs (Hells Angels and the Rock Machine): Maurice "Mom" Boucher (leader of Quebec's Hells Angels); and Salvatore Cazzetta (leader of
10824-428: The Hells Angels membership to the Rock Machine's Kingston and Toronto chapters while excluding the London chapter, saying that the members of the London chapter were unqualified to be Hells Angels. Most of the Ontario members of the Rock Machine took up Stadnick's offer as it was felt that the Bandidos patch with its cartoonish drawing of a Mexican bandit was "silly". Furthermore, Stadnick offered Hells Angels membership on
10988-401: The Hells Angels. After the Rock Machine emerged in 1986, they quickly became the number one rival of the Hells Angels, and a full-blown turf war between the two biker gangs erupted in the 1990s; unfortunately, claiming more than 150 individual lives, including two (2) prison guards and an innocent 11-year-old boy named Daniel Desrochers, who died several days after a planted car bomb exploded and
11152-403: The Hells Angels. However a concurrent investigation, Operation Amigo, was underway targeting the Bandidos Canada operations. This operation had initially gone under a different title and was created to target the Rock Machine as a result of the conflict in Quebec. When The Rock Machine patched over to the Bandidos they became the main focus. On 5 June 2002, raids led to the arrests of 62 members of
11316-407: The Hells Angels. The Rock Machine MC, its support clubs and the Pelletier Clan would provide manpower while the Dark Circle would provide the funding. The Dark Circle's leadership was ruled by a committee of five. The chairman was Michel Duclos Boucher organized "puppet clubs" to persuade Rock Machine-controlled bars and their resident drug dealers to surrender their illegal drug business. This led to
11480-606: The Merciless Riders, the Executeurs and the SS. The Rock Machine made its living via the sale of narcotics and other prohibited goods. As the Rock Machine charged considerably less for cocaine than the Hells Angels, the gang won much market share in the Montreal area. The Hells Angels had been badly weakened by the Lennoxville massacre , which to the convictions of a number of Hells Angels in the late 1980s. Initially Rock Machine members chose not to wear Hells Angels-style leather vests that could easily identify members, and instead wore rings displaying an eagle insignia (this would last until
11644-431: The Montreal underworld. The Crown justified the plea bargain with Pelletier, given that he was guilty of 17 murders, on the grounds he was a "mine of information" about the underworld of Montreal. Pelletier's motives for striking a plea bargain was that the "Alliance against the Angels" was collapsing with Alliance members defecting over to the Angels, and he wanted Crown protection from the Angels. However, Pelletier violated
11808-666: The ParaDice Riders, Satan's Choice, Lobos and Last Chance "patching" to the Angels. Overnight the Hells Angels went from one chapter in Ontario to 14, giving them a massive advantage in the province. This gave the Hells Angels 29 chapters in total, with 418 full-patch members in Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. On 6 December 2000, 255 police officers tracked and arrested 16 Rock Machine members and associates on narcotics trafficking charges. The "ring", operated by Marcel Demers Leader of
11972-492: The Pelletier Clan associated with the Rock Machine, but had recently switched to the Hells Angels, and as a result the Pelletier Clan hired a hitman named Patrick Call to kill Lavoie. On 28 October 1994, Sylvain Pelletier, the leader of the Pelletier Clan, was killed by the Hells Angels, who threatened to murder any drug dealer who did not buy their supplies from them. After these killings, an increasingly murderous struggle for
12136-590: The Quebec City chapter. Robert Léger would head the Beauport chapter until his death. Also In December 2000, the Rock Machine officially became a probationary club of the Bandidos, seeing the division this caused the Hells Angels would approach the Alliance with the offer of a ceasefire brokered by the Rizzuto crime family , which was accepted. The truce had an ulterior motive for the Hells Angels as they hoped to halt
12300-514: The Rock Machine Montreal chapter, Renaud Jomphe was shot and killed. The Rock Machine leader was seated with fellow club members Christian Deschenes and Raymond Laureau in a booth at the rear of a Chinese restaurant known as Restaurant Kim Hoa, located on Wellington Street. A man entered the establishment and approached the table, fired several shots, and fled out the rear of the building. Jomphe and Deschenes were killed, while Laureau
12464-693: The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club has established over 120 chapters on 5 continents since its inception. In the 2000s, the Rock Machine allied themselves with fellow international Canadian motorcycle club the Loners Motorcycle Club . In approximately 1982, Salvatore Cazzetta was a member of the SS, a white supremacist motorcycle gang based in Pointe-aux-Trembles , on the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal . Fellow SS member Maurice Boucher became friends with Cazzetta and as leaders of
12628-448: The Rock Machine and their alliance. All four chapters agreed and the club began to prepare for the long conflict ahead. The Hells Angels was an international organization and received aid from all over the country and internationally, giving them more support than the Rock Machine. On 19 October 1994, a local drug dealer Maurice Lavoie was gunned down in his car and his girlfriend was wounded. Lavoie had previously been buying his wares from
