Taking a putt to clear the head, sort out priorities and gain some new perspectives on life
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Hells Angels MC purchases vacant church
Brookhaven, NY (December 18, 2018) BTN — Brookhaven Town
officials say the Hells Angels have purchased a former Centereach church and
plan to use it as the club’s new headquarters.
The motorcycle club's Suffolk County chapter, which held a
children's toy drive at the Lynbrook Street site earlier this month, plans to
modify the structure's interior and obtain town permits before moving in,
officials said. Town officials said club leaders have been cooperative and plan
to be "good neighbors."
Brookhaven officials said some neighboring residents have
expressed concern about the club's purchase of the property, but they said the
town cannot prevent the group from using the site as long as members abide by
local codes.
“I share the concerns of the residents who have called me,”
town Councilman Kevin LaValle said. “There's nothing we can say, like, 'You
can’t come in here.' . . . They just have to come into compliance before they
use the building.”
In a phone interview, Manhattan attorney Ron Kuby, who
represents the Hells Angels, said the Suffolk club wants “to have a safe and
happy community.”
“Even though they have a fearsome reputation, as neighbors
they tend to be an asset to the neighborhood,” Kuby said. “Historically,
anywhere there has been a Hells Angels presence, street crime has fallen off
dramatically.
They patronize local businesses, and they are a private
organization of motorcycle enthusiasts who largely wish to be left alone to
pursue the things that are of interest to them. …Once people peel back the
layer of prejudice they have toward them, they find that they’re good to have
around.”
A Suffolk County police spokesman said the department was
aware of the group's purchase of the property, but he declined to comment
further.
Deputy Town Attorney David Moran said he met with two Hells
Angels leaders on Friday to discuss building requirements and the group's plans
for the property. He said the club is required to obtain building permits for
any work done on the site, and a certificate of occupancy before the group
moves in.
“It went swimmingly," Moran said of the meeting.
"They were gentlemen. . . . All
they want to do is comply and be good neighbors.”
Town officials inspected the building and ordered the installation of smoke and
carbon monoxide detectors, Moran said.
LaValle said Hells Angels members have mentioned plans to
use the building, which has been vacant for several years, as a church, but a
flyer referred to the property as a clubhouse.
“That’s something we’re going to have to talk to them
about,” LaValle said. “We’re going to get a better idea of what specifically is
going to go on the property.”
The Dec. 8 toy drive, which included a live music
performance inside the church, attracted "a few hundred people,"
raising concerns about parking, Moran said. He added the town received no noise
complaints associated with the gathering.
He said the group planned to distribute gifts collected at
the event to local fire departments and religious groups.
The club has not submitted a building permit application
with the town, Moran said.
“As far as we’re concerned, they have a clean slate and
we’re going to treat them the way we treat everyone," he said.
SOURCE: News Day
Monday, December 17, 2018
All 4 cops on paid leave after bar fight
Pittsburgh, PA (December 17, 2018) BTN — All four Pittsburgh
police officers involved in a South Side bar brawl are on paid administrative
leave, according to city officials.
Related | Pagan MC member files lawsuit against City and Police
SOURCE: TRIB LIVE
The brawl between the undercover officers and members of the
Pagans motorcycle club at Kopy’s remains under investigation by the city’s
Office of Municipal Investigations, the Citizens Police Review Board and the
FBI.
Scene from Kopy's bar
The police department is also conducting its own internal
review.
Mayor Bill Peduto said new information came to light that
led to the decision to remove the officers from the narcotics unit, though he
would not specify what was discovered. He said there is no timetable for when
the investigations will wrap up.
“We felt it prudent to move all four officers out of
narcotics,” he said. A Public Safety spokesperson could not immediately be
reached for comment.
Detectives David Honick, David Lincoln, Brian Burgunder and
Brian Martin were working an undercover detail when they arrived at Kopy’s on
South 12th Street at about 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11. Six members of the Pagans arrived
about four hours later. An argument between several of the detectives and at
least one Pagan escalated into a brawl at about 12:40 a.m. Oct. 12.
Related | Pagans MC: Another member sues city officials
Related | FBI investigating Pagans MC bar fight
Four Pagans — Frank Deluca, Michael Zokaites, Erik
Heitzenrater and Bruce Thomas — were arrested. District Attorney Stephen A.
Zappala Jr. later withdrew the charges. Security footage captured the melee,
including one officer punching Deluca 19 times in the head.
Deluca and Heitzenrater have filed lawsuits, and attorneys
for the men have alleged the undercover officers were intoxicated.
Peduto previously said city police need to change the
department’s policies regarding undercover work.
“With narcotics and vice, you’re going to have situations
where officers are involved in a situation where they don’t want to have their
cover blown,” he said late last month. “Obviously you’re not going to go to a
bar and order chocolate milk, but at the same time there has to be
accountability to be able to carry out your job.”
Police have said the four undercover detectives were
investigating a drug complaint at the bar. Bartender and owner Stephen Kopy has
said the officers identified themselves as construction workers when they
arrived.
Police keeping eye on new motorcycle club
Keremeos, B.C. (December 17, 2018) BTN — A new motorcycle club police say is affiliated with the Hells Angels has established itself
around Fort Langley.
Members of the Street Reapers motorcycle club were reportedly
spotted at the funeral of slain Hells Angel Chad Wilson in Maple Ridge on
Saturday.
Hells Angels MC and Street Reapers MC gather for funeral
“The Street Reapers are actually a motorcycle club that are
closely associated and have close ties to the Hardside chapter of the Hells
Angels,” said Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, spokesperson for the Combined Forces
Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), an anti-gang policing unit.
Related | Hundreds attend Hells Angels funeral
Related | BREAKING: Hells Angels MC on scene after bodyfound under bridge
Related | BREAKING: Hells Angels MC on scene after bodyfound under bridge
The Hardside Hells Angels chapter is based near Langley as
well, in the Port Kells area of Surrey.
The Street Reapers appear to have come into existence in
late 2017, a little more than a year ago, said Winpenny. “We have noticed them at several of the Hells Angel ride
events over the summer of 2018,” she said.
There are believed to be between six to 10 members of the
club; six is the minimum number for a motorcycle club of this type, Winpenny
said.
The group is not believed to have an official clubhouse yet,
but has been seen frequenting businesses in Fort Langley. It’s likely one or
more members live in or have a business in the area, Winpenny said.
The Hells Angels are well known and have been established in
many communities across B.C. for decades, including in Langley. But a new wave of smaller clubs have been cropping up in
recent years, with different logos on their leather vests and jackets.
Winpenny said they are largely “support clubs” for the Hells
Angels.
“They’re succession planning,” she said of the Angels.
The core of the Hells Angels membership is aging, and they
need new members.
Support clubs are sources of new recruits who can be
“patched over” to the Hells Angels if they measure up.
“It’s like the farm team,” said Winpenny.
The CFSEU has been keeping an eye on the Street Reapers, but
so far there have been no charges laid against anyone related to the motorcycle
club or its activities, she said.
“We are still intelligence gathering,” said Winpenny.
The affiliation police believe exists between the Street
Reapers and other clubs should be a cause for concern for the public, said
Winpenny.
The Hells Angels have been involved in drugs, weapons
offenses, and violent crimes, she noted.
Hells Angels have gathered in Langley for years.
The White Rock chapter of the Hells Angels moved to Langley
decades ago. In 2013, the chapter threw a 30th anniversary bash that drew a
large number of bikers and guests to the gated clubhouse property on 61st
Avenue east of 216th Street. Police were also there in droves, monitoring the
coming and goings of the guests.
SOURCE: Keremeos Review
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