"It's about honor, respect and pride," David
Santillan said.
But for this East L.A.-born brotherhood, the last few years
have been a fight for survival. They've been under federal indictment for the
last decade. And recently, a federal jury in Santa Ana convicted the national
club of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy for murder, attempted murder and
drug dealing.
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"What the patch means to me and to all my brothers when
we ride, it's like a ring in a marriage. It symbolizes our loyalty and
commitment to the Mongols Motorcycle when we're out there riding together as a
club." Santillan said.
Santillan, known as "Little Dave" by club members,
is the new national president of the Mongols. He's been on the front lines of
the group's fight against the government, to keep the rights to their sacred
symbol.
"This is a lifestyle. A culture. A way of life for us.
To me, it's a lifetime commitment. I've been in this club going on 23
years," he said.
The infamous patch is a caricature of the founder of the
ancient Mongol empire, Genghis Kahn. Prosecutors argue, in order to get or keep
their patches, members are encouraged to commit crimes. It's why they've been
fighting for years to strip the club of their logo.
There's still a lot of secrecy around the patches and how members obtain them. But if there's one thing club members, their lawyers and prosecutors agree on -- the symbol is a pivotal part of the club's identity.
"If they take away our patch, they can take away
everyone else's. It would be a domino effect if they take the case in law for
the future, so I don't see us going anywhere. We're just going to continue
fighting until the wheels fall off," Santillan said.
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter also doesn't seemed to
be fully convinced about stripping the club of their logo. He's invited civil
rights groups, first amendment lawyers and trademark attorneys to weigh in on
the implications.
"Never before in U.S. History has the government come
and tried to ban a symbol. Think about that for a second. How many symbols are
there in the United States, from wedding rings to religious symbols? All kinds
right?
If the government can take and ban a symbol, where does that leave everyone else? And who's next? That's really what we have to look at. That's a really slippery slope," said Mongols general counsel Stephen "Bow Tie" Stubbs.
If the government can take and ban a symbol, where does that leave everyone else? And who's next? That's really what we have to look at. That's a really slippery slope," said Mongols general counsel Stephen "Bow Tie" Stubbs.
This case is getting the attention of other motorcycle
groups. It's even rumored that their arch-rivals Hells Angels, despite their
checkered and deadly relationship with the Mongols, are donating money to fight
the cause.
Santillan said the club has spent more than $1 million over
the past decade, through fundraisers, donations and club dues, and they won't
stop fighting until they win.
"It's a matter of principle at this point - and pride.
We're not going away and they're not going to kick us to the curb. Like I said
before, we're going to do this until the wheels fall off. We don't care, at any
cost," he said
SOURCE: ABC7