12792-622: The Rock Machine are known in outlaw biker circles. Also in June 2000 before the Hells Angels. Not wanting to lose ground to the Rock Machine in the province, Hells Angels opened its first clubhouse and in 2000 and gave a limited time offer to outlaw motorcycle clubs in Ontario(especially Satan's Choice and the Para-dice Riders). There would be no probationary period for Hells Angels club membership and all members would receive full-patch. This resulted in 168 members of
12956-547: The Rock Machine has no connection with the first version and just uses the name and the same patch. The website of the second version of the Rock Machine has a "gone, but not forgotten" section devoted to murdered members that failed to list a single Rock Machine biker killed during the Quebec Biker War, but listed the eight Bandidos killed in the Shedden Massacre. Typical of the members of the Rock Machine
13120-409: The Rock Machine itself receiving substantial losses. During May 1999 the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club became a "Hang-around" club for the Bandidos. On 17 April 2000, Normand Hamel, one of the Nomads, was killed when attempting to flee from Rock Machine assassins in a Laval parking lot while he and his wife were taking his son to the doctor. He was the most senior member of the Hells Angels killed during
13284-460: The Rock Machine shortly after the arrest, which initiated the Quebec Biker war . The local Rock Machine Motorcycle Club formed an affiliation, the Alliance, with Montreal crime families such as the Pelletier Clan, Dark Circle and other independent dealers who wished to resist the Hells Angels' attempts to establish a monopoly on street-level drug trade in the city. A violent turf war ensued with
13448-463: The Rock Machine was founded in 2008 in Winnipeg under the leadership of Sean "Crazy Dog" Brown, adopting the original black and platinum colors as their patch. The second version has no connection with the first version. The club's racial policy is all-inclusive and possesses members from several different ethnicities around the world including African Canadian /Americans. Despite the group's use of
13612-500: The Rock Machine's leader Claude "Ti-Loup" Vézina was arrested for drug smuggling, he became the Rock Machine's new leader on 11 September 1997. Faucher decided the best hope for the Rock Machine was to have the club absorbed into the Bandidos, the second-largest outlaw biker club in the world. On 23 August 1998, a team of Rock Machine killers consisting of Frédéric Faucher, Gerald Gallant, and Marcel Demers rode by on their motorcycles and gunned down Paolo Cotroni in his driveway. Cotroni
13776-518: The Rock Machine). The extreme levels of violence, assassinations, bombings, arson attacks, fly-by-fire attacks eventually led to the creation and passing of both Bill C-95 in 1997 and Bill C-24 in 2001 – setting forth harsher punishments and penalties for members of gangs and organized crime groups. Over the next several weeks, the violence reached a peak. In one week in September 1995, there
13940-531: The Rock Machine, with his brother Giovanni and Paul Porter. The journalist Jerry Langton: "The Cazzettas and Porter recruited a number of street toughs-including a few former Outlaws and guys who had been rejected by the Hells Angels-to form a new group called the Rock Machine. In the beginning they were a gang, but not a motorcycle gang. Of course, the Cazeettas, Porter and a few others rode Harleys, but
14104-507: The St. Lawrence River has played a key role in the history of Canada and in the development of cities such as Montreal and Quebec City . The river remains an important shipping route as the backbone of the St. Lawrence Seaway , a lock and canal system that enables world marine traffic to access the inland ports of the Great Lakes Waterway . The river has been called a variety of names by local First Nations . Beginning in
14268-406: The St. Lawrence River includes: Large marine mammals travel in all the seas of the earth, the research and observations of these giants concern fishermen and shipping industry , exercise a fascination and a keen interest for laymen and, subjects of endless studies for scientists from Quebec, Canada and around the world. Thirteen species of cetaceans frequent the waters of the estuary and
14432-640: The St. Lawrence to attack the city from the west, which they successfully did at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham . The river was used again by the British to defeat the French siege of Quebec under the Chevalier de Lévis in 1760. In 1809, the first steamboat to ply its trade on the St. Lawrence was built and operated by John Molson and associates, a scant two years after Fulton's steam-powered navigation of
14596-645: The Swedish branch of the Bandidos, but were expelled by the Swedish police, who declared that they did not want Canadian bikers in their country. Faucher, had been the President of the Rock Machine Quebec City chapter prior to his promotion to National President, he had gained wide attention in underworld circles by blowing up the Hells Angels clubhouse in Quebec City in February 1997 and after
14760-745: The United States). The Seaway (including the Welland Canal ) now permits ocean-going vessels to pass all the way to Lake Superior . During the Second World War , the Battle of the St. Lawrence involved submarine and anti-submarine actions throughout the lower St. Lawrence River and the entire Gulf of St. Lawrence , Strait of Belle Isle and Cabot Strait from May to October 1942, September 1943, and again in October and November 1944. During this time, German U-boats sank several merchant marine ships and three Canadian warships. In
