KERIANN BOONE
Staff Writer
They can be seen on Pacific Coast Highway, cruising in tandem down the road. They’re not frat boys but a different kind of sibling: motorcycle club members.
Sightings can be had at the Malibu Inn and Neptune’s Net. It’s because Malibu is a common hangout for motorcycle clubs in the Los Angeles area.
Motorcycle clubs have had a tarnished reputation because of occasional high-profile events associated with them. On Nov. 9, a motorcycle club member was sentenced to 15 years in prison for terrorizing a man in Klamath Falls, Ore., and on Nov. 1, another club member in Tuscon, Ariz., was sentenced to nine years in prison for assaulting a woman.
Despite their reputation, motorcycle club members insist on the fraternity nature of their groups. Each motorcycle club has its own name, badge and colors. Much like the letters of a fraternity or sorority, only the members are allowed to wear their insignia.
Rick Gutierrez is one such member — he’s the father of a Pepperdine student and president of the Southern California chapter of his club. Out of respect for his family, Gutierrez declined to mention the name of the group he is affiliated with.
“When I joined the club, I joined it out of the camaraderie of the members,” Gutierrez said. “That’s what impressed me the most. It’s not until I had been in it for a couple of years that I realized how much love, respect (and) appreciation in regards for each of us that we have.”
Gutierrez ’s club has chapters in various states and countries. Each has a governing body consisting of a secretary, sergeant of arms, vice president and president. These members govern the group during their weekly meetings.
Gutierrez described his group’s meetings. The secretary takes notes and informs members of any news in the biking community. The sergeant of arms serves as a protector to his chapter and determines whether certain biking events are safe for participation. The vice president is the right-hand man to the president. He serves as a liaison between chapter members and the president, and also gives input to decisions by the president. The president in turn runs the chapter and corresponds with the national leaders. He is voted into his position and remains there until he is voted out — though presidents often serve life terms.
To join Gutierrez’s motorcycle club, someone must be invited by the members, he said. That individual would then begin a yearlong prospecting period, during which he meets members of the chapter and learns more about the club. Similar to a college fraternity pledge period, he must be willing to aid other members with any task at any time.
“I remember one night when another member’s motorcycle broke down about 100 miles away,” Gutierrez said. “I had to go find him and load his bike onto my truck. Then I drove him back to his house. You have to humble yourself during this period, but the rewards that you get out of it are more than I can describe.”
Gutierrez said that not all clubs are male-dominated. Some clubs are predominately female, and some are mixed, he said.
Gutierrez ’s daughter, Jasmine Gutier-rez, is a freshman at Pepperdine.
Growing up inside the world of motorcycle clubs, Jasmine has a unique perspective on them. Her father was very involved in her sporting events before joining his club, but when his prospecting period, he had to sacrifice many of her volleyball games that he had previously never missed.
“It was hard to deal with him being so involved at first, mainly because I wasn’t allowed to attend any of the events,” Jasmine said. “But once he joined, the guys became like uncles to me.”
She continues to support her father’s club on campus.
“I definitely encourage students to check out motorcycle clubs,” she said. “They really are a fraternity, and it’s a great way to make lifetime friends.”
So what does a motorcycle club do?
“Being a motorcycle club, we do a lot of motorcycle riding,” Gutierrez said. “We set aside a time once a week as a chapter to get together to make sure everything’s OK. Nobody has any financial problems or needs help with this or that. Once you become a part of this brotherhood, you make sure you take care of each brother.”
In addition to their weekly meetings, motorcycle clubs attend various events throughout the year. A club will sponsor an event to raise money for a philanthropic cause. Different motorcycle clubs attend these events from all over the world. Activities include motorcycle rides, stunt shows, live music performances, trade shows and vendor displays.
Despite being positive in nature, events can sometimes lead to animosity between clubs. “A lot of times if there is any animosity between clubs, the organizers or the clubs in general will stay away from (the offending group),” Gutierrez said. “We don’t go looking for trouble, but if trouble comes our way, we deal with it.”
Gutierrez also said that motorcycle clubs must constantly confront this violent stereotype.
“Clubs are getting a bad rap because if one person gets arrested or does something wrong, the whole club gets a bad reputation,” he said. “My theory is that there is good and bad in everything, and we don’t go out with the purpose of getting trouble. If you can talk and try to come to a medium on whatever the problem may be to resolve it, you will.”
Still, the competition between motorcycle clubs is more intense than an event like Sigma Chi’s Derby Days. The animosity between certain groups can be intense. Problems arise, Gutierrez said, because motorcycle club members have no way of hiding who they are.
“You’re wearing your badges,” he said. “We wear what we are, and it identifies who we are. You can go into an area where a certain motorcycle club doesn’t appreciate (the fact that) you’re in there flying your colors.”
Another popular motorcycle image is of club members sporting tattoos, rippling muscles and long beards.
Gutierrez acknowledged this image.
“I don’t hide myself,” he said. “I am who I am. People can think what they want about me because they don’t know me as a person. They just know this stereotype that they see. Once people know me and know that this is just a piece of my life, they understand that it’s just something I got into.”
He insisted upon the separation of one’s image as a motorcycle club member and one’s self as a real person, however.
“You’re dealing with people who have lives, families and businesses,” Gutierrez said. “But they have an escape. The freedom that you get from a motorcycle is unbelievable. Having the wind in your face, at that time you’re on top of the world. You don’t have the stresses from work or family.”
How does one find out more information about these clubs? Gutierrez suggests that instead of reading about them, interested individuals should find a member and talk to him or her.
“I would never suggest to someone to read a book to find out about motorcycle clubs,” Gutierrez said. “We are approachable. If you want to see what we’re all about, you just need to come around. See for yourself and get your own interpretation about us.”
es, trade shows and vendor displays.
Despite being positive in nature, events can sometimes lead to animosity.
“A lot of times, if there is any animosity between clubs, the organizers or the clubs in general will stay away from (the offending group),” Gutierrez said. “We don’t go looking for trouble, but if trouble comes our way, we deal with it.”
Gutierrez also said that motorcycle clubs must constantly confront this violent stereotype.
“Clubs are getting a bad rap because if one person gets arrested … the whole club gets a bad reputation,” he said. “There is good and bad in everything, and we don’t go out with the purpose of getting trouble. If you can talk and try to come to a medium on whatever the problem may be to resolve it, you will.”
Still, competition between motorcycle clubs is more intense than an event like Sigma Chi’s Derby Days. The animosity between certain groups can be intense. Problems arise, Gutierrez said, because motorcycle club members have no way of hiding who they are.
“You’re wearing your badges,” he said. “We wear what we are, and it identifies who we are. You can go into an area where a certain motorcycle club doesn’t appreciate (the fact that) you’re in there flying your colors.”
Another popular motorcycle image is of club members sporting tattoos, rippling muscles and long beards.
Gutierrez acknowledged this image.
“I don’t hide myself,” he said. “I am who I am. People can think what they want about me because they don’t know me as a person. They just know this stereotype that they see.”
He insisted upon the separation of one’s image as a motorcycle club member and one’s self as a person, however.
“You’re dealing with people who have lives, families and businesses,” Gutierrez said. “But they have an escape. The freedom that you get from a motorcycle is unbelievable. Having the wind in your face, at that time you’re on top of the world. You don’t have the stresses from work or family.”
How does one find out more information about these clubs? Gutierrez said personal contact was the best way.
“I would never suggest to someone to read a book to find out about motorcycle clubs,” Gutierrez said. “We are approachable. If you want to see what we’re all about, you just need to come around. See for yourself and get your own interpretation about us.”
11-17-2005
