George Christie used to be the president of the Ventura, California charter of the Hells Angels. He was a famous club leader and had the longest term as president in Hells Angels history. In 2001, Christie resigned from the club under suspicious circumstances. There were rumors that he was cooperating with the police, which put him in a bad spot with the other members.
Therefore, it was somewhat surprising when in 2013 he was sentenced to a year in prison for his involvement in the firebombing and extortion of a Ventura tattoo parlor. After doing his time, Christie began working with the History Channel show Outlaw Chronicles and published a book about his experiences titled Exile on Front Street.
The President of the Hells Angels
Sonny Barger is the ultimate Hells Angel. He is universally recognized as the face and authority of the motorcycle club. Even though each charter has their own leadership and is run mostly autonomously, they all look up to Sonny Barger. Sonny is the original founding member and president of the Oakland Charter.
These days, Sonny is 78 years old but still riding and he has the longest membership in club history and has successfully stayed out of jail for most of his life. He did do a four-year stint inside for trying to blow up a rival gang’s clubhouse in 1988 but has mostly managed to avoid trouble. He has used his reputation wisely, appearing in movies and television shows and even writing books about his life and the club.
Protecting the Brand
It has been a long time since the Hells Angels have been just a bunch of guys who love riding motorcycles. They became a corporation and with that status have become quite savvy at dealing with legal issues. The Hells Angels sued Disney in 2007 for using their logo without permission in the movie Wild Hogs
Additionally, in 2010, they sued designer Alexander McQueen for misusing their trademarked winged death head symbol and also Saks Fifth and Zappos.com for selling a ring bearing the symbol. They even sued Toys “R” Us in 2012 for selling yo-yos which supposedly had the “Death Head” logo printed on them. These are just a few examples of the legal actions the club has taken when someone tries to mess with their branding.
Kicked Out of the Fair
In 2003, when he was still the leader of the Ventura branch, George Christie Jr. was refused entry to the Ventura County Fair. This was the second year in a row in which he was refused entry due to his violation of their policy of banning gang attire. According to the officers on the scene, Christie and other members would only be allowed entry if they removed their motorcycle vests.
“This is a constitutional thing for one, but it goes far beyond that,” Christie stated. “This is not something I take lightly or something I just do on weekends. I’m a Hells Angel 24 hours a day. I’ve dedicated my life to it, and I equate that to religion.”
Fight Against Discrimination
After being denied access two years in a row, it was made clear to George Christie and his associates by fair officials that they could gain entry if they removed all club attire and insignia. After getting that message, the Hells Angels immediately called them out for discrimination. According to them, the Hells Angels are law abiding citizens and in no way should a motorcycle club be mistaken for some kind of a gang.
Christie cited a 2002 court case in which the judge ruled that there was no evidence that the group was a street gang as a way to support his claim.