Strangely enough, author and well known “Gonzo” journalist Hunter S. Thompson has the Hells Angels to thank for the start of his career. He spent a year living and riding with the club and absorbing the biker gang atmosphere before writing Hells Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.
In the end, Thompson and the club parted on bad terms. The writer tried to keep a man from hurting his wife and ended up badly beaten himself. The gang also accused him of taking advantage of them for money and fame and demanded a cut from his profits. The book was a big hit, but Thompson did not share any of the money with the group.
Membership Requires a Unanimous Vote
The last stage in the process is getting voted in as a fully patched member. This only happens if the entire charter votes unanimously for the prospect to get in. Before the voting takes place, it is customary that the prospect travels to every charter in the area and introduce himself to all the members. This allows members to get to know him, ask questions and shows his commitment to the club.
After successfully being voted in by the local charter, the prospect takes part in an initiation ceremony where he receives his top Hells Angels rocker and winged death head logo. Finally reaching the status of a full-fledged member is known as “being patched.”
The “Filthy Few” and “Dequiallo” Patch
Tony Thompson, a crime correspondent and the author of the book Gangs, talks in his book about other patches which members may receive for particular acts. For example, the patch with Nazi-like SS lightning bolts and the words “Filthy Few.” This patch is supposedly only given out to members who have committed murder or are willing to commit murder for the club.
Another example is the “Dequiallo” patch. This patch is only awarded to members who reacted violently to law enforcement representatives while being placed under arrest. Other secret patches exist to help members show their commitment to the club and showcase the things they have done. For obvious reasons, their meanings are not public knowledge.
The Altamont Concert Incident
The Altamont Speedway Free Festival in 1969 was a counterculture concert in which the Hells Angels were in some way hired to do security. It is unclear who actually did the hiring or what it entailed, but almost everyone seemed to agree that it was a bad idea.
The festival was rowdy and violent, and some club members dealt with the audience aggressively, but the real problem started when a man by the name of Merideth Hunter pulled out a gun. The Hells Angels reacted quickly, and member Alan Passaro knocked the gun out of Hunter’s hand and stabbed him to death. He was arrested for murder but was acquitted when a video of Hunter and the gun came to light and proved that Pasaro had acted in self-defense.
Hells Angels and Racism
Officially, the motorcycle club is not a racially segregated organization, but you may believe otherwise if you take a look at its members. Sonny Barger was interviewed in 2,000 and said on this subject: “The club, as a whole, is not racist, but there are probably enough racist members that no black guy is going to get in it.”
The common wisdom on the subject has always been that if you’re white you join the Hells Angels and if you’re black you join the Dragons, an all-black motorcycle club founded in Oakland in 1959. But leader of the Dragons, Tobie Levingston, has stated that he has had a long-lasting friendship with Sonny and that the two clubs get along.