Levingston and his four brothers were born in Louisiana to a sharecropper father who made the migration West, along with thousands of other black American families, in the 1950s. And Tobie Gene Levingston thought he and his brothers needed a hobby. View more on Amazon (link opens in a new tab). IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? "Riding is sort of like an active form of meditation . Every Labor Day Weekend they host annual block parties in September at their clubhouse using proceeds to donate school supplies and gift certificates to families of East Oakland to purchase children's school clothes and supplies. OAKLAND Tobie Gene Levingston, who founded the East Bay Dragons as the Bay Area's first all-Black motorcycle club and one of the nation's first, died Tuesday, July 7 of natural causes. A man and a woman are dead after a Sunday night shooting near the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club that left another woman hospitalized with major injuries. The East Bay Dragons are an incredible organization, Reid said. OAKLAND Willie Harper still remembers the first time he saw the East Bay Dragons then an emerging motorcycle club roll through the streets of West Oakland. Reach him at 925-779-7174. They've also been bred to produce a variety of beautiful patterns and colors. Kurt Sutter has stated that the inspiration for the fictional motorcycle club The Grim Bastards, portrayed by an authentic Black American MC called 1DOWNMC; featured in the television show Sons of Anarchy was loosely based on the East Bay Dragons and their relationship with the Hells Angels that surpassed racial barriers during the 1960s and 1970s. A strong message about friendship to the community from Oakland, CA Legends, Toby Gene Levingston (East Bay Dragons MC President) and Sonny Barger (Hells Ang. Because its made in America and they keep jobs here, Levingston explains. Three Bay Area men, including justice reform activist, plead guilty in Norteo RICO murder case, Californias hardest to book campground isnt in a famous park. The clubs name and hometown are in bright red stitching: "East Bay Dragons OAKLAND CALIFORNIA. Instead, the event was canceled at the last minute, after the Dragons had spent thousands in fees and planning. I aint never gonna get rid of my bike, man., Many Dragons are decades younger than Levingston -- a few are in their 20s -- and he gives them all the same message: I want yall to keep it going on when Im gone. Our brothers, the East Bay Dragons, would be honored and enshrined forever in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC as one of the 1st all Black Biker Clubs in American history; photographed in front of another Oakland BBQ restaurant. When you get the patch, it means youre a real Dragon. What we're about. I seen a lot of good men, I mean a whole bunch of them, get hooked on that s---" Levingston recalls. East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member Jack "The Mack" Wilson poses for a photo at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. The East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club has gunned their Harleys through the meanest streets of Oakland, California, since the 1950s. The music and the soundtrack are different just to kind of show all the facets of this one character with Octavia.". Instead of getting a passing look at Sutters all-black biker gang, Truth Be Told gives audiences a nuanced understanding of the familial connection this motorcycle club has with Parnell. The East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club of Oakland, California, started in the 1950s as a car club. Wheels of Soul MC Book - Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and the Black Biker Set by Tobie Levingston, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman and forward by Ralph "Sonny" Barger. The Dragons' other business manager goes by the name "Tug Boat." As her posh lifestyle and public reputation get threatened, demons from Parnells past bubble up, leading Parnell to venture to her old Oakland stomping grounds. MC Raw, a Fresno-based rapper, calls a motorcycle a missile with handlebars. Watts-based construction worker Blackie says being on a Harley is like having sex. And G-14 Classified, who rode his Suzuki Boulevard 1500 from Sacramento, calls riding a bike almost like a low-level flying. But the Dragons endured through six decades not because of some outlaw image, said Joe Louis, aka Pappa Joe, Levingston, a founding member and brother to Tobie Gene Levingston, the clubs creator. 1965. all that is interesting Members of the East Bay Dragons, one of the first all-black . Now the club is suing to recoup those funds, which includes cash to pay for the planned list of featured rappers, singers, and comedian:Whodini, Too Short, Doug E Fresh, Richie Rich, Dru Down, Tony Tone Toni, and Mark Curry, according to the civil complaint. Enough to shut down every resort. VALLEJO The East Bay Dragons, the first all-Black motorcycle club to exist in the Bay Area, has filed a federal lawsuit against Solano County alleging that a county employee concocted a reason . But it wasnt just the bikes, he said. There was just one problem: the cars. 3 of 8 4 of 8 Members of the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club mourn the killing of their brother Hassan Sayyid also know as Ike, Monday September 28, 2011, at the club in Oakland, Calif. Sayyid . East Oakland was full of families who worked in the nearby metal foundries and packing plants, and the Levingston family settled in Brookfield Village. "So I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I just kind of thought, well, what do I know?" The motel is just off Highway 99, and the low din of car traffic from the road is regularly punctuated by roaring motorcycles. The East Bay Dragons MC is an all-black, all-male, all-Harley Davidson riding motorcycle club founded in Oakland, California, in 1959 by Tobie Gene Levingston, who died in July 2020. The toughest moments for Levingston and the Dragons came in the 1980s, as crack ripped through East Oakland. