The club was initially . 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. Levingston grew up in rural Louisiana, the son of a sharecropper. The East Bay Dragons started out in Oakland in the 1950s and only allows African American members to join. So it's just like, you know, money Marin and then you go over [the Bay Bridge] and it's funkier, more bluesy Oakland. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland in 1959. Toby Gene and Joe Louis Levingston both had jobs, as well as cars and houses and families, he said. Brothers Motorcycle Club. The car club did not adopt the official name "Dragons Car Club" until 1958. Starting in the East Bay Dragons early years from the 1950s, before the black revolution had begun, this book takes you on a journey following the forming of the outlaw black biker culture . (Aaron Mendelson/KQED) In front of his hotel room, Ali Ar Rasheed takes in the scene. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland in 1959. [1] Both the Phoenixes and the P. League+ champions of Taiwan were designated by the EASL as Greater China's representatives. He attends Acts Full Gospel Church in East Oakland and is a retired member of the East Bay Dragons MC, . Membership is open to all regardless of race or gender but in game character must be black or latino. Until 1959, most black motorcycle clubs were "Drill Teams" consisting of World War II veterans. The Dragons were founded in the 1950s as a car club, but switched over to motorcycles in 1959. From always feeding the community and supporting generations of East Oaklanders, to hosting my very first Budget Town Hall as Mayor and proudly escorting Hammer and me in Warriors victory parades, the East Bay Dragons have been a constant source of service and pride for Oakland, Schaaf said in part. Scroll to Continue. The East Bay Dragons are a motorcycle club in Oakland. Click To See Our Other Locations Below: Location Address; 1: Double Dragon Chinese Restaurant: East Bay Street (close to Paradise Island Bridge) 2: The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. Many working class and working poor black families could not afford more than one car per household and Dragons members were no exception. 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. Jay Leno. Harper, the third longest-serving member of the Dragons, first showed up at the groups clubhouse, which was then across the street from a barbecue restaurant where the members used to hang, with a Honda before being told to come back with a Harley. In 1959, Tobie Gene organized the Dragons, a loosely knit club for black men. A historical photo of the East Bay Dragons. via East Bay Dragons/Flickr. These drill teams performed group routines consisting of stunts and challenging maneuvers weaving in and out of cones and between other motorcyclists. 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 to cancel a planned club event at the fairgrounds after hearing that one of its members had associations with the Black Panthers. The East Asia Super League's champions week gets under way in Japan on Wednesday, and for the Bay Area Dragons it represents an opportunity to finally put their heartbreaking defeat in the . We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. They nevertheless built up a positive reputation in the . All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! They nevertheless built up a positive reputation in the neighborhood, supporting the Oakland area while giving voice to the oppressed during a time before the civil rights movement really took off. [18], The One Percenter Encyclopedia: The World of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs from Abyss Ghosts to Zombies Elite. Double Dragon Menu. On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people pack into the parking lot. The #1 Biker News Website Since 2011-Covering up to minute biker news including Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs & Biker News Worldwide. The motorcycles they fly around the state on are bigger and brighter than the ones the Dragons rode through Oakland in the 1950s. Recently Jay Leno came to meet the legendary Tobie Gene and the Dragons. As they tell it "The 60s was a hell of a time.With the Civil Rights Movement, The Viet Nam War, Flower Power . Bill Hayes, Jim Quattlebaum, Dave Nichols. Richard Serrell or better known as his stage name Richie Rich is a rapper from Oakland, California. [11], The East Bay Dragons were featured in the 2015 victory parade through downtown Oakland commemorating the 2015 NBA Championship of the Golden State Warriors. 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. Bikers at the Halfway Run all give their own reasons for riding motorcycles. The East Bay Dragons, LA Defiant Ones and Outcast MC (founded 1969),[9] are the oldest surviving all black motorcycle clubs requiring members to only ride American made motorcycles. According to the suit, all of this was a problem for the employee, who allegedly remarked that the Black Panthers were the greatest threat to the internal security of the country, and started working to cancel the Dragons event. Brotherhood Motorcycle Shop. Privacy Policy | The group, which initially started out as a car club in the late 1950s, rides customized Harley Davidson motorcycles (also known as choppers) and is a well-loved fixture of West Oakland. 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.. "You look forward to it all year. New episodes of Truth Be Told drop every Friday on Apple TV+. The clubs are grilling food, lounging by the swimming pool and checking out each others rides. [5][6] The team also changed their name to the Bay Area Dragons upon joining the PBA, to avoid confusion with the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. At the groups clubhouse in Oakland, pictures of old dances, parties and motorcycle runs cover the walls. This is a brand page for the EAST BAY DRAGONS MC OAKLAND CALIFORNIA trademark by Shadrick, Melvin in *****, *****, ***** ****. [3][4], They entered the 202223 PBA Commissioner's Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association as a guest team. The East Bay Dragons turned 60, and brought all the bikes out. Recognizing The East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club, CHOSEN FEW & EAST BAY DRAGONS | AMERICAS BLACK BIKER SET REVISITED, Oakland City Council to Commemorate Founding of Historic East Bay Biker Club, Oakland motorcycle club member shot to death, East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club: On the Road for 55 Years, East Bay Dragons motorcycle club founder dies, Meet the East Bay Dragons, the oldest Black motorcycle club in the West. He says bikes were cheaper, and they didnt get hassled by cops as much on two wheels. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: Memorabilia of the East Bay Dragons decorate the walls at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. The East Bay Dragons formed in 1959, during a time when the image of a black man riding a motorcycle could provoke a strong reaction. And they was kind of crazy! he remembers. 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. 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. He interviewed two Dragons for an episode in December called Respect the Patch: How Oaklands Oldest Black Motorcycle Club Survived Nearly 60 Years., They literally built the community together, one bike at a time, he said. A consultant by day, he helps manage the club's finances. He is an Oakland treasure that will be sorely missed. (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. