1 review of East Bay Dragons "These guys are living legends and a great bunch to hang around with, be sure to show up whenever they have an event or if you can catch up with them peeling rubber down the mean streets of East Oakland. 50-year-old Bangor man was knocked down by a deer as he was riding his 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle went without help. By Erin Baldassari 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. He attends Acts Full Gospel Church in East Oakland and is a retired member of the East Bay Dragons MC, . He will be interred immediately after at Rolling Hills Memorial Park, 4100 Hilltop Drive, in Richmond. As a result of this, the suit alleges, fairgrounds staff invented the ruse that there was a credible threat to the safety of the event, but there was no credible threat at all.. 2,657 were here. Motorcycles were more practical because they were not depended on by an entire household. Double Dragon Chinese Restaurant - East Bay. They really interact with the young kids out here in East Oakland and with families.. In addition to trouble with the Oakland Police Department, at that time the idea of sustaining a car club became difficult. This was far more affordable as new bikes cost around $500 yet a used Harley Davidson could be bought for as little as $30. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Justice UPDATE: The former national president of the Pagans was sentenced Thursday to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison for having a gun while returning home through New Jersey from a party in Pennsylvania. 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. In 1959, Tobie Gene organized the Dragons, a loosely knit club for black men. I remember staying up late making hamburgers and hot dogs for these cats into the wee hours of the morning to feed these guys after they would come from the club.". IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? It gave these guys a sense of accomplishment and something they could really bond over.. Jay Leno. The Dragons are an all-male, all-black club. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? The East Bay Dragons have a record of service to the community and have supported many local charitable organizations. I love the East Bay Dragons [2], Levingston founded the car club shortly after arriving to Oakland from Louisiana in 1955 with the intent of providing an outlet to keep his younger brother and friends off the rough and tumble streets of Oakland. Chosen Few Motorcycle Club- Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot M. Gold. We all enjoy one thing, and thats riding motorcycles," he says. Check out the rest of the story here: https://t.co/6pHvA0Hemp, And watch #JayLenosGarage TONIGHT 10p ET. Kory Graffs Wall of ShameTake us to work with you and help us pass the time. United Bikers Clubhouse. New report shows thousands of workers have left downtown San Francisco, California high schooler fatally stabbed in classroom fight, Nostalgic Bay Area chain Caspers Hot Dogs closing Walnut Creek restaurant. The bikes shiny chrome finish stood out against bright paint, each a different color. via East Bay Dragons/Flickr. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. OAKLAND Tobie Gene Levingston, who founded the East Bay Dragons as the Bay Areas first all-Black motorcycle club and one of the nations first, died Tuesday of natural causes. . Sunday 12 PM - 3:30 PM. East Oakland was full of families who worked in the nearby metal foundries and packing plants, and the Levingston family settled in Brookfield Village. If you haven't heard about them, listen to this episode of East Bay Yesterday. [3][4], They entered the 202223 PBA Commissioner's Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association as a guest team. President Joe Biden On Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Stay in touch. 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. After following the recommendation of Barger, The East Bay Dragons officially became a motorcycle club in 1959. If you ride -- and youre serious about riding -- youre not worried about bills. And, while Truth Be Told examines the impact of media on public opinion and the ripple effect true crime leaves in its wake, the showrunner delves deeper, using the character of Poppy Parnell (played by Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer) as an in-road to pay homage to her real-life hometown, Oakland. The turning point for the car club came following an incident at a local party at the Snow Building, a rented hall by the Oakland Zoo, adjacent to the Grass Valley neighborhood of the Oakland Hills. 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. The MC previously inspired the fictional motorcycle club The Grim Bastards in Kurt Sutter's wildly popular FX series, Sons of Anarchy. However, the representation of the biker group featured in the new Apple TV+ series feels further developed. Is the vulgar anti-Tesla sign on my neighbors truck illegal? He did, only to have several members drive him back home and dismantle the bike in his garage, telling him to come back again when he could put it back together, he said. Letters: Plethora of problems | Creating AL | Provenance of woke | Teen girls | Public bank Nelson grew up idolizing the Dragons, he said, watching them roll en mass to his grandmothers house, popping wheelies and burning rubber down the street. In fact, everyone in the club had a job and skills they could bring to the table. Born June 30, 1934, in Lillie, Louisiana, Levingston was one of 10 children raised by sharecropper parents who moved to the Bay Area in the early 1950s, settling in East Oaklands Brookfield Village neighborhood. US motorcycle brand is stopping manufacturing, Ep 936 Hells Angels A violent price to pay **FULL AUDIO**, Ep 936 Pagans Motorcycle Club Causing Panic in Missouri **FULL AUDIO EPISODE**, Pagans Motorcycle Club Causing Panic in Missouri **Video**, IS THE HARLEY SPORTSTER CONSIDERED A GIRLS MOTORCYCLE **VIDEO**, HERE'S THE TRUTH ABOUT UNCLE SHAGGY & THE INVADERS MC, Pagans Motorcycle Club Causing Panic in Missouri, https://insanethrottleinternational.