After a raid on their Fairview clubhouse in 2003 effectively folded the Nova Scotia chapter of the Hells Angels, the organized crime syndicate went dark here for more than a decade.
Their return has been heralded by some members of the public on social media as a positive for the community. On every news story shared online, there are locals commenting how the Hells Angels are going to “clean up the streets of petty crime,” and rid the neighbourhoods of “thugs” and “hoodlums.” The public, they say, will be safer on the streets because of the gang’s influence.
These commenters are almost all white, mostly middle-aged and seemingly middle-class citizens whose choice of words illustrates the true meaning behind their idolizing of a criminal enterprise.
“It’s part of the colonial legacy,” says Isaac Saney, director of the Transition Year Program at Dalhousie University. “This kind of language has been used since slavery to dehumanize and stereotype the Black community in Nova Scotia.”
Saney says codified language around Black youth—especially young Black men—such as labelling them as “thugs,” helps create and perpetuate a racist and classist narrative that “keeps communities segregated, stigmatizes the working class and poor and promotes fear-mongering” among white communities.
That language “promotes the idea that Black bodies are inherently violent, and therefore a threat, and must be policed,” Saney says. “And then complaints that they are not being policed enough, therefore we must turn to these vigilante or extra-judicial groups…is frightening.”
In the quest to see their streets “cleaned up,” these white crusaders seem intent on ignoring the fact that the Hells Angels are, in fact, criminals and have historically rooted their gang in white supremacy ideologies.
“The Maritimes has traditionally belonged to Quebec,” says sergeant Michael Kerr of the RCMP’s Combined Forces Intelligence Unit. In 2009, when the Quebec authorities executed “operation SharQc” and raided all but one major Hells Angels outpost in that province, many local chapters “froze.” (When membership dips below six individuals, the chapter is considered defunct, or frozen.)
“In the last year and a half, many Quebec members are being released” from jail, says Kerr. “While they were frozen, the London Ontario Hells Angels were granted permission by the Quebec Hells Angels to open the Gatekeepers in the Maritimes to keep business flowing. As more Quebec chapters unfreeze, the more their influence is going to grow here.”
Last spring, the return of the Hells Angels to the Halifax area was heralded by a group of 16 bikers named the London East Hells Angels, who were comprised of mostly local supportive biker groups. Currently, Kerr says their membership has dropped to 11, made up mostly of Gatekeepers and Dartmouth Darksiders.
“It’s important to note that this is not a full chapter made up of fully patched members at the moment,” Kerr says, “but this is how it starts.”
When the Gatekeepers’ clubhouse in Pictou County was raided over the weekend, dismayed supporters commented on news stories, railing against the authorities to “leave them [the Gatekeepers] alone.”
Kerr says that the public’s “good old boys” stereotype is something that blossomed out of the Hells Angels’ initial image of the 1970s—the rough-around-the-edges bad boys club.
“Frankly I don’t think [the supportive public] know what the Hells Angels are about except for what they read in the papers or see on TV or what they’ve read in a book from Chapters,” Kerr says. “So there are a lot of misconceptions out there. We’ve heard ‘Oh, they’re going to replace all the bullying and petty crime.’ But you can’t replace a bully with a larger bully. They represent an extension of a criminal organization.”
Members of the Hells Angels and supporting motorcycle clubs didn’t respond to requests for comment.
With the growing addition of Hells Angels sympathizer groups, the province has rolled out an “outlaw motorcycle gang” initiative to combat their resurgence.
“We’re anticipating some form of a promotion within their ranks here,” Kerr says. “We have a lot of people reporting a lot of sightings and activities, and our intelligence is suggesting they are going to be getting their ‘bottom rocker,’ which will say Nova Scotia.”
This will turn the supporting clubs into fully patched members.
While the RCMP and local authorities have banded together to coordinate province-wide anti-gang initiatives, Saney reiterates that the state and media play an integral role in the fight against systemic racism and classism.
“Young Black men are portrayed in the media as ‘irredeemable’ and their crime is something that is inherent in their essence—you can’t separate them from their crime,” Saney says. “Codified language is not just being used to perpetuate the myths of violence in Black and Indigenous communities…but also pushing back against claims of those groups to land and spaces.”
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This article appears in Jul 20-26, 2017.
Even though I’m a middle class, middle aged white guy… the “dad” stereotype referenced in this article, I’m no supporter or sympathizer with 1% motorcycle groups and I surely don’t subscribe to the ridiculous notion that we’ll be better off with the Hell’s Angels setting up a chapter in the area. I never had the impression that biker gang sympathizers and supporters were referring to black men when they talk of the thugs and wannabe petty criminals that need to be controlled. To the contrary I always had the impression they’re referring to the Melvin and Marriot types; e.g. the white trash criminal masterminds. Maybe I’m misinformed or naive but this is how I always understood it from following the social media comment feeds.
Only ignorant people are hoping for a return of a large organized criminal group to control the city, seriously Coast do you have to be so cuck’d as to make the argument against it a social justice issue.
Besides if people really want something done about the drugs they bring, take a lesson from the president of The Philippines.
This article is really off-base compared to my experiences. People aren’t happy about any criminal element, but they recognize the reality that it does exist.
Any ‘celebration’ of HA back in town has everything to do with calming down the trash that are ‘wanna-be gangsters”. These people are extremely amateur in the criminal world, and cause harm to innocent people because they are looking for attention.
Trash has no specific skin colour, gender or age. Trash is trash, skids are skids. They don’t matter, but we normal people have to put up with them. Quality evidence shows that they are certainly less active and dangerous with a more professional outfit in town. So, in that context, its a relatively better situation.
Late 80s early 90s I was friends with and hung around with the Halifax Chapter. I find it interesting people who have never even met a member have such opinions.. well in the time I knew them I never once heard anything racist. In fact.. they had black friends. My opinion is.. if you don’t mess with them they won’t mess with you… just saying. Cheers
This is funny, the media tying to scare people with the old “big bad motorcycle gang” is moving into their neighbourhood, and no one really cares. Some people are even breathing a sigh of relief, depending on their socioeconomic position in society and how long they’ve had their neighbourhoods held hostage by young punks with no respect. And this wanker droning on about the racist nature of the white HA being more respected than a bunch of “thugs” shooting all sideways out their moving cars. Lol, this city is such a fucking facepalm!!
Keep the Maritimes Red and White!
Ignorance, is a word thrown around by people claiming to understand something they themselves are unknowing of. Embracement of facts solidifies the growing support surrounding the return of the iconic brotherhood. So much emphasis is placed on the cleaning up the streets belief, that a shadow has been cast over the consideration of the community support rendered by the MC. The charitable nature and generosity of the organization seems to be conviently forgotten and overlooked. The benefits associated with the long awaited return will be graciously celebrated by many!