“We've seen them Outlaw Bikers riding colors with their jackets on.
MARATHON, FL ( December 3, 2016)The FBI warned local law enforcement last month that
Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs are increasing their presence in South Florida,
especially in the Keys.
And their presence has been particularly noticed at popular
Motorcycle events like the Peterson Poker Run, held annually throughout the
island chain in September.
“We’ve seen in the last couple of years, during events
like the Peterson Poker Run, an increase in Outlaw Bikers participating,” said
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “We've seen them Outlaw Bikers riding colors
with their jackets on. Historically, you haven’t seen that.”
“Colors” for motorcycle clubs generally are a three-part
arrangement of patches depicting the club name and its location.
The FBI in November sent a memo to Keys law enforcement
agencies stating that various Motorcycle Clubs are trying to gain territory in
South Florida. The Outlaws MC, regarded as the dominant Motorcycle Club in the
region, likely would respond by making efforts to increase its presence and
influence, according to the memo.
Ramsay said the document warned of an increased incidence
of Outlaw Motorcycle Club activity in the Keys, and that there could be
“conflicts between club members.”
“The information put out was an FYI and to be aware and
mindful,” Ramsay said.
Nora Scheland, an FBI spokeswoman, declined to comment on
the warning.
City of Key West Police Department Chief Donald J. Lee
said that his department also received information about Outlaw Biker Clubs
would take part in the Poker Run, but he would not elaborate on which agency
shared the intelligence.
“We are constantly sharing intelligence information with
other law enforcement agencies, but, in the interest of public safety, do not
disclose active intelligence information,” Lee said.
“As far as shared information regarding Outlaw Biker
activity, we were made aware both before and during the Poker Run, that there
was a chance biker gangs would be in attendance,” Lee said. “This is not the
first year they’ve come to the Keys for Poker Run, by any means.”
Ramsay said life for Motorcycle Club members has changed
over the years. No longer are the organizations’ membership made up solely of
men whose only job is in the club.
“It used to be that groups like the Outlaws and the
Pagans were made up of guys whose sole job was being involved in criminal
enterprises,” Ramsay said. “They didn’t have day jobs.”
Now, he said members have “dual roles, dual lives.
They’re trying to blend into two different societies.”
Indeed, a member of the Outlaws MC involved in a barroom
brawl in Key West during the Poker Run in September also is a Hillsborough
County firefighter.
SOURCE: Florida Keys News