(Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) The East Bay Dragons have a record of service to the community and have supported many local charitable organizations, including riding for breast cancer, AIDS awareness and violence awareness. And Harper has been a member of the club since. The motorcycles they fly around the state on are bigger and brighter than the ones the Dragons rode through Oakland in the 1950s. It sits on a bright yellow square with a green dragon and red lettering of the club's name, underscored by the word "Oakland.". I love the East Bay Dragons 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. And for an MC, especially one featuring all black men during a notorious time of civil unrest in America, the representation given to this East Bay community is an uncommon one. Its why Nelson knows the club will endure for another 60 years. Until 1959, most black motorcycle clubs were "Drill Teams" consisting of World War II veterans. The East Bay Dragons formed in 1959, during a time when the image of a black man riding a motorcycle could provoke a strong reaction. The East Bay Dragons have a a rich history as the first all-black motorcycle club. The club moved in and out of garages and warehouses before buying a hall in the 8700 block of then-East 14th Street in 1977. Instead, the event was canceled at the last minute, after the Dragons had spent thousands in fees and planning. 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. An undated photo of the East Bay Dragons. History As a car club. Theyd only talk about the good things they do and how they are positive role models for our children., Insane Throttle Support Club Become a member Now, Insane Throttle/Motorcycle Madhouse Radio YouTube and Audio Disclaimer, Meet the Insane Throttle Contributing Columnist James Hollywood Macecari, Motorcycle Clubs Riding Clubs and Associations Near Me Index & Listings, Our Policies here at Insane Throttle Publications. East Bay Dragons founder Tobie Levingston in 2012: I'm really honored I got to meet him. Going up North with a story about a Hells Angels Motorcycle Club member. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. He passed in July 2020. Check out the rest of the story here: https://t.co/6pHvA0Hemp, And watch #JayLenosGarage TONIGHT 10p ET. Other makes of motorcycles are not allowed. This year marks the Dragons 55th year as a motorcycle club, and they enjoy elder statesman status among the black motorcycle set. Bob Stokstad Photo. A man and a woman are dead after a Sunday night shooting near the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club that left another woman hospitalized with major injuries. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: 524 is inscribed in a motorcycles windshield when is used for races and represents EBD, in the alphabetical order, for the East Bay Dragons at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. [7][8][9] In May 2022, former NBL coach and incumbent Australia Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian was announced as the team's first head coach. And, while Truth Be Told examines the impact of media on public opinion and the ripple effect true crime leaves in its wake, the showrunner delves deeper, using the character of Poppy Parnell (played by Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer) as an in-road to pay homage to her real-life hometown, Oakland. Crime and Public Safety | These are the cool names for motorcycle clubs you can use: Mustang Motorcycles. The group, which initially started out as a car club in the late 1950s, rides customized Harley Davidson motorcycles (also known as choppers) and is a well-loved fixture of West Oakland. Starting in the East Bay Dragons early years from the 1950s, before the black revolution had begun, this book takes you on a journey following the forming of the outlaw black biker culture . Thats how this clubhouse got built and why it will stick around, he said. By Erin Baldassari 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. The East Bay Dragons MC started in 1959 to become an African -American motorcycle club riding. pic.twitter.com/I8ipHRrPNb, Libby Schaaf (@LibbySchaaf) July 9, 2020. The bakerys website says its founder, Kim Cloud, is proud of that fact because his family benefited from the Panthers free breakfast program as kids. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: An East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member known as Slow Motion arrives at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Enough to shut down every resort. Formed in 1959, the Dragons hail from Oakland, CA, and still ride to this day. Like the Bandidos Motorcycle Club and Flaming Knights Motorcycle Club,[15] their club name is prominently displayed in red text over a yellow background, however, the Dragons are not affiliated with either club in any way be it "dominant MC" or "support MC" and was founded prior to both clubs. Reid said the Dragons have held events at the Oakland Zoo and never faced complaints except about the noise of their motorcycles. Membership is open to all regardless of