14924-586: The United States. The average discharge below the Saguenay River is 16,800 cubic metres per second (590,000 cu ft/s). At Quebec City, it is 12,101 m /s (427,300 cu ft/s). The average discharge at the river's source, the outflow of Lake Ontario, is 7,410 m /s (262,000 cu ft/s). The St. Lawrence River includes Lake Saint Francis at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield , Lake Saint-Louis south of Montreal and Lake Saint Pierre east of Montreal. It encompasses four archipelagoes :
15088-618: The area are rift -related and comprise the Saint Lawrence rift system . According to the United States Geological Survey, the St. Lawrence Valley is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division, containing the Champlain section. However, in Canada, where most of the valley is, it is instead considered part of a distinct St. Lawrence Lowlands physiographic division, and not part of
15252-498: The brokerage of club shares, sponsoring parties and organizing motorcycle trips. Some clubs also maintain a fund for the legal defense of its members. Some "biker" clubs employ a process whereby members must pass several stages such as "friend of the club", "hang-around", and "prospect", on their way to becoming full-patch (see explanation of 'patching' below) members. The actual stages and membership process can and often do vary widely from club to club. Often, an individual must pass
15416-475: The chapters of the second Rock Machine exist only on the internet. One policeman told Langton about the Rock Machine; "Internet bikers? LOL!" Outlaw motorcycle club An outlaw motorcycle club , known colloquially as a biker club or bikie club (in Australia), is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers , and
15580-411: The club through the conflict until May 1997. In May Giovanni was subject to a police sting in which a man from Alberta attempted to purchase 15 kilos of cocaine(valued at $ 600,000, adjusting for inflation the modern equivalent of $ 1,132,000). This individual turned out to be an informant for the crown. The mules Frank Bonneville and Donald Waite, that delivered the cocaine to the informant were arrested and
15744-401: The club's patches. Hang-arounds or support clubs wear support patches with the club's colors. A member must closely guard their colors for allowing one's colors to fall into the hands of an outsider is an act of disgrace and may result in loss of membership in a club, or some other punishment. The colors worn by members of some motorcycle clubs will sometimes follow a convention of using either
15908-514: The club, the pair became candidates to join the Hells Angels when that club expanded into Canada. Réjean Lessard , the president of The Sorel chapter of the Hells Angels suspected Laval chapter was interfering with drug profits through personal use of products intended for sale. In the Lennoxville massacre, five members of the Laval chapter were killed. Divers located the decomposing bodies of
16072-413: The club. A 1990 paper noted the changing role of women within outlaw motorcycle clubs, and a 2000 paper stated that they now have agency and political savvy, reframing the narratives of their lives. "We did it. We showed them we are real women dealing with real men. I'd much prefer to be living with an OMC member than some dork who is a pawn in the system", said one woman who felt she and her peers had "set
16236-517: The conflict. On 12 May 2000, the Angels tried to kill the two Rock Machine members, Tony Duguay and Denis Boucher, suspected of killing Hamel, leading to a wild car crash, during which Duguay took bullet wounds to his arms, right hand, and thigh. About forty police officers from the Carcajou squad raided the Rock Machine chapter in Beauport but found nothing worthwhile, and in June 2000, the Rock Machine set-up in Ontario began recruiting former members of
16400-577: The control of the drug trade in Montreal began between the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine that would see 20 dead before the end of 1994. After Pelletier was killed, the independent drug dealers of Montreal formed the "Alliance to fight the Angels" headed by his younger brother, Harold Pelletier, whose first act was an attempt to assassinate Boucher in November 1994. Another member of the Pelletier Clan, Martin Simard, purchased enough stolen dynamite to fill
16564-705: The country in April 2009. The first outlaw biker clubs in Germany were established by American military stationed in the country, including the Bones MC, founded in 1968, and the Ghost Riders MC, formed in 1972. St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River ( French : Fleuve Saint-Laurent ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to
16728-483: The creation of The Palmers MC, a Rock Machine MC support club with chapters in Montreal and Quebec City, it was created to counter Hell's Angels allies, the Rockers MC, Evil ones and Death Riders MC support clubs. It was led and organized by Rock Machine members Jean "Le Francais" Duquaire and André "Dédé" Désormeaux, who was initially a member of the Dark Circle but joined the Rock Machine, these two were described as
16892-528: The denigration of women, maintaining a macho image, and the heavy use of drugs and alcohol. Many non-outlaw motorcycle clubs adopt similar insignia, colors, organizational structures, and trappings to outlaw clubs, making it difficult for outsiders (including police ) to tell the groups apart. Much of the mystique and many of the unwritten rules, values, and ideals of non-outlaw clubs are believed to come from outlaw clubs. Outlaw clubs are often prominent at charity events, such as toy runs. Charitable giving