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland in 1959. The East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club of Oakland, California, started in the 1950s as a car club. May he rest and ride in peace., Mr. Levingston built the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club on the values of community, family, and the tight bonds of brotherhood. OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 29: Memorabilia of the East Bay Dragons decorate the walls at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. The Dragons were founded in the 1950s as a car club, but switched over to motorcycles in 1959. Riding is sort of like an active form of meditation, Rasheed says, smoke rising off the cigar in his hand. After constant harassment and profiling from the local police, Levingston had considered disbanding the car club. packs - $55.00 (16) 10 oz. [2], The team was established under the agreement of the Hong Kong Basketball Association and Chun Yu Basketball Club. So I started a car club to work on old cars and get their mind occupied working on cars.. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member Ernest Big E13 Brown is photographed in a motorcycles mirror at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. 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. And Tobie Gene Levingston thought he and his brothers needed a hobby. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014. More than 50 made the trip to Fresno, including Levingston. The bakerys website says its founder, Kim Clark, is proud of that fact because his family benefited from the Panthers free breakfast program as kids. It was the first all-black motorcycle club in the Bay Area and one of the first in the country, emerging at a time when a black man riding a motorcycle was seen by some as an inflammatory act. (Pendarvis Harshaw) A ll summer, the thought of moving away has been a subtle buzz in the background of the memories I've been creating. "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. 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. Thi. The club regularly participates in charity rides, holds block parties and donates supplies to schools. Started in 1959,it was one of the first all-black motorcycle clubs. If you are a player and are looking for a new group post it here. 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. I seen a lot of good men, I mean a whole bunch of them, get hooked on that s---" Levingston recalls. According to the suit, all of this was a problem for the employee, who allegedly remarked that the Black Panthers were the greatest threat to the internal security of the country, and started working to cancel the Dragons event. [16], Since its inception and official establishing as a motorcycle club, the East Bay Dragons have no desire to establish multiple chapters in or outside of California, have only one chapter, and have remained at the same clubhouse in East Oakland where they have been based for over 45 years. Insane Throttle Support Club Become a memberNow, Insane Throttle/Motorcycle Madhouse Radio YouTube and AudioDisclaimer, Meet the Insane Throttle Contributing Columnist James Hollywood Macecari, Motorcycle Clubs Riding Clubs and Associations Near Me Index &Listings, Our Policies here at Insane Throttle Publications. Prospective members who are "hangarounds" are referred to by club members as "rookies" while they are being vetted for membership prior to being voted in as full patch members.[17]. They wore black, grease-stained Levis and vests with their signature patch: a green dragon against a gold background. [7][8][9] In May 2022, former NBL coach and incumbent Australia Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian was announced as the team's first head coach. 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. The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and seven members have failed to have the attempt to seize three of their clubhouses thrown out of court. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: 524 is inscribed in a motorcycles windshield when is used for races and represents EBD, in the alphabetical order, for the East Bay Dragons at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. 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 . Outside of journalism, he doesn't do much. Ripper Magazine Vol.15 Old School Chopper Motorcycle Japan Book East Bay Dragons. It was around 1960. And they ride only Harley-Davidsons. 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 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 . Youre in a brotherhood for life.. Flower arrangements may be sent to Acts Full Gospel Church the morning of the service. Parnell is a fictional journalist who begins questioning her role in the incarceration of Warren Cave (Aaron Paul). That conflicted bond she has with her father and his crew makes this story component resonate. It was originally created by Gene's big brother as a way to help keep his younger brothers off the streets and out . These are the cool names for motorcycle clubs you can use: Mustang Motorcycles. Real-life California is packed with motorcycle clubs, from the notorious Hells Angels (founded in Fontana, with its best-known chapter in Oakland) to the hundreds of clubs that crisscross the state on bikes today. The suit is still in its early stages. 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. At the time, West Oaklands Seventh Street corridor was still a bustling commercial strip, dotted with jazz clubs and black-owned businesses buzzing with customers from Oaklands Army base. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. They are known to form lifelong bonds with their owners. Full Episodes. Many of the riders here are affiliated with clubs, like Los Angeles Divided Time and Chosen Few, Sacramentos Aftermath and Fresnos Unknown Riders. He goes by Prez to club members. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: 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 insignia is a large square patch featuring the club name in red text placed above the logo of a green dragon over a yellow background. He is part of East Bay Dragons, an all-black and all-male Harley Davidson riding motorcycle club in Oakland, California. 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. The East Bay Dragons MC started in 1959 to become an African -American motorcycle club riding. 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. Other makes of motorcycles are not allowed. It sits on a bright yellow square with a green dragon and red lettering of the club's name, underscored by the word "Oakland.". [5], Prior to the East Bay Dragons, the only other black outlaw motorcycle club in the Bay Area was the now defunct Fillmore based Frisco Rattlers.[6][7]. 50-year-old Bangor man was knocked down by a deer as he was riding his 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle went without help. They include riding for breast cancer, AIDS awareness, and violence awareness. Motorcycles were more practical because they were not depended on by an entire household. Their founder, Tobie Gene Levingston, remained president until his death last July. CBS News Bay Area: Free 24/7 News CBS . The men riding them had on polished boots and Levi jackets, blue jean pants and matching striped motorcycle helmets, Harper said. 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. 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