The motorcycle club will hold a
membership meeting at the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Palm Springs, prompting
police to increase their presence as
part of what Palm Springs police Lt. Frank Browning calls "an abundance of
caution."
Police wouldn't comment on their plans, but Browning, in a
post on the social media site Nextdoor, said the department is expecting
several hundred members of the Mongols to hit the streets this weekend.
"We have sought out the assistance of numerous police
agencies to ensure everyone’s safety, and security remains a priority," he
wrote.
The Mongols have had a contentious relationship with the law
and with their rival club, the Hells Angels MC. They are considered an
"outlaw" motorcycle club, similar to the Bandidos, Pagans and Hells
Angels groups, police say.
The labels "outlaw" or "one percenter"
among motorcycle clubs originates from the time of the 1947 Hollister Riot in
Hollister, Calif., after which the American Motorcycle Association sought to
distance itself from clubs that participated in violence by issuing a statement
claiming that 99 percent of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, while 1
percent were outlaws.
"There's a difference between biker clubs and outlaw
clubs," said Thomas Barker, an expert on outlaw motorcycle clubs. "It
doesn't necessarily mean they're criminal."
Barker is a former police officer who went on to earn a PhD
from Mississippi State University and taught on the subject of organized crime
and motorcycle gangs at Eastern Kentucky University for 13 years.
The label "outlaw" might not be a tell-tale sign
that a motorcycle gang is involved in criminal activity, but the Mongols have
had plenty of run-ins with the law over the years.
On Jan. 18, the Department of Justice unsealed a 54-count
federal indictment against 12 members and three associates of the club's
chapter in Clarksville, Tenn., which included charges of racketeering
conspiracy and large-scale drug trafficking.
In May 2017, two motorcyclists were gunned down in
Riverside. One of the victims, 31-year-old James Duty of Orange, died as a
result of the shooting. In a Facebook post, the Riverside Police Department
identified the victim, as well as others present at the scene, as members of
the Hells Angels, the Mongols' largest rival. The suspect in the fatal
shooting, Joshua Herbert, denied affiliation with the Mongols but had the
club's name, as well as the "one percenter" logo tattooed on his
neck.
"They're the most dangerous motorcycle group in the
United States and maybe the world," Barker said, pointing to the group's
expansion efforts in Asia and Australia.
Still, Barker said, Palm Springs residents have little to
worry about as long as they stay out of the club's way, don't take photos of
the members or touch their leather vests.
"Everyday residents don't have anything to worry
about," Barker said. "Just leave 'em alone."
Staff at the Hilton in Palm Springs and the neighboring Agua
Caliente Spa Resort and Casino said they've had no issues with the group since
its members started spending their annual retreat at the Palm Spring hotel in
2013.
"The group itself has come for many years and we've
never had any issues with them," said Shannon Anderson, general manager at
the Hilton. "They're quite communicative and they're actually one of our
best groups."
In previous years, during the gather, the Palm Springs
Police Department has arrested several members of the club on felony and
misdemeanor warrants, as well as gun-related charges.
SOURCE: Desert Sun