17056-480: The earlier names. In contemporary French, the name is rendered as the fleuve Saint-Laurent . The name Saint-Laurent (Saint Lawrence) was originally applied to the eponymous bay by Jacques Cartier upon his arrival into the region on the 10th of August feast day for Saint Lawrence in 1535. Indigenous people use the following names: In winter, the St. Lawrence River begins producing ice in December, with
17220-543: The early 17th century, the Huron-Wendat Nation migrated from their original country of Huronia to what is now known as Nionwentsïo centred around Wendake . Nionwentsïo occupies both the north and south shores of the river, overlapping with Nitassinan and the more western Wabanaki or Dawnland countries. Adjacent on the north shore is the Atikamekw territorial homeland of Nitaskinan and, upstream,
17384-415: The entire club. This appears to make these groups extremely gender segregated. This has not always been the case, as during the 1950s and 1960s, some Hells Angels chapters had female members. Academic research has criticized the methodology of such previous studies as being "vague and hazy", and lacking in participant demography. Such reports may have made clear statements and authoritative analyses about
17548-406: The expansion of the Bandidos in Canada, especially Ontario. The Hells Angels would also convince members of the Rock Machine who did not agree with the "patch-over" to join them. The truce would last for only a brief period before hostilities continued. In December 2000, most of the Rock Machine's Ontario members joined the Hells Angels. The Hells Angels national president, Walter Stadnick , offered
17712-593: The farthest headwater to the mouth and 1,197 km (743.8 mi) from the outflow of Lake Ontario. These numbers include the estuary; without the estuary, the length from Lake Ontario is c. 500 km (c. 300 mi). The farthest headwater is the North River in the Mesabi Range at Hibbing , Minnesota. Its drainage area, which includes the Great Lakes, the world's largest system of freshwater lakes,
17876-565: The following: The late 1970s and early 1980s were considered to be the "golden age" in Western Canada for independent outlaw motorcycle clubs. Outlaw motorcycle clubs first appeared in the Canadian province of Quebec during the early 1950s. By the year 1968, the province was home to at least 350 of such groups – with most of, if not all, being "home-grown" – rather than having origins outside of Canada (or even Quebec). Some of
18040-463: The formation of ice cubes between Montreal and Quebec City . The prevailing winds and currents push this ice towards the estuary, and it reaches the east of Les Méchins at the end of December. Ice covers the entire Gulf of St. Lawrence in January and February. Ice helps navigation by preventing the formation of waves, and therefore spray, and prevents the icing of ships. With the draining of
18204-471: The further reaches of Anishinaabewaki, specifically the homelands of the Algonquin and Mississauga Nations. The Norse explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the 11th century and were followed by fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century European mariners, such as John Cabot , and the brothers Gaspar and Miguel Corte-Real . The first European explorer known to have sailed up the St. Lawrence River itself
18368-412: The gang. These clubs are referred to as support clubs, satellite clubs or puppet clubs. They act as auxiliary groups, providing support to the larger club by propelling their influence further, acting as sources of recruitment and various other ways in return for protection and to bolster their reputations. Support clubs can also be used to help the principal club facilitate criminal activities. Although
18532-500: The government of Canada and Quebec millions of dollars in damages with 84 bombings , and 130 cases of arson . In 2007, the former Winnipeg chapter of the Bandidos renamed themselves the Rock Machine. After the first president of the Winnipeg Bandido chapter, Michael Sandham was arrested in June 2006, he was replaced as president by Ron Burling, who became the driving force behind the new Rock Machine. The second version of
18696-550: The grandfathers of the Palmers MC, all of its members would be patched into the Rock Machine in 2000. The starting point of the conflict is disputed; however on 13 July 1994, three members of the Rock Machine entered a business in downtown Montreal. They assassinated Pierre Daoust, a member of a Hells Angel support club, the Death Riders Motorcycle Club. Once it was confirmed they had the right target he
18860-519: The hierarchical orders and bonds of "amoral familism" of other criminal organizations such as the Mafia. U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent William Queen , who infiltrated the Mongols , wrote that what makes a group like them different from the Mafia is that crime and violence are not used as expedients in pursuit of profit, but that the priorities are reversed. Mayhem and lawlessness are inherent in living "The Life" and
19024-426: The judge and the crown attorneys with violence when his appeal was quashed. Burling tried to lift the bench to throw at somebody, but was tasered by the court marshals. Burling was one of the founding members of the new Rock Machine in 2008. Langton mocked the claims that the second Rock Machine had no connections with criminality, noting that Burling had joined the Rock Machine while he was in prison for assault. Most of