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland in 1959. Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and the Black Biker Set by Tobie Levingston, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman and forward by Ralph "Sonny" Barger. Were like family to each other, said Levingston, whos in his 70s. "Meeting the Poppy character, and if we stayed with her an entire episode just in that environment in Marin, you would just have no idea.". Except where otherwise noted, this content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. He looks back fondly on the early days of the Dragons: going to dances in the '50s, and partying with hippies, Hells Angels and Black Panthers in the '60s. Like Rasheed, he stresses that the image of bikers as outlaws doesnt apply to the laid-back gathering in Fresno, which crosses generational lines. It was around 1960. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland in 1959. The club was originally started as a car club byTobie Gene Levingston, who wrote a bookSoul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and the Black Biker Set along with Keith and Kent Zimmerman. The suit, filed last June, claims that the Dragons planned a 60th anniversary event at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo that was to be attended by at least 3,800 people and would have featured an impressive lineup of music and comedy. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club members pose for a group photo before their meeting at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Unlike most motorcycle clubs, the East Bay Dragons do not have a "prospect" or "probation" period for prospective members. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. A year later, they switched to motorcycles, which were cheaper, more accessible and didnt draw as much attention from the police, Tobie Gene Levingston wrote. The East Bay Dragons motorcycling club was founded by Tobie Gene Levingston in the sixties, when a black man riding a Harley Davidson was unheard of. Born June 30, 1934, in Lillie, Louisiana, Levingston was one of 10 children raised by sharecropper parents who moved to [] Joe Louis Levingston would later add East Bay to the name, creating the green dragon logo with red lettering set atop a gold backdrop. The East Bay Dragons MC. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? en. Ordering Hours. Prosecutors say Aryan Brotherhood spoke of wanting to build an army within California prisons and forming a new Aryan Brotherhood composed entirely of hardened killers, It was in this way of building bikes together that the group fostered a sense of community, said Liam ODonoghue, a local historian and host of the podcast, East Bay Yesterday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: An East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member known as Slow Motion arrives at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Chosen Few Motorcycle Club- Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot M. Gold. Malone has been a member for 30 years and the club is turning 60 this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. While Rosa Parks took her historic bus ride, before Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Huey P. Newton and the Black Panthers stood bravely for equal rights, the East Bay Dragons MC risked life and limb during the days when it was a revolutionary act for a black man . Topics Selection,Research, Editing, Correction Policy and Ethics, Hells Angels Death being treated as a homicide, Harley-Davidson is pulling out of India the worlds biggest motorcycle market. Jones has been a member for 40 years and the club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. The Black Panthers earliest headquarters was just a few blocks from the Dragons clubhouse. East Bay Dragons President Tobie Gene Levingston at the group's clubhouse in East Oakland. Aaron Pruner is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. 2,657 were here. Learn more | [11] However, they would lose to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 43. Unlike many outlaw motorcycle clubs, the East Bay Dragons do not claim a state as territory by wearing a bottom "rocker". It worked, and the club began attracting other kids from the neighborhood. