March 17, 2021 at … Talk:East Bay Dragons. EAST BAY DRAGONS: Defendant: County of Solano, SOLANO COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATION and MIKE IOAKIMEDES: Case Number: 4:2020cv04044: Filed: June 17, 2020: Court: US District Court for the Northern District of California: Presiding Judge: Saundra Brown Armstrong: Nature of Suit: Civil Rights: Other: Cause of Action: 28:1331 : Jury Demanded By: Plaintiff: RSS Track this Docket Docket Report … [16], Since its inception and official establishing as a motorcycle club, the East Bay Dragons have no desire to establish multiple charters 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. [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]. As they tell it -- … Over more than six decades as club president, Levingston rode alongside the club’s members and rubbed shoulders with famous figures like the … 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. Like the Bandidos Motorcycle Club and Flaming Knights Motorcycle Club,[15] their club name is prominently displayed in red text over a yellow background, however, the Dragons are not affiliated with either club in any way be it "dominant MC" or "support MC" and was founded prior to both clubs. “They really interact with the young kids out here in East Oakland and with families.” Reid said the Dragons have held events at the Oakland Zoo and never faced complaints except about the noise of their motorcycles. The back of Joe’s vest is emblazoned in the original East Bay Dragons MC patch and surrounded by red rhinestones. The East Bay Dragons MC is an all black, all male, all Harley Davidson riding motorcycle club founded in Oakland, California, in 1959 by founder and former president, Tobie Gene Levingston who died in July 2020. Fils d’un métayer originaire de Louisiane, Levingston est passionné de voiture. In 1959, the Chosen Few MC officially formed out in LA on the cusp of the chaotic 60s. Bill Hayes, Jim Quattlebaum, Dave Nichols. 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. It was around 1960. Insignia The car club did not adopt the official name "Dragons Car Club" until 1958. Tobie Gene Levingston and his colorful cast of comrades are an all-black, all-Harley, all-chopper group of motorcyclists who have found more than their fair share of violence and redemption on the battlegrounds of urban America. Many working class and working poor black families could not afford more than one car per household and Dragons members were no exception. He founded the East Bay Dragons car club in Oakland, California, which eventually became the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club, one of the nation's leading all-black, Harley-only motorcycle clubs. 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. [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. A fight broke out, and one of the members drove his car through the front door of the building onto the dance floor.[3]. Starting out in the 1950's as a car club, Tobie Gene and the Dragons switched to two wheels and encountered street scuffles, rival clubs, ethnic stereotypes, police misconduct, and racial tensions. Unlike many outlaw motorcycle clubs, the East Bay Dragons do not claim a state as territory by wearing a bottom "rocker". Tobie Gene Levingston, founder and president of the East Bay Dragons motorcycle club, is seen in a February 2004 book signing for his classic memoir “Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons … This year marks the Dragons’ 55th year as a motorcycle club, and they enjoy elder statesman status among the black motorcycle set. From his humble beginnings as the son of a poor sharecropper, Tobie Gene became the founder and president of the nation's most elite exclusively black motorcycle club. By Post Staff. [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. 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. These drill teams performed group routines consisting of stunts and challenging maneuvers weaving in and out of cones and between other motorcyclists. All the original founding members had to buy used bikes. In addition to trouble with the Oakland Police Department, at that time the idea of sustaining a car club became difficult. 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. Biker-News.com brings condolenses to East Bay Dragons MC, family and loved once. Headquartered in Oakland, California the East Bay Dragons have secured their place as modern urban folk heroes alongside the Hell's Angels, the Oakland Raiders, and the Black Panthers. By George Kelly-www.eastbaytimes.com 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 Monday of natural causes. That includes dozens of African-American groups, like Oakland’s East Bay Dragons. The East Bay Dragons have a record of service to the community and have supported many local charitable organizations, including riding for breast cancer, AIDS awareness and violence awareness. The Black Panthers and The East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club were sometimes mistaken for each other by law enforcement. Motorcycles were more practical because they were not depended on by an entire household. WikiProject Motorcycling (Rated C-class) This article is within the scope of WikiProject Motorcycling, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Motorcycling on Wikipedia. Have something nice to say about East Bay Dragons? Shot out to Tobie, Pac-Man and Tugboat! The East Bay Dragons had already established a strong presence within communities in East Oakland. Sep 25, 2016 - Explore East Bay Dragons's 50 photos on Flickr! The East Bay Dragons MC is an all black, all male, all Harley Davidson riding motorcycle club founded in Oakland, California, in 1959 by founder and former president, Tobie Gene Levingston who … During the Christmas season, they sponsor a toy drive and deliver toys to Oakland children on their bikes, while dressing up as Santa Claus. By 1959, the East Bay Dragons had developed a reputation among Oakland Police Department for their numerous melees and brawls with local street gangs from East and West Oakland. After constant harassment and profiling from the local police, Levingston had considered disbanding the car club. MotorBooks International, 15 Dec 2011, Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and the Black Biker Set, Tobie Levingston, Keith Zimmerman, Kent Zimmerman, Motorbooks, November 15, 2013, The Original Wild Ones: Tales of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club. While the East Bay Dragons are by no means a singular phenomenon, they are one of only a few African American-only motorcycle clubs to come out of 50's post war America. Headquartered in Oakland, California the East Bay Dragons have secured their place as modern urban folk heroes alongside the Hell's Angels, the Oakland Raiders, and the Black Panthers. 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. Founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale and chief of staff David Hilliard often came in and ate in Joe’s restaurant. The two bottom patches displayed on their cuts showing their territory are one rectangular patch with "Oakland" in red text over a yellow background above another rectangular patch with "California" in red text over a yellow background. Unlike other African-American motorcycle clubs and drill teams of the late 1940s and 1950s which rode full-dressers, the East Bay Dragons rode choppers. 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]. Jump to navigation Jump to search. In Spring of 1967, East Bay Dragons member Joe Louis opened up Papa Joe’s Soul Food a few short blocks from the clubhouse. Long time friend Sonny Barger[4] suggested he switch the club from a car club to a motorcycle club because bikes were more discreet than cars, easier to maintain and cheaper to work on. - East Bay Dragons. Michael Dregni, Hunter S. (CON) Thompson, Sonny Barger, Evel Knievel, Jean Davidson, Arlen Ness MotorBooks International, 7 Feb 2010, "East Bay Community Remembers Trailblazing Founder of All-Black Motorcycle Club", "CHOSEN FEW & EAST BAY DRAGONS - AMERICA'S BLACK BIKER SET REVISITED", "Riding with LA motorcycle club 'The Defiant Ones, "Women as Property - and Other Issues - in New Black Motorcycle Club Doc, 'Outcast Forever' (Available on VOD)", "Golden State Warriors Celebrate NBA Championship with "Dub Nation" - Oakland Post", "The Rise and Fall of a Motorcycle Club Icon Turned Coke Trafficker", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=East_Bay_Dragons&oldid=1017810877, African-American history in Oakland, California, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 14 April 2021, at 18:28. East Bay Dragons Inspirational designs, illustrations, and graphic elements from the world’s best designers. 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