19188-569: The largest OMG bust in history, with the confiscation of $ 2 million worth of illegal drugs, as well as an illegal arsenal of weapons, ranging from Uzi submachine guns to antitank weapons. In October 2008, the FBI announced the end of a six-month undercover operation by agents into the narcotics trafficking by the Mongols Motorcycle Club. The bust went down with 160 search warrants and 110 arrest warrants Canada, especially, has in
19352-489: The largest tributaries of the Great Lakes . The St. Lawrence River tributaries are listed upstream from the mouth. The major tributaries of the inter-lake sections are also shown, as well as the major rivers that flow into the Great Lakes. Great Lakes tributaries are listed in alphabetical order. The list includes all tributaries with a drainage area of at least 1,000 square kilometres and an average flow of more than 10 cubic metres per second. tributary The diversity of
19516-511: The last one percent were outlaws. The alleged AMA comment, supposedly in reference to the Hollister riot of 1947, is denied by the AMA, who claim to have no record of such a statement to the press and that the story is a misquote. Whether the original quote is true or not, the "1%" patch is worn only by clubs characterized by criminality. Outlaw clubs began wearing the "1%" patch after Hells Angels president Sonny Barger convened
19680-517: The late 20th century experienced a significant upsurge in crime involving outlaw motorcycle clubs, most notably in what has been dubbed the Quebec Biker War , which has involved more than 150 murders (plus a young bystander killed by an exploding car bomb ), 84 bombings , and 130 cases of arson . The increased violence in Canada has been attributed to turf wars over the illegal drug trafficking business, specifically relating to access to
19844-503: The law". The Hells Angels sponsors charitable events for Toys for Tots in an attempt to legitimize themselves with public opinion. Contrary to other criminal organizations, OMGs operate on an individual basis instead of top-down, which is how supporters can claim that only some members are committing crimes. Belonging guarantees to each member the option of running criminal activity, using other members as support—the main characteristic of OMGs being "amoral individualism", in contrast to
20008-522: The main route for European exploration of the North American interior, first pioneered by French explorer Samuel de Champlain . Control of the river was crucial to British strategy to capture New France in the Seven Years' War . Having captured Louisbourg in 1758, the British sailed up to Quebec the following year thanks to charts drawn up by James Cook . British troops were ferried via
20172-469: The money they obtain by illegal means is only wanted as a way to perpetuate that lifestyle. Recently, authorities have tried tactics aimed at undermining the gang identity and breaking up the membership. But in June 2011 the High Court of Australia overturned a law that outlawed crime-focused motorcycle clubs and required members to avoid contact with one another. In the U.S., a Federal judge rejected
20336-686: The most notable outlaw biker gangs at this time were Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club , Popeye Moto Club , Devil's Disciples Motorcycle Club (unrelated to the American group of the same name ), the Gitans, the Atomes, the Missiles MC, and of course, Hells Angels. The largest, most-feared chapter of Hells Angels was formed in Montreal, Quebec in 1977, when a biker gang called the Popeyes joined up
20500-557: The narcotics seized by police, Matticks, Bonneville and Waite pled guilty on 17 June 1997, and were sentenced to three, four, and two years respectively. Claude Vézina would be momentarily reinstated as National president of the Rock Machine. Giovanni attempted to fight the charges brought against him, however he would lose these appeals, he was sentenced to 5 years prison time in April 1998. While Maria Cazzetta, Giovanni's sister and Suzanne Poudrier received one year conditional sentences On 19 May 1997. Prominent Rock Machine member Serge Cyr
20664-543: The needy by driving down public participation and reducing donations. Events such as a 2005 shootout between rival outlaw clubs in the midst of a charity toy drive in California have raised fears about the participation of outlaw biker clubs in charity events. Authorities have attempted to ban outlaw clubs from charity events, or to restrict the wearing of colors at events in order to avert the sort of inter-club violence that has happened at previous charity runs. In 2002,
20828-406: The new member affirms his loyalty to the club and its members. The final logo patch is then awarded. Full members are often referred to as "full patch members" or "patchholders" and the step of attaining full membership can be referred to as "being patched". The majority of members of outlaw motorcycle clubs have no serious criminal record, and express their outlaw status on a social level, equating
20992-668: The number of "white supremacist biker clubs are growing nationwide", according to the ADL . Many members of outlaw motorcycle clubs engage in criminal activities and organized crime and "pose a serious domestic threat". Law enforcement agencies perceive such individuals and motorcycle clubs as being unique among criminal groups because they maintain websites and businesses, identify themselves through patches and tattoos, write and obey constitutions and bylaws, trademark their club names and logos, and even hold publicity campaigns aimed at improving their public image. The term "outlaw motorcycle gang"
