Sunday 19 October 2014

Phantom`s MC

This club is one of the lesser known OMG`s or as they like to point out, a 1%er club. The Phantom`s started out in the late 1950`s as a car club, but it was in 1962, that they voted to become a bike club from there on, and have been going strong for 52 years.  The club is based in Detroit, and has a small number of chapters, though reports of where they exactly are, can be mistaken.  They do have chapters in Washington DC, Maryland, Florida, a Nomad chapter - Nomads do not have a set base, hence the name - and one in Georgia.  They are said to be in Ohio and Kentucky. ( I am willing to be corrected on any point here)

    But, as with many OMG`s, they come under scrutiny of Law Enforcement, and nine arrests went down in 2013, with all facing charges of Conspiracy to Commit Murder, along with racketeering and other charges.  They were said to be a violent and armed gang, but this is only hearsay and charges have to be proven in a court of law, otherwise they are to be regarded as innocent.  They, like all other clubs, have their motto, ******** Forever Forever *******  I have stated before on another post that crime writer Yves Lavigne was right, in that he did not regard the HA as a criminal organisation, but an organisation of criminals.  There is a difference.  Clubs will have criminals in their ranks, but also will have members who will not take anything thrown at them.  The task force that arrested the nine, was a multi-force co-operation, comprising local, state, ATF, FBI and other agencies.  Questions were raised about so many cops yet so few arrests!  

    If any bikers from the States can help with a question, it would be appreciated.  I remember getting a few issues of "Chopper" during 1976 - we did get it over here in Blighty - and one guy wrote a story about a solo trip to Alaska on his bike.  He was black, and was in a Detroit club.  To this day, I remember him putting that it was a club of 35 men, no women.  Would anybody know what this club was?  I do put up a good few posts about bike clubs because bikes have always been a great interest to me, though I could never get to grips riding one.  Two of my brothers had bikes, my dad did, and so did his dad.  Plus, the biking world does not consist solely of the HA.  Ciao!

No comments:

Post a Comment