Press Releases, News & Notes
December, 1998

"Criminal Gang" Notices Go Out to
M. C. Club Members in Portland, Oregon

By Sam Hochberg
Oregon A.I.M. Attorney

Here in rainy Portland, the police have come up with a new twist to harass bikers, and opposition to it has already surfaced from the new Oregon Confederation of Clubs. The police have cooked up this scheme to peg local patch holders as members of "Criminal Gangs." The biker actually gets an official "Gang Affiliation Notification" letter from the cops, and he gets to have a couple of levels of hearings. If you don't contest It, or if you just never get the notice, your name is burned in on that police computer.

A member of the Portland Chapter of Brother Speed M.C. received such a letter, sowe asked for a hearing. Turns out this hearing was just a meeting with a cop at a cop shop. All the patch holder could really argue is that he's not a member, but not whether Brother Speed is in fact a "Criminal Gang." whars worse, the way they define a "Criminal Gang" could probably apply to the Elks Lodge as easily as to a patch club. I've been to law school, and this just doesn't pass that time-honored analysis, the "smell test." In fact, it stinks.

The patch holder and I went to the first hearing, and of course didn't prevail, so we're off to the next level, which involves some sort of "Community Forum." Yeah, right. who's community? I asked the cops to put some bikers on that forum. I won't hold my breath.

We're looking long and hard at this ordinance here in Oregon, for our own sake, and because your town could be next. 'With the help of our own civil rights biker lawyer, Spencer "Spike" Neal, you'll be hearing more about it. We'll keep you posted.