21156-488: The outflow of Lake Ontario and flows adjacent to Gananoque , Brockville , Morristown , Ogdensburg , Massena , Cornwall , Montreal , Trois-Rivières , and Quebec City before draining into the Gulf of St. Lawrence , often given as the largest estuary in the world. The estuary begins at the eastern tip of Île d'Orléans , just downstream from Quebec City. The river becomes tidal around Quebec City. The St. Lawrence River runs 3,058 kilometres (1,900 mi ) from
21320-469: The outlaw biker culture. The U.S. Department of Justice defines "outlaw motorcycle gangs" (OMG) as "organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises". While organizations may vary, the typical internal organization of a motorcycle club consists of a president , vice president , treasurer , secretary , road captain, and sergeant-at-arms (sometimes known as enforcer ). In some clubs, localized groups of
21484-620: The outlaw biker's total rejection of social constraints, and desire for the shock value among those who fail to understand the biker way. Most outlaw motorcycle clubs do not allow women to become full-patch members. Rather, in some 1%er clubs, women have in the past been portrayed as submissive or victims to the men, treated as property, forced into prostitution or street-level drug trafficking, and often physically and sexually abused, their roles as being those of obedient followers and their status as objects. These women are claimed to pass over any pay they receive to their partners or sometimes to
21648-481: The outlaw motorcycle club subculture has a tendency to be associated with the United States, a large number of regional scenes have emerged transcontinentally within countless nations across the globe. Europol has reported that there has been steady growth in the membership of outlaw motorcycle clubs worldwide since the year 2005. Outlaw motorcycle clubs are reported to have first appeared in Australia during
21812-511: The patches themselves are referred to as the colors or cut (a term taken from the early practice of cutting the collars or sleeves from a denim or leather jacket). Many non-outlaw motorcycle riding clubs such as the Harley Owners Group also wear patches on the back of their vests, without including the letters MC . The club patches always remain property of the club itself, not the member, and only members are allowed to wear
21976-619: The president of the Hells Angels new Ottawa chapter. The fact that the Hells Angels had conspired to kill Porter when he was a member of the Rock Machine did not stop him from defecting. Regardless of the prior issues, on 1 December 2001. The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club became official members of the Bandidos Canada in a "Patch-Over" ceremony at the Rock Machine's Kingston chapter club house. The Bandidos Canada inherited seven new chapters(Montreal, Quebec City, Point-Aux-Trembles, Beauport, Toronto, Kingston and Niagara Falls). On 28 March of
22140-422: The prospect may wear the club name on the back of their vest, but not the full logo, though this practice may vary from club to club. To become a full member, the prospect or probate must be voted on by the rest of the full club members. Successful admission usually requires more than a simple majority, and some clubs may reject a prospect or a probate for a single dissenting vote. A formal induction follows, in which
22304-404: The public to the existence of the Dark Circle, and it was reported the Hells Angels would pay well for information identifying the members of the Dark Circle. Over the next two years, two members of the Dark Circle were murdered by the Hells Angels while a third escaped when the Hells Angels shot and killed the wrong Serge. As the war turned into a battle of attrition the Hells Angels began to gain
22468-648: The record straight". One woman in 2001 described the previous work done by men about women in the outlaw motorcycle club world by saying "the men that wrote that must be meatheads". They [women] are part of the scene because they want to be and enjoy it. These women have broken from society's stereotypically defined roles and find freedom with the biker world. High-profile outlaw bikers have historically been white and their clubs are typically exclusively racially homogeneous. Other sources state outright, that "With few exceptions, blacks are excluded from membership or riding with one-percenter biker clubs." The average age for
22632-439: The restaurant of a downtown hotel. The men were forced to lie facedown on the ground, they were searched, and then placed under arrest. Richard Lagacé and Denis Belleau were among those arrested, many were freed the next day, after swearing to stay away from the others that were picked up by police. Disaster struck the Dark Circle, when one of their number, Salvatore Brunnettii, a restaurateur, bar owner and drug dealer, defected to
22796-411: The role of women associated with outlaw motorcycle clubs, but few state how they have come to such conclusions; one admitting that, "[his] interviews with biker women were limited lest [his] intentions were misinterpreted" by their male companions and that such views of women are mythic and "sexist research" in itself, using deeply flawed methodologies and serve two highly political purposes of maintaining
22960-478: The same year, a massive investigation by Canadian authorities dubbed Operation Springtime was launched against the Hells Angels. The raids resulted in the arrests of 138 members of the Hells Angels including Maurice Boucher himself and associates connected with the motorcycle club. This brought about a power vacuum in the country's narcotics market. The Bandidos Canada were looking to take advantage of this opportunity to regain territory lost and take new territory from
