VALLEJO The East Bay Dragons, the first all-Black motorcycle club to exist in the Bay Area, has filed a federal lawsuit against Solano County alleging that a county employee concocted a reason to cancel a planned club event at the fairgrounds after hearing that one of its members had associations with the Black Panthers. He says bikes were cheaper, and they didnt get hassled by cops as much on two wheels. Nelson is cousin of cofounder and EBD President Tobie Livingston. Riding is sort of like an active form of meditation, Rasheed says, smoke rising off the cigar in his hand. https://teechip.com/stores/insanethrottlebikernews*** Subscribe to Hollywood \u0026 China Dolls Channel (It's Free )https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXJgel_T8vy6dKmx6vPp2uA Hes a solidly built man with a shaved head. [11] However, they would lose to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 43. And Harper has been a member of the club since. Their friendship with the Black Panthers may have caused confusion for law enforcement, oftentimes putting the bikers in contention with police, but that bond placed the crew in the spotlight which energized members of the East Bay community. Three Bay Area men, including justice reform activist, plead guilty in Norteo RICO murder case, Californias hardest to book campground isnt in a famous park. They really interact with the young kids out here in East Oakland and with families.. said the East Bay Dragons, which is an African-American motorcycle club, is well-liked in the neighborhood because "we give to the community" by sponsoring Christmas parties, delivering . A lot of the members attended weekend rallies to show off their bikes and to listen to speeches given by prominent Black Power movement leaders of the day. These are the cool names for motorcycle clubs you can use: Mustang Motorcycles. The group was actually one of the first of its kind. East Bay Dragons motorcycle club founder dies, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements. The East Bay Dragons were founded by Tobie Gene Levingston in 1959. After following the recommendation of Barger, The East Bay Dragons officially became a motorcycle club in 1959. After World War II, his family moved to Oakland. That includes dozens of African-American groups, like Oaklands East Bay Dragons. [5][6] The team also changed their name to the Bay Area Dragons upon joining the PBA, to avoid confusion with the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. The bikes shiny chrome finish stood out against bright paint, each a different color. [1] Both the Phoenixes and the P. League+ champions of Taiwan were designated by the EASL as Greater China's representatives. At the groups clubhouse in Oakland, pictures of old dances, parties and motorcycle runs cover the walls. Contact information for its California chapter: [18], The One Percenter Encyclopedia: The World of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs from Abyss Ghosts to Zombies Elite. 10 Richie Rich. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? Bikers at the Halfway Run all give their own reasons for riding motorcycles. I had some brothers, and they was all behind me. The East Bay Dragons in the '60s or '70s. Ripper Magazine Vol.15 Old School Chopper Motorcycle Japan Book East Bay Dragons. Besides rap, his passions include motorcycles as well. Dealers at the time wouldnt sell Harleys to black customers, Levingston wrote, so they would buy them used. The motorcycles they fly around the state on are bigger and brighter than the ones the Dragons rode through Oakland in the 1950s. Incident at Iowa Biker Gathering making the news. [2], The team was established under the agreement of the Hong Kong Basketball Association and Chun Yu Basketball Club. I seen a lot of good men, I mean a whole bunch of them, get hooked on that s---" Levingston recalls. At the time, West Oaklands Seventh Street corridor was still a bustling commercial strip, dotted with jazz clubs and black-owned businesses buzzing with customers from Oaklands Army base. Still SEXY at SIXTY The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. Levingston built the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club on the values of community, family, and the tight bonds of brotherhood. Brothers Motorcycle Club. Click To See Our Other Locations Below: Location Address; 1: Double Dragon Chinese Restaurant: East Bay Street (close to Paradise Island Bridge) 2: The club was originally started as a car club by Tobie Gene Levingston, who wrote a book Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and the Black Biker Set along with Keith and Kent Zimmerman. The East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club has gunned its Harleys through the meanest streets of Oakland, California, since the 1950s. MotorBooks International, 15 Dec 2011, Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and the Black Biker Set, Tobie Levingston, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman, Motorbooks, November 15, 2013, The Original Wild Ones: Tales of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club. all that is interesting Hells Angels' old ladies (girlfriends) sit during a rest stop on the group's ride from San Bernardino to Bakersfield, California. There was just one problem: the cars. The Dragons adopted their own uniform. "The East Bay Dragons have been riding strong in Oakland since 1959, making them the oldest all-Black club in America," says Norman in Season 3, Episode 2. He is an Oakland treasure that will be sorely missed. He passed in July 2020. via East Bay Dragons/Flickr. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. OAKLAND Willie Harper still remembers the first time he saw the East Bay Dragons then an emerging motorcycle club roll through the streets of West Oakland. I dont think any cop has a day off when were in town," Tug Boat says. "I like the idea of driving across the [Golden Gate] Bridge, she says. The men riding them had on polished boots and Levi jackets, blue jean pants and matching striped motorcycle helmets, Harper said. "So I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I just kind of thought, well, what do I know?" What does Spellman know? An undated photo of the East Bay Dragons. It hosts annual turkey giveaways for Thanksgiving and adopts several families for Christmas, buying gifts and delivering them in person on Christmas Eve. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member Jack The Mack Wilson poses for a photo at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Kurt Sutter has stated that the inspiration for the fictional motorcycle club The Grim Bastards, portrayed by an authentic Black American MC called 1DOWNMC; featured in the television show Sons of Anarchy was loosely based on the East Bay Dragons and their relationship with the Hells Angels that surpassed racial barriers during the 1960s and 1970s. S tarted in 1959, it was one of the first all-black motorcycle clubs. May he rest and ride in peace., Mr. Levingston built the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club on the values of community, family, and the tight bonds of brotherhood. $45.00. In Truth Be Told, Spellman illustrates the juxtaposition of that kind of East Bay and North Bay life. And they was kind of crazy! he remembers. Internet personality Yo Pesci receives seven year sentence after flashing firearms on social media, Gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, Jury finds Bay Area man guilty of annoying or molesting a child, Convicted murderer charged in 1980 cold case slaying of woman found in rural Solano County. Spellman found this locale to be perfect for reminiscing on her childhood, in effect highlighting the profound influence a long-running regional African American motorcycle club, the East Bay Dragons MC, had on her forming identity. Wheels of Soul MC Book - Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and the Black Biker Set by Tobie Levingston, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman and forward by Ralph "Sonny" Barger. But the Dragons endured through six decades not because of some outlaw image, said Joe Louis, aka Pappa Joe, Levingston, a founding member and brother to Tobie Gene Levingston, the clubs creator. Kory Graffs Wall of ShameTake us to work with you and help us pass the time. Hong Kong was made as the home venue of the Phoenixes. "I grew up with the same exact story, and there were the same black biker movements going on," he revealed. If you came out here and talked to folks, no one is going to say anything negative about the East Bay Dragons, Reid said. In a series of social-media posts Wednesday night, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf praised Levingstons legacy. It gave these guys a sense of accomplishment and something they could really bond over.. Many working class and working poor black families could not afford more than one car per household and Dragons members were no exception. During the initial phases of the creation of the Black Panthers, Newton and Seale approached the East Bay Dragons for ideas and support.[10]. Nate Gartrell covers crime, politics, and corruption in Contra Costa County. . 1 review of East Bay Dragons "These guys are living legends and a great bunch to hang around with, be sure to show up whenever they have an event or if you can catch up with them peeling rubber down the mean streets of East Oakland. By 1959, the East Bay Dragons had developed a reputation among Oakland Police Department for their numerous melees and brawls with local street gangs from East and West Oakland. Wilson has been a . In 2006 Alex Abramovich came across the name Trevor Latham in a high-school alumni note: "I moved to California, became a bouncer, and started a motorcycle club." The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. The "Pagan's Motorcycle Club" has increased membership in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in recent years, law enforcement authorities say. After constant harassment and profiling from the local police, Levingston had considered disbanding the car club. The suit is still in its early stages. Brotherhood Motorcycle Shop. Now the club is suing to recoup those funds, which includes cash to pay for the planned list of featured rappers, singers, and comedian:Whodini, Too Short, Doug E Fresh, Richie Rich, Dru Down, Tony Tone Toni, and Mark Curry, according to the civil complaint. That was 1964. The East Bay Dragons had already established a strong presence within communities in East Oakland. Thanks for Staying Tight & Livingston Right!!! We all enjoy one thing, and thats riding motorcycles," he says. Select Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Option to Add to Your Cart (4) 10 oz. United Bikers Clubhouse. showrunner Nichelle Tramble Spellman (The Good Wife, Justified) explained during Apple TV+'s press junket for Truth Be Told, the newest drama to hit the fledgling streamer's lineup. Real-life California is packed with motorcycle clubs, from the notorious Hells Angels (founded in Fontana, with its best-known chapter in Oakland) to the hundreds of clubs that crisscross the state on bikes today. In Spring of 1967, East Bay Dragons member Joe Louis opened up Papa Joes Soul Food a few short blocks from the clubhouse. Dragons officially became a motorcycle club in 1959 going on, '' he revealed has gunned its through. The men riding them had on polished boots and Levi jackets, jean! They fly around the state on are bigger and brighter than the ones the rode! The groups clubhouse in Oakland, pictures of old dances, parties and motorcycle runs the... 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