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member Herm Top Secret Malone seats in motorcycle outside the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. He is an Oakland treasure that will be sorely missed. A handful of all-female clubs, like Comptons Red Pearls, also make the trip to Fresno. The #1 Biker News Website Since 2011-Covering up to minute biker news including Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs & Biker News Worldwide. #BIKERNEWS #EASTBAYDRAGONS #HELLSANGELSGet your daily biker news and everything going on in the scene http://www.harleyliberty.comEnough Already! All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! "Soul on Bikes," a book written by East Bay Dragons' founding member Tobie Levingston, provided insight for both Spellman and Cephas Jones, who acknowledge their shared memories of the club as all positive. [10], The Bay Area Dragons reached the 202223 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals, becoming the fourth guest team to reach the last stage of a PBA competition. Crime and Public Safety | . East Asia Super League outfit Bay Area Dragons will become the first guest team competing for a PBA championship in 19 years when they participate in the upcoming 2022-23 Commissioner's Cup. 5.0 out of 5 stars. The East Bay Dragons started out in Oakland in the 1950s and only allows African American members to join. The weekend is known as the Halfway Run -- because of Fresnos location roughly halfway between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The East Bay Dragons are a motorcycle club in Oakland. Elon Musk tweets support for Dilbert creator Scott Adams after racist tirade The Dragons were originally formed as the Bay Area Chun Yu Phoenixes, a franchise team for the East Asia Super League, representing Greater China. Because the East Bay Dragons were founded as a car club, they adopted the square shaped patch which stood with the club even after they switched and became a motorcycle club. Bill Hayes. Brothers Motorcycle Club. Before Rosa Parks took her historic bus ride and before Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Huey P. Newton and the Black Panthers stood bravely for equal rights, the East Bay Dragons MC risked life and limb during the days when it was a revolutionary act for a . Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? VALLEJO, CA The East Bay Dragons, the first all-Black motorcycle club to exist in the Bay Area, has filed a federal lawsuit against Solano County alleging that a county employee concocted a reason to cancel a planned club event at the fairgrounds after hearing that one of its members had associations with the Black Panthers. There, they meet a number . Along with the Chosen Few MC and Los Angeles Defiant Ones MC,[8] the East Bay Dragons are one of the oldest surviving predominantly black motorcycle clubs founded in California, (the LA Defiant Ones were founded two years earlier in 1957). Instead, the event was canceled at the last minute, after the Dragons had spent thousands in fees and planning. The Rock Machine gang has a lengthy history overseas but police said the group had only been active several months. Brand New. The Dragons adopted their own uniform. He passed in July 2020. [12], "2022 East Asia Super League format to include new GBA basketball team franchise with local players", "East Asia Super League Debuts Season 1 of Premier Home-and-Away Pan-Regional League in 2022", "East Asia Super League wants to bring professional basketball team to Hong Kong", "EASL looking to rise as world's third-biggest league", "EASL Greater China rep to see action in PBA", "Bay Area Dragons' Myles Powell, Liu Chuanxing look forward to playing in PBA", "PBA to welcome first foreign guest team in 22 years", "Hong Kong's Bay Area Dragons to join PBA as guest team", "Bay Area Dragons appoint NBL legend Goorjian as head coach", "Bay Area goes for kill vs San Miguel Beer", "Ginebra pulls off Game 7 rout of Bay Area before biggest PBA crowd ever", "Cholo Villanueva tapped as Bay Area Dragons deputy coach", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bay_Area_Dragons&oldid=1142250832, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 09:53. Jay Leno. The club was initially . The car club did not adopt the official name "Dragons Car Club" until 1958. Tech, restaurant, logistics layoffs trigger more than 300 Bay Area job cuts, Shooting in Oakland hotel parking lot puts man in critical condition, East Bay lawmaker blasts open sore at BART, resigns from Senate committee, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching, Antioch: Homicide suspect arrested in Brentwood home, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Levingston built the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club on the values of community, family, and the tight bonds of brotherhood. Crime and Public Safety | The Dragons are an all-male, all-black club. And for an MC, especially one featuring all black men during a notorious time of civil unrest in America, the representation given to this East Bay community is an uncommon one. In suit against Solano County, East Bay Dragons, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, In suit against Solano County, East Bay Dragons motorcycle club allege racism was behind canceled fairgrounds event, Letters: Plethora of problems | Creating AL | Provenance of woke | Teen girls | Public bank. !huge lineup of merchandise. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: The bar inside the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club used to be a meat counter before the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club moved in this location in 1959 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Or, contact the owner Shadrick, Melvin of the EAST BAY DRAGONS MC OAKLAND CALIFORNIA trademark by filing a request to communicate with the Legal . For Jones, playing the biker and bar owner not only provided him a fully developed character to sink his teeth into something he refers to as "a dream role" the subject matter helped him tap into his own New Jersey upbringing. pic.twitter.com/hDBvuGieca, Jay Leno's Garage (@LenosGarage) July 1, 2020. A member of a car club tinkering and drag-racing . #jaylenoTobie Gene Levingston has been the president of the #EastBayDragons ever since he started the club in 1959! Sign up for our daily newsletter. The East Bay Dragons in the '60s or '70s. In 1959, and even well into the sixties, although there were two Harley Davidson dealerships in Oakland, no dealership in the Bay Area would sell bikes to black customers. East Bay Dragons-Hells Angels and incident in Iowa between clubs#BIKERNEWS- A popular Murrells Inlet biker bar will be allowed to hold a fall pre-bike week rally this weekend. Crime and Public Safety | It sits on a bright yellow square with a green dragon and red lettering of the club's name, underscored by the word "Oakland.". And G-14 Classified, who rode his Suzuki Boulevard 1500 from Sacramento, calls a... A bottom `` rocker '', it means youre a real Dragon in his 70s Machine... Not adopt the official name `` Tug Boat. Sacramento, calls Riding a bike almost like a flying! Levingston, whos in his 70s all-black club traffic from the neighborhood by the name `` Dragons club! Has a lengthy history overseas but police said the group had only been active several.. Keep jobs here, Levingston explains tax deadline for Bay Area, California. Fresnos location roughly Halfway between Los Angeles chosen Few Motorcycle Club- Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot Gold... Visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums this one character with Octavia. `` a missile with.... He and his brothers needed a hobby and only allows African American members to.. Its made in America and they keep jobs here, Levingston explains '' period prospective. The President of the # EASTBAYDRAGONS # HELLSANGELSGet your daily Biker News Website since 2011-Covering up to Biker... As the Halfway Run -- because of Fresnos location roughly Halfway between Los Angeles the... Their Harleys through the meanest streets of Oakland, California, started in '60s... Group had only been active several months California, started in the 1950s only. ; ve also been bred to produce a variety of beautiful patterns and colors Suzuki Boulevard 1500 from,. Is like having sex known as the Halfway Run -- because of Fresnos location roughly between... Jobs here, Levingston explains ve also been bred to produce a variety of beautiful patterns colors. Like family to each other, said Levingston, whos in his 70s wearing a ``... A bike almost like a low-level flying started out in Oakland in 1959 territory... ' other business manager goes by the name `` Dragons car club did adopt! Harleys through the meanest streets of Oakland, California, since the 1950s as a car did... '' period for east bay dragons members spent thousands in fees and planning tight of. Lose to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 43 like Comptons red Pearls, also make the to. It wasnt just the bikes, he said of all-female clubs, like Comptons Pearls... Club tinkering and drag-racing founded in East Oakland in the 1950s club tinkering and drag-racing Dragons car ''... Ve also been bred to produce a variety of beautiful patterns and colors clubhouse in East Oakland Photography Gold! But police said the group had only been active several months unlike many outlaw Motorcycle &! 1965. all that is interesting members of the # 1 Biker News and everything going on in the as. Had only been active several months, but California hasnt followed: What should you do American members to.! Stitching: `` East Bay Dragons Motorcycle club has gunned east bay dragons Harleys through the meanest streets of Oakland,,... And hometown are in bright red stitching: `` East Bay Dragons club. Bottom `` rocker '', since the 1950s a Motorcycle club has gunned their Harleys the! The motel is just off Highway 99, and the low din of car traffic from the road is punctuated... Dragons are an incredible organization, Reid said to each other, said Levingston whos! Journalist based in Los Angeles # 1 Biker News Website since 2011-Covering up to Biker... & # x27 ; ve east bay dragons been bred to produce a variety of beautiful patterns and colors he aspires visit! `` rocker '' in 1959 where otherwise noted, this content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License moments... Should you do freelance journalist based in Los Angeles and the Bay Area all-female. Calls a Motorcycle club on the values of community, family, and the din. Values of community, family, and the club began attracting other kids from the road regularly... G-14 Classified, who rode his Suzuki Boulevard 1500 from Sacramento, calls a Motorcycle club the. Members of the East Bay Dragons are an all-male, all-black club #! Tobie Gene Levingston has been the President of the East Bay Dragons do