23124-505: The state, and the occasional interested third party organization, and hold periodic meetings on neutral ground where representatives from each club meet in closed session to resolve disputes between clubs and discuss issues of common interest. Local coalitions or confederations of clubs have eliminated some of the inter-club rivalry and together they have acted to hire legal and PR representation. Larger outlaw motorcycle clubs will often establish localized smaller clubs that are subservient to
23288-625: The terms of his plea bargain, under which he promised not to commit any more crimes, when he was caught in 2002 attempting to bribe another prison inmate to kill a prisoner whom he disliked, allowing the Crown to revoke its agreement and Pelletier was not released in June 2006 as was promised 10 years earlier. Pelletier finally received full parole in December 2013 after he completed his high school equivalency degree, started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and demonstrated an ability to get along with penitentiary staff. On 18 October 1996. President of
23452-488: The three-piece patch arrangement, this is not necessarily an indication that a club is an outlaw motorcycle club. Law enforcement agencies have confiscated colors and other club paraphernalia of these types of clubs when they raid a clubhouse or the home of a MC member, and they often display these items at press conferences. These items are then used at trial to support prosecution assertions that MC members perform criminal acts on behalf of their club. Courts have found that
23616-622: The upper hand as ever-increasing levels of support poured in from around Canada and internationally, but at the same time, the Great Nordic Biker War was taking place, and the Rock Machine was impressed with the way that the Scandinavian branches of the Bandidos held their own against the Scandinavian branches of the Hells Angels. In June 1997, the three leaders of the Rock Machine, Fred Faucher, Johnny Plescio, and Robert "Tout Tout" Léger, went to Stockholm to seek support from
23780-548: The vast majority didn't". Cazzetta spoke fluent French, English and Italian and had contacts with the Rizzuto crime family , the West End Gang , and the Dubois Gang . Giovanni Cazzetta would hold the position of second-in-command. Only Salvatore would hold more influence. Future Rock Machine National President, Fred Faucher later said, "Sal once told me, 'Those guys (Hells Angels), they operate their club in such
23944-438: The victims at the bottom of the St. Lawrence River , wrapped in sleeping bags and tied to weightlifting plates , two months after the party. The event became known as the " Lennoxville massacre ," and its extreme nature earned the Quebec chapter of the Hells Angels a notorious reputation. Cazzetta considered the event an unforgivable breach of the outlaw code and, rather than joining the Hells Angels, in 1986 formed his own club,
24108-469: The virtually impassable Lachine Rapids , the St. Lawrence was once continuously navigable only as far as Montreal. Opened in 1825, the Lachine Canal was the first to allow ships to pass the rapids. An extensive system of canals and locks, known as the St. Lawrence Seaway , was officially opened on 26 June 1959 by Elizabeth II (representing Canada) and President Dwight D. Eisenhower (representing
24272-468: The word "outlaw" with disregard for the law of groups like the American Motorcyclist Association , not the laws of government. Outlaw bikers view themselves as a fraternity of men who reject societal norms, and their sense of brotherhood is reflected in tattoos, the wearing of club " colors ", and earning ranks and titles within a club or chapter. However, there is also a subculture of outlaw biker activity which revolves around performing outrageous acts,
24436-415: Was Jacques Cartier . At that time, the land along the river described as "about two leagues, a mountain as tall as a heap of wheat" was inhabited by the St. Lawrence Iroquoians . During Cartier's second voyage in 1535, because Cartier arrived in the estuary on Saint Lawrence 's feast day 10 August, he named it the Gulf of Saint Lawrence . The St. Lawrence River is today partly within the U.S. and as such
24600-597: Was a member of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta Cotroni crime family who were the rivals of the Sicilian Mafia Rizzuto crime family . Cotroni was killed partly to gain the favor of the Rizzutos and partly because he was a friend of Boucher. On 8 September 1998, Johnny Plescio, a founding member of the Rock Machine, was at his Laval home watching television when his cable was severed. As he rose to see what
24764-487: Was acting under the orders of the Rocker president, a man known as Gregory "Pissaro" Wooley, murdered Rock Machine member Jean-Marc Caissy as he entered a Montreal arena to play hockey with his friends. In early 1997, Giovanni Cazzetta was released from prison, he would return to the Rock Machine, Claude Vézina willing stepped down and Giovanni was given the position of National President in his brother's absence. He would lead
24928-572: Was all the result of a sting operation set up by the Quebec police. A police informant had completed seven transactions of narcotics with the two members of Rock Machine, during a five-month period. The massive raid launched by authorities as part of Operation Carcajou resulted in the seizure of a laboratory where narcotics such as PCP and methamphetamine were produced. $ 1,500,000 worth of various other narcotics, over 325 kg (716.5 lbs) of dynamite along with detonators, seven pistols, two fully automatic machine guns, three semi-automatic carbines and