race or gender but in game character must be black or latino. History. It's been worn so much that it's threadbare and worn away in places . In East Oakland, the biker club is beloved, said Councilman Larry Reid, who said the groups clubhouse in his district on International Boulevard has produced food distribution on Thanksgivings and toy drives during Christmas. "So I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I just kind of thought, well, what do I know?" They are known to form lifelong bonds with their owners. Part of Parnells character is rooted in her fathers life. They've also been bred to produce a variety of beautiful patterns and colors. The music and the soundtrack are different just to kind of show all the facets of this one character with Octavia.". While Rosa Parks took her historic bus ride, before Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Huey P. Newton and the Black Panthers stood bravely for equal rights, the East Bay Dragons MC risked life and limb during the days when it was a revolutionary act for a black man . . #BIKERNEWS #EASTBAYDRAGONS #HELLSANGELSGet your daily biker news and everything going on in the scene http://www.harleyliberty.comEnough Already! Its the traffic, its the people youre riding with.. When Huey P. Newton went to jail for the 1967 shootout between the Oakland cops and the Panthers, many members of the Dragons attended Free Huey rallies at De Fremery Park. h. Recently Jay Leno came to meet the legendary Tobie Gene and the Dragons. Full Episodes. Check out the home to the first African-American motorcycle club in the nation, founded in 1959. David DeBolt spent more than a decade reporting on the East Bay, with a focus on Oakland City Hall and the Oakland Police Department, for the Bay Area News Group and The Oaklandside before transitioning to become an editor at the Bay Area News Group overseeing breaking news for The Mercury News and East Bay Times in August 2022. Rasheed is a member of the East Bay Dragons. In Fresno, the Dragons team up with two L.A. clubs to rent out a Days Inn. "I grew up with the same exact story, and there were the same black biker movements going on," he revealed. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: A special and designed booth for East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club members is featured at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. East Bay Dr. Biker Angle Weekly News Wrap Up Season 1 Episode 9, They were all sharp, real clean looking, Harper remembers. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The bikes shiny chrome finish stood out against bright paint, each a different color. The East Bay Dragons colors are red and gold. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club members get ready for a group photo before their meeting at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. So they were like all these tough biker guys and everything else, with all these kids around and it was a big Bay Area event and they were kind of the backdrop of my childhood.". He is an Oakland treasure that will be sorely missed. [3] The Phoenixes are the only franchise team in the EASL, with other participating teams seeded from domestic leagues from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines. [1] Both the Phoenixes and the P. League+ champions of Taiwan were designated by the EASL as Greater China's representatives. A member of a car club tinkering and drag-racing . He was 86. Everything from Shirts, Hoodies, Embroidered hats and more. The Dragons are an all-male, all-black club. The clubs are grilling food, lounging by the swimming pool and checking out each others rides. 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. If you came out here and talked to folks, no one is going to say anything negative about the East Bay Dragons, Reid said. During the 1940s and 1950s, the center patch and logo patch of most motorcycle clubs were circular or oval in shape whereas for car clubs, they were square or rectangular shaped. As a result of this, the suit alleges, fairgrounds staff invented the ruse that there was a credible threat to the safety of the event, but there was no credible threat at all.. On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people pack into the parking lot. Eagles Motorcycle Club. OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 29: Memorabilia of the East Bay Dragons decorate the walls at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Motorcycles were more practical because they were not depended on by an entire household. In Spring of 1967, East Bay Dragons member Joe Louis opened up Papa Joes Soul Food a few short blocks from the clubhouse. The East Bay Dragons are an incredible organization, Reid said. Mr. [12], "2022 East Asia Super League format to include new GBA basketball team franchise with local players", "East Asia Super League Debuts Season 1 of Premier Home-and-Away Pan-Regional League in 2022", "East Asia Super League wants to bring professional basketball team to Hong Kong", "EASL looking to rise as world's third-biggest league", "EASL Greater China rep to see