1.  
Todd Magee

2.  Intrigued by gang culture and why people join these
clubs. I wanted to study the Hells Angels because they
are one of the longest running motorcycle clubs. The
Hells Angels are steeped in American culture. They are
one of the most mysterious and well-known biker gangs.
I want to examine the history of the club and the
mystique it carries.
 The Hells Angels are now in over 30 countries and have
in excess of 250 chapters. They have grown to be the
biggest motorcycle clubs in the world. There are many
documentaries, books, and undercover activities by law
enforcement about the club and their structure, with
many questions still unanswered.

3. The Hells Angels are a very secretive and mysterious club.
They are a group of people that fiercely protect their culture
from outsiders. There are not many people outside of the
club that have had a look on the inside.

4. The club was founded after WWII and named after an elite
pilot squadron. In 1958 Sonny Barger was the first leader of
the club where they made their transformation from a party
club into an enterprise setting up chapters all over
California. The first public showing of their newfound
behavior was at a Rolling Stones Show in Altamont, Dec 6,
1969 when they were hired for security, but it turned into a
man getting killed by the group. By the 80’s they had grown
to 70 chapters in and outside of the United States.

5. This is how they view
themselves
Warning: Biker language

6.  The structure of the club is surprisingly set-up like any
other organization with a top down management style, or
a functional structure. Their structure is very similar to
the military with a President, Vice President, and their
officers. President
Vice
President
Seargeant Intelligence Road
at Arms Officer Captain
Club Club Club
Member Member Member
Prospect Prospect Prospect
Hang Hang Hang
Around Around Around

7.  At the very bottom of the organization is the “hang around” and this person
is the grunt for the club. They will do whatever is asked by the members
without hesitation. They will not be given inside information about the
organization and do not get to wear the colors of the club. This stage of the
membership process is used to see if the person has what it takes to be a
Hells Angel. Once the hang around has proven themselves to the club they
will be given a probationary status called a “prospect”.
 The prospect can expect to spend time at this level for at least a year while
the club once again scrutinizes every move they make and they will also
perform a full background check to validate your story. A prospect will be
given a vest to show that they are a prospect, but theirs is missing the
rockers. The rocker is the part of the vest that shows the club name and the
area that they represent. A prospect will be given a top and bottom rocker
upon their induction into the club.

8.  The Angels meet at “church” to discuss new memberships and
business decisions. Notes are maintained for each church meeting
and are once again discussed at national rallies where all top
leadership is attending. Once the prospect’s membership is voted
on at church they will have full access to the organization and their
activities.
TOP ROCKER
BOTTOM ROCKER

9.  When you think of a Baptist Church you would think of a
loving and caring environment, for example the local
First Baptist Church in Troy, Ohio has core values that
value the word of the bible, God, people, and the church.
There is no mention of God being vengeful for our sins.
 When you think of the Hells Angels you would think that
they would have a website named “godhatesfags.com”,
but in fact it is a Baptist Church.
 The Westboro Baptist Church

10.  There can be differing opinions on topics, but to be as extreme as the WBC
is in a sense similar to the Hells Angels. Similar to the motorcycle clubs,
most churches are for the good, but there are the outrageous.

11. The common assumption of the group is that they set out to
cause crimes and are only together for a common “bad”, yet they
do show that they have the ability to care. During the now
infamous shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona there
were six killed and many wounded, a 9-year-old, Christina
Green, was among the killed. In an article written by James King
from the Phoenix New Times, a church from Topeka, Kansas,
the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) plans to protest at her
funeral because they believed that Christina "was killed for your
rebellion when God sent the shooter to deal with idolatrous
America."(King, 2011) According to James King from the
Phoenix Times “Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has rallied and
peacefully prevented the group from getting close to funeral
processions.” (King, 2011)

12. Does the media create this
negative image of the club?
Warning: Biker language

13.  Not to be confused, the Hells Angels are not a group of
people that are model citizens. They have been implicated in
almost every type of crime there is. The most common crimes
with the Hells Angels are shootings, either they are shooting,
or they are being shot at. Typically another motorcycle club is
feuding with the Angels and it moves from fists to guns.
 The club makes money by selling guns, drugs, murder for
hire, and prostitution. The first drug ever sold by the group
was PCP in the 60’s and the term “beads and beards” was
coined referring to the sales to the hippie culture at the time.
The Hells angels are now one of the largest distributors of
methamphetamines in the United States. This behavior is
really where the 1%er patch comes into play.

14.  This group could be considered to many, a detriment to society, or
possibly a saving grace to those who have lost their way and need
something to belong to. None the less they have not been a very
beneficial group to society as a whole.

15.  Administrator (2012). Hells Angels Motorcycle Club World.
http://www.hells-angels.com/?HA=faq
 King, James (Jan 10, 2011). Westboro Baptist Church to Protest Funeral of 9-Year-Old Girl
Murdered in Tucson Shooting; Hells Angels to the Rescue?
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/01/westboro_bapstis_church_to_pro.php
 First Baptist Church (2007). Mission and Values.
http://www.fbctroy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=4&id=17&Ite
mid=33
 Westboro Baptist Church (October, 2008) Barack Obama is Antichrist.
http://godhatesfags.com/fliers/archive/20081024_antichrist-obama.pdf
 Vancouver Province (September 17, 2008). Life as a Hells Angel Prospect:
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5b78bc4c-31b7-48ec-bc19-
5a1751b8d6ce