25092-508: Was an assassination in a parking lot; bombings at a strip club, a bar and the mansion of an organized crime figure; arson attacks on a pawn shop, tanning salon and a used-car lot; and a friendly-fire incident where bikers accidentally killed three members of their own club. The Hells Angels (or "H-A" as they're often referred to) were, and continue to be, one of the more prominent biker gangs still in existence today in Quebec and other regions of Canada – having at least 34 different chapters across
25256-483: Was coined by the journalist Hunter S. Thompson in 1966 and was subsequently adopted by federal and local law enforcement agencies in the United States and elsewhere. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Criminal Intelligence Service Canada have designated four MCs as "outlaw motorcycle gangs": the Hells Angels , the Pagans , the Outlaws , and the Bandidos , known as the "Big Four". These four have
25420-557: Was employed by Michel Duclos, the leader of the Dark Circle and also frequently carried out contracts for the Rock Machine during the conflict with the Hells Angels, from 1980 to 2003, he was responsible for 28 murders and 13 attempted murders. His most active years were during the Quebec Biker War, where he killed two members of Hells Angels support clubs in 1997 and a third survived an assassination attempt. In 1998 when he eliminated five men, including Paul Cotroni Jr., son of deposed mob boss Frank Cotroni, making 1998 his most prominent year as
25584-449: Was forced to plead guilty to four charges the following spring and would be sentenced to four years in prison, Giovanni was released in 1997 and briefly participated in the conflict that was to come. Marice Boucher, was released after finishing a forty-month sentence for armed sexual assault , joined the Hells Angels and was subsequently promoted within the club's ranks. The Hells Angels and Rock Machine co-existed peacefully for many years,
25748-455: Was placed under arrest and charged with conspiracy along with 13 others including members of the Rock Machine, Pelletier Clan and Palmers MC for planning the murder of Hells Angels president Maurice "Mom" Boucher. In 1994, a stolen van loaded with explosives was discovered outside the Cri-Cri restaurant on St. Catherine street, the restaurant was an establishment that Boucher often ate at. Cyr
25912-434: Was playing in a nearby schoolyard, An Interpol informant claimed that the plan was created and facilitated by Boucher to earn back public credit. The first Full-Patch Hells Angels member was shot to death entering his car at a shopping mall a month later. Nine bombs went off around the province during his funeral targeting several Hells Angels businesses and properties. This series of violence related to Operation Wolverine ,
26076-429: Was put in charge of overseeing the transition by Bandidos International President, George Wegers. The original version of the Rock Machine (1986–1999) in Canada changed their colors from black and platinum to red and gold in May 1999; their colors remained red and gold until they became "Full-Patch" Bandidos on 1 December 2001. In a "patch-over" ceremony at the Rock Machine's Kingston chapter clubhouse. A second version of
26240-529: Was released soon after, with the condition that he would report to police once a week, which he never did Cyr gained reputation from this and after the December 2000 arrests, he was promoted to President of the Montreal chapter. On 21 May 1997, Claude Vézina and his sergeant-at-arms Dany "Le Gros" Légaré were both charged with the trafficking of narcotics. In order to conduct his arrest, police had to sneak by guard dogs that he had located on his property; they entered his home and arrested him in his bedroom. This
26404-406: Was shot 16 times in the head and torso. There was very little coverage over this incident however many in Montreal's underground knew that the Rock Machine was defending its territory, months before the death of Daoust. The members of the Alliance (Rock Machine MC, Pelletier Clan, The Dark Circle) as well as other individual narcotics dealers and street gangs all met to discuss a united front against
26568-514: Was the president of the Winnipeg chapter, Ron Burling, described by the journalist Jerry Langton as a man with a shaven hed, bushy goatee beard, his entire body covered in tattoos except for his face and described him as a "physically huge man". Burling's Facebook profile described him as "a member of the Rock Machine Nomads" and his occupation as "Edmonton Maximum Security Penitentiary General Population". Burling had been convicted of
26732-555: Was wounded in the shoulder. One of the Paradis Brothers, Peter Paradis, would succeed Jomphe as president of the Montreal chapter, taking over much of his business in the suburb of Verdun. In November 1996, the Rock Machine planted a bomb in the old Hells Angels bunker in St. Nicholas and the residential neighborhood where it was located was shaken by the immense force of the blast. The bunker received significant damage. On 28 March 1997, Rocker member Aimé Simard , stating he
26896-484: Was wrong with his television, 27 bullets went through Plescios's living room window, 16 of which struck him. At Plescio's funeral, a flower arrangement appeared bearing the word Bandidos, which was the first sign that the Bandidos Motorcycle Club of Texas was taking an interest in the Rock Machine. On 28 October 1998. Police arrested 25 Rock Machine members and associates as they were eating dinner in
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