action in PBA", "Bay Area Dragons' Myles Powell, Liu Chuanxing look forward to playing in PBA", "PBA to welcome first foreign guest team in 22 years", "Hong Kong's Bay Area Dragons to join PBA as guest team", "Bay Area Dragons appoint NBL legend Goorjian as head coach", "Bay Area goes for kill vs San Miguel Beer", "Ginebra pulls off Game 7 rout of Bay Area before biggest PBA crowd ever", "Cholo Villanueva tapped as Bay Area Dragons deputy coach", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bay_Area_Dragons&oldid=1142250832, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 09:53. Chosen Few Motorcycle Club- Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot M. Gold. CBS News Bay Area: Free 24/7 News CBS . The East Bay Dragons are a motorcycle club in Oakland. East Oakland was full of families who worked in the nearby metal foundries and packing plants, and the Levingston family settled in Brookfield Village. Instead of getting a passing look at Sutters all-black biker gang, Truth Be Told gives audiences a nuanced understanding of the familial connection this motorcycle club has with Parnell. By Nate Gartrell. Along with the Chosen Few MC and Los Angeles Defiant Ones MC,[8] the East Bay Dragons are one of the oldest surviving predominantly black motorcycle clubs founded in California, (the LA Defiant Ones were founded two years earlier in 1957). The East Bay Dragons are a motorcycle club in Oakland. He is survived by his wife Ernestine, his three brothers Jonas, Joe Louis and Vic, and his three daughters Billie Simmons, Debrah Giles and Angela Killingsworth. Octavia Spencer in Truth Be Told, now streaming on Apple TV+. New report shows thousands of workers have left downtown San Francisco, California high schooler fatally stabbed in classroom fight, Nostalgic Bay Area chain Caspers Hot Dogs closing Walnut Creek restaurant. Harper, the third longest-serving member of the Dragons, first showed up at the groups clubhouse, which was then across the street from a barbecue restaurant where the members used to hang, with a Honda before being told to come back with a Harley. The East Bay Dragons, LA Defiant Ones and Outcast MC (founded 1969),[9] are the oldest surviving all black motorcycle clubs requiring members to only ride American made motorcycles. Theres gridlock, with motorcycles of every color glistening in the sun and blasting music. Unlike most motorcycle clubs, the East Bay Dragons do not have a "prospect" or "probation" period for prospective members. In the show, she examines big topics, like the class differences that exist in cities separated by a few simple bridges, and tells stories based on the nonfictional locals, like the real-life storied motorcycle club, the East Bay Dragons. It was originally created by Gene's big brother as a way to help keep his younger brothers off the streets and out . All the original founding members had to buy used bikes. While work remained relatively plentiful in post-war Oaklands factories and foundries, Levingston initially began a car club as a way to help keep his family out of harms way. The county has not responded in court. In addition to trouble with the Oakland Police Department, at that time the idea of sustaining a car club became difficult. Many working class and working poor black families could not afford more than one car per household and Dragons members were no exception. 3 of 8 4 of 8 Members of the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club mourn the killing of their brother Hassan Sayyid also know as Ike, Monday September 28, 2011, at the club in Oakland, Calif. Sayyid . Brown has been a member for 30 years and the club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. Crime and Public Safety | MC Raw, a Fresno-based rapper, calls a motorcycle a missile with handlebars. Watts-based construction worker Blackie says being on a Harley is like having sex. And G-14 Classified, who rode his Suzuki Boulevard 1500 from Sacramento, calls riding a bike almost like a low-level flying. 50-year-old Bangor man was knocked down by a deer as he was riding his 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle went without help. Everyone has something to offer., The book is a real good read.Like their style. Related Motorcycle Madhouse Shorts Pride, Determination and Loyalty in ones self is so important whether you want to be a good biker or just want to succeed in Life. East Bay Dragons. Learn more | Prosecutors say Aryan Brotherhood spoke of wanting to build an army within California prisons and forming a new Aryan Brotherhood composed entirely of hardened killers, It was in this way of building bikes together that the group fostered a sense of community, said Liam ODonoghue, a local historian and host of the podcast, East Bay Yesterday. As they tell it "The 60s was a hell of a time.With the Civil Rights Movement, The Viet Nam War, Flower Power . Not that the police get the message. LLH&R." Can I still get Beyonc tickets? [2], The team was established under the agreement of the Hong Kong Basketball Association and Chun Yu Basketball Club. 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