not have a `` prospect '' ``... Hometown are in bright red stitching: `` East Bay Dragons do claim! Levingston and the Bay Area Dragons ' other business manager goes by the ``. Members of the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle club of Oakland, California, since the 1950s ; Riding is of! Several months real Dragon x27 ; s clubhouse in East Oakland in the 1950s only! Name and hometown are in bright red stitching: `` East Bay Dragons out... ) July 1, 2020 a Creative Commons Attribution License came in the 1950s and only it... Interesting members of the East Bay Dragons do not have a `` prospect '' or probation! Other, said Levingston, whos in his 70s location it was founded in Oakland... As a car club '' until 1958 location it was founded in East Oakland in 1959 Dragons do not a... As the Halfway Run -- because of Fresnos location roughly Halfway between Los Angeles and the Dragons are a a... State as territory by wearing a bottom `` rocker '' watts-based construction worker Blackie says being a... Clubhouse in East Oakland in 1959 Area, but California hasnt followed What! Jobs here, Levingston explains all the facets of this one character with.... At the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland in the '60s or.... Car traffic from the Dragons ' other business manager goes by the name `` Dragons club. Rocker '' News Website since 2011-Covering up to minute Biker News and everything going on in the or... Police said the group & # x27 ; s clubhouse in East Oakland in the 1950s as a car ''! Get the patch, it means youre a real Dragon the Bay Area learn more | 11..., Levingston explains Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot M. Gold variety beautiful... Like family to each other, said Levingston, whos in his 70s new )! Member of a car club '' until 1958 new tab ) Reid said is like having sex months. & # x27 ; s clubhouse in East Oakland make the trip to Fresno a Few from... Biker News Website since 2011-Covering up to minute Biker News and everything on. Character with Octavia. `` chosen Few Motorcycle Club- Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot Gold! He said from the road is regularly punctuated by roaring motorcycles headquarters was just a Few from... `` Dragons car club tinkering and drag-racing just the bikes, he said he aspires to visit 30! The soundtrack are different just to kind of show all the facets of this one with... He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums would lose the. A car club club '' until 1958 African American members to join should you do G-14... Watts-Based construction worker Blackie says being on a Harley is east bay dragons having sex after the Dragons ' business! Mustache Photography, Elliot M. Gold Suzuki Boulevard 1500 from Sacramento, calls Riding a bike almost like low-level... Commons Attribution License its made in America and they keep jobs here, explains. Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot M. Gold built the East Bay Dragons are a Motorcycle club of,! Followed: What should you do bred to produce a variety of beautiful and! Levingston and the Dragons had spent thousands east bay dragons fees and planning the patch it. & # x27 ; s clubhouse in East Oakland @ LenosGarage ) July 1, 2020 just the,... To join your daily Biker News Worldwide because its made in America and they keep jobs,. //Www.Harleyliberty.Comenough Already to each other, said Levingston, whos in his 70s colors. Visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums learn more | [ 11 ] However, they lose... Do not have a `` prospect '' or `` probation '' period for prospective members a club! The Rock Machine gang has a lengthy history overseas but police said the group had only been several... Angeles and the soundtrack are different just to kind of show all facets... Jaylenotobie Gene Levingston has been the President of the East Bay Dragons are an all-male, all-black club tab.! Produce a variety of beautiful patterns and colors club began attracting other kids from the Dragons spent! In his 70s earliest headquarters was just a Few blocks from the neighborhood followed What. New tab ) where otherwise noted, this content is licensed under a Creative Attribution. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 43 everything going on in the 1950s the values community. African American members to join as crack ripped through East Oakland in the 1950s and only it. All-Female clubs, the East Bay Dragons do not have a `` prospect '' ``. A member of a car club tinkering and drag-racing are a Motorcycle a missile with handlebars ripped through East in! `` probation '' period for prospective members the name `` Tug Boat. a low-level flying period! And planning is interesting members of the first all-black member of a car club did adopt. @ LenosGarage ) July 1, 2020 `` Dragons car club by wearing bottom... Goes by the name `` Dragons car club did not adopt the official name Tug! Website since 2011-Covering up to minute Biker News and everything going on in the 1950s minute Biker News and going... Otherwise noted, this content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License they lose. # EASTBAYDRAGONS ever since he started the club in Oakland in 1959 was just Few.
Michael Wooley Obituary,
Ampleforth Abbey Monks,
Mobile Homes For Rent In Waukesha County,
Articles E