Wackos in WACO – by Craven Moorehead
Wackos in Waco
Waco, TX: 9 dead, 20 wounded, 177 arrested in Gestapo style police action
An unbelievable and inconceivable blow has been dealt to the entire biker community. Not just club members, but anyone that rides a motorcycle has been affected by this terrible incident.
As readers of the region’s most popular biker magazine, most of you read this publication to be informed, entertained and supported. As a contributor to this entity for over a decade, I feel the necessity to come clean about some of the things that I know and a few of the things that I have experienced in that dark yet enlightening life known by most as the “1%er culture” that so many have formed their own opinions upon. The fact is, there are three sides to every story. Some of the ‘truth’ hasn’t been told. Whether you like it or not, we as bikers all have a particular bond, and I have the fourth side to the story.
If you are a Bandido, you are a member of a 1% motorcycle club that has a vast history and a very large membership. Some sources state the Bandidos MC is the second largest club on the planet and it became a ‘club’ in 1966. As a 1%er you have ultimate dedication to your brothers, your motorcycle, and the open road. The bond that is formed in a 1% club is a lot stronger than any similar type of organization. The regulated media and society in general usually regard 1% clubs as “Gangs” and oft times replace fear with respect. Secrecy and silence are things that are feared by most folks, and if you are a 1%er you will usually keep your business to yourself and not broadcast it publicly to anyone. A 1%er will stand his ground in any situation that arises, and if not provoked will give respect where respect is due. All 1% club members have great respect for their country, family, and their freedom to associate.
If you are a Cossack, you are not a member of a 1% organization and likely should not be flying a “Texas” bottom rocker. The media touts that the police issued a report that stated, “The group was working to grow its presence in Texas by eating into the Bandidos turf.” The group had recently “started wearing the Texas rocker on the bottom of their vests without the approval of the Bandidos,” the bulletin said. “Traditionally, the Bandidos have been the dominant motorcycle club in Texas and no other club is allowed to wear the Texas rocker without their consent. If the club refuses, Bandidos members will attempt to remove the vest by force from the member. Such actions led to several alleged attacks, assaults and robberies according to police, who feared the two factions were on the verge of a full-out war.”
If you are a Cop, you are a member of a much larger and more corrupt organization than either of the aforementioned clubs. As a member of law enforcement you will agree with the media slant on gang violence. As stated above, a LEO is responsible for releasing the foreboding forecast regarding the indifference and tension between these clubs to the hungry press. Some reports indicated that the MC culture is akin to notorious street gangs like the “Bloods,” “Crips” and others. Unlike MC organizations, cops are evidently allowed to turn a restaurant parking lot into a shooting gallery without any respect to public safety, local ordinances, or fear of future ramifications. Some have called this ‘getting away with murder.’ Hey—don’t shoot me; I just report the news.
An incredible injustice has been done to the global biker community
It is alleged by an eyewitness at the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco on that fateful day, that a Cossack member fired a single shot into a Bandidos member’s arm. The barrage of gunfire that followed this action was, according to this witness (and many others) in fact was initiated entirely by law enforcement officers who were already on the scene. It was also said that “when 10 to 12 Bandido members arrived at the restaurant, they were surrounded by a very large group of Cossack members and the incident occurred even before the Banditos had parked or removed their helmets.” There was no ‘fire-fight’ according to witnesses and the needless deaths and injuries were all at the hands of law enforcement. Why, you ask did all this happen? This is my best effort at a reasonable explanation—where actually there is no reasoning. I wasn’t there, and I am fairly glad that I wasn’t. This is all I have learned from my research:
On this particular day at the Twin Peaks restaurant there was a regular “Confederation of Clubs” meeting taking place and several varieties of clubs and bikers were in attendance. Many of you may be familiar with your local COC which are regional entities that bring education to all patch holders and bikers in general. No person or club is asked to ‘not attend’ to my knowledge and these meetings are designed to be solely educational and informative.
