Challenging the public perception of bikers, members of over four different clubs attended a City Council meeting in Modesto California to complain about alleged police harassment.
Groups such as the Hells Angels, Jus Brothers and Top Hatters motorcycle clubs were there to support members of the Most Envied motorcycle club, a mostly Latino outfit from west Modesto who along with representation from lawyers and civil rights activists complained of being targeted by local police, pulled over and asked leading questions.
Those who spoke in front of the council encouraged the Modesto City council to create a police oversight board to address complaints of officer misconduct. Representatives from the Stanislaus County chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People issued the strongest calls for a police oversight board with subpoena power to recover key documents.
With Police assertions the Most Envied motorcycle club are affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs such as the Hells Angels, the implied question of when a motorcycle club can be considered a gang entered the discussion. And if they are, should that diminish their civil rights?
Many speakers who are members of the Most Envied Motorcycle Club denied they were affiliated with any outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Police countered the concerns of harassment by pointing to the low rate of citizen complaints filed against the department, which usually gets about 60 complaints a year out of an average of 176,000 cases or enforcement actions.
Council members encouraged bikers to file formal complaints with the Police Department to create investigations that could lead to prosecutions.
"If there are crimes going on out there, prosecute these individuals to the full extent of the law," said Modesto attorney Ruben Villalobos, who noted that he grew up with many Most Envied members. "If the crimes aren't there, let these people ride their bikes."