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/discord-commercial-harley.mp3, https://insanethrottleinternational.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/motorcyclemadhousemayhempromo.mp3. The men riding them had on polished boots and Levi jackets, blue jean pants and matching striped motorcycle helmets, Harper said. 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 . Originally from Los Angeles, Session first came to the East Bay in 1982 when he was stationed at Alameda's naval base. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). He is a real estate agent with over 30 years of experience in Oakland. 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. Or, contact the owner Shadrick, Melvin of the EAST BAY DRAGONS MC OAKLAND CALIFORNIA trademark by filing a request to communicate with the Legal . May he rest and ride in peace. Ordering Hours. He goes by Prez to club members. "I grew up with the same exact story, and there were the same black biker movements going on," he revealed. You wear out man! But hes still there. 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. "So I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I just kind of thought, well, what do I know?" Incident at Iowa Biker Gathering making the news. East Bay Dragons President Tobie Gene Levingston at the group's clubhouse in East Oakland. S tarted in 1959, it was one of the first all-black motorcycle clubs. An undated photo of the East Bay Dragons. So they were like all these tough biker guys and everything else, with all these kids around and it was a big Bay Area event and they were kind of the backdrop of my childhood.". The East Bay Dragons built a reputation as family men who owned homes, cars and had steady jobs, supported each other with skill-networking and contributed to regular charity drives, love runs, Thanksgiving-turkey donations, and Christmas family-adoption and gift-giving, as well as yearly Labor Day weekend fundraisers. the club, which this weekend celebrated its 60th year, has since become one of Oaklands most iconic cultural exports, one recognized around the world. 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. 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 . The fairgrounds CFO, Mike Ioakimedes, said he has not yet reviewed the suit with his attorney and declined to comment. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. Being a pillar of the community is inseparable from membership in the club, said Ray Nelson, one of the clubs youngest members who is also a third-generation cousin to the Levingstons. See Copyrights. 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. East Bay Dragons motorcycle club founder dies, 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. Its why Nelson knows the club will endure for another 60 years. Rapid demise of Dilbert no surprise to some who were watching It worked, and the club began attracting other kids from the neighborhood. History As a car club. They called themselves the East Bay Dragons and even stuck plates with their logo in the rear windows. . said the East Bay Dragons, which is an African-American motorcycle club, is well-liked in the neighborhood because "we give to the community" by sponsoring Christmas parties, delivering . It sits on a bright yellow square with a green dragon and red lettering of the club's name, underscored by the word "Oakland.". For Double Dragon Chinese Restaurant, East Bay Street, it is only a 15 min walk over the bridge from Atlantis. The Dragons were founded in the 1950s as a car club, but switched over to motorcycles in 1959. Crime and Public Safety | Richard Serrell or better known as his stage name Richie Rich is a rapper from Oakland, California. "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. Due to the support both organizations had for each other, some of the Black Panthers eventually became members of the East Bay Dragons after the Black Panthers disbanded. As a member put it last year in the run-up to the clubs 60th-anniversary celebration, back then young black men could still quickly find themselves getting into trouble if they didnt stay busy, and Levingston thought he and his brothers needed a hobby. This year marks the Dragons 55th year as a motorcycle club, and they enjoy elder statesman status among the black motorcycle set. EXCLUSIVE: Rockmond Dunbar, the director-producer of the feature film Pastor Brown, has optioned Tobie Gene Levingston's autobiographical book Soul On Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC And The . Contact information for its California chapter: If you came out here and talked to folks, no one is going to say anything negative about the East Bay Dragons, Reid said. The weekend is known as the Halfway Run -- because of Fresnos location roughly halfway between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. It was around 1960. The Black Panthers and The East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club were sometimes mistaken for each other by law enforcement. "The East Bay Dragons have been riding strong in Oakland since 1959, making them the oldest all-Black club in America," says Norman in Season 3, Episode 2. (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. I had some brothers, and they was all behind me. Over more than six decades as club president, Levingston rode alongside the clubs members and rubbed shoulders with famous figures like the Hells Angels Sonny Barger and members of the Black Panthers. https://teechip.com/stores/insanethrottlebikernews*** Subscribe to Hollywood \u0026 China Dolls Channel (It's Free )https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXJgel_T8vy6dKmx6vPp2uA all that is interesting Hells Angels' old ladies (girlfriends) sit during a rest stop on the group's ride from San Bernardino to Bakersfield, California. 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. 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