COC meetings, for those uninformed is (in some cases) just a lawyer sponsored event where persons who are either in a motorcycle club or those who are friends, supporters or perhaps just curious about the club experience gather to learn about legislation, biker trends & safety issues related to the region, and generally educate each other in the overall biker camaraderie. Each COC is pretty much grounded in similar guidelines, so for the purpose of this report and the future of these organizations I will not try to single out the difference between those that are local vs. those that claim to be national. It pretty much comes down to the fact that most MC organizations have some sort of internal structure that binds them together, and the COC will allow the varying clubs to express the difference in each individual club and their guidelines. I have attended many of these meetings all over the US and have never witnessed any violence or altercations such as the incident in Waco. I have stood side by side (and sometimes toe to toe) with clubs that allegedly (according to the cops) had beef with my club. Yeah, there was always a huge police presence, Feds with fancy video equipment, and an array of strange looking ‘bikers with badges’ who stood out in the crowd like a sore thumb. Never have I encountered the level of debauchery that the Waco LEOs let loose on this day.
27 vehicles seized, 488 weapons found—bloodthirsty cops at the scene
Shooting fish in a barrel is another term used in some of the eyewitness stories that I have read. Most of the accounts reveal that all of the people killed at the scene were shot by police weapons. The cops deny that story and some reports in the media say that the multi-jurisdictional murder-squad, are only claiming responsibility for 4 or 5 of the deaths. Even ONE is too much! I for one know that when you go to Texas you are in an ‘open carry’ state where almost every citizen is armed. Much like Florida—Bikers and Bankers alike, they all carry out there. Therefore, the presence of an armed public shouldn’t be an excuse for cops to get target practice on the public, even if they have previously ‘profiled’ them as dangerous bikers, or ‘gang’ members.
After all the killing was done, people who were in the Twin Peaks and an adjacent business (if they fit the profile as a biker) were dragged out into the bloody parking lot and ordered to stay on the ground until the cops could bind their hands with oversized wire-ties. Buses rolled in to carry ‘detainees’ to another location to be questioned, searched, and booked into the jail. Each person charged appeared before a judge and were held on a $1,000,000.00 (yes One MILLION dollars) bond and many are still incarcerated under what the Leos refer to as RICO charges. I will not get into the ruse that is ‘RICO’ for the sake of brevity. The Government’s RICO act is a 3 page story (read lie) in itself.
Again, I was not in attendance at this particular COC meeting. There are a plethora of stories out there from people who were there and the families of the falsely jailed. They all can’t be wrong.
According to The Waco Tribune-Herald, some bikers who had their bonds lowered to $25,000 have had other conditions included in the bond agreements including they stay out of McLennan County except for court dates, wear ankle monitors, abide by curfews, and don’t associate with biker groups. Remember, these people were not necessarily patch holders! In all cases the bond reduction required the accused to sign a document stating the (cops) had the ultimate right to arrest them as charged and they would NOT sue the cops, city, county or state for the false arrest and egregious bond. I mistakenly thought I lived in America.
Many families and homes have been ruined due to the breadwinner being held in a Gestapo like action that had police profiling written all over it. Nine families of patch holders are burying their husbands, fathers, and family members due to a sad exhibit of police hate, anger, and power.
Allegedly, a multitude of weapons were found on the scene—featuring very few firearms the vast range of so called ‘weapons’ varied from pocket knives to wallet chains to nail clippers. Yeah, the next time I get into an altercation I am gonna whip out my nail-clippers and yell “I’m gonna cut you to the quick MFer!” This is the most ridiculous situation I’ve ever seen. I’ve been a biker pretty much all my life and I can tell you—tell you ALL—as bikers this action affects each and every one of us. Speed safely everyone and keep your eyes and ears open. All is not as it seems.
**The opinions articulated in this article are the authors’ alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Born To Ride Inc.