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American Soil, American Souls: The 1%er Struggle for Freedom

Throughout American history, the legal system has been shaped by ideals, power struggles, and public perception. From the earliest writings of the U.S. Constitution to the modern-day treatment of motorcycle clubs, we see both a vision of liberty and a reality filled with contradiction. The founding fathers, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and others, each envisioned a government that would restrain itself as much as it restrained the people. John Adams famously believed that justice must be separate from influence, writing that the judiciary should be a check on both the legislative and executive branches. He emphasized that judges should be independent, morally upright, and unshaken by outside pressure. In his "Thoughts on Government," Adams wrote, "The dignity and stability of government in all its branches, the morals of the people, and every blessing of society depend so much upon an upright and skillful administration of justice, that the judicial power ought to be distinct from both the legislative and executive, and independent upon both, that so it may be a check upon both, as both should be checks upon that."



In contrast, Thomas Jefferson warned of the dangers of centralized power and argued passionately for the rights of the common person, the farmer, the laborer, the rebel spirit of the people. Jefferson also understood that decentralizing power entirely to state governments was not the solution either. He sought a balance, one where power would not consolidate in one place and where due process would preserve the rights of every individual equally, regardless of jurisdiction. Over the centuries, we have seen systems that were created to serve the people instead be used by bad actors, gerrymandering, human rights violations, and separate but unequal judicial systems at local, state, and federal levels have been manipulated to instill fear and target groups like motorcycle clubs.

In 1801, outgoing President John Adams had issued William Marbury a commission as justice of the peace, but the new Secretary of State, James Madison, refused to deliver it. Marbury sued to obtain the commission, and the resulting decision by Chief Justice John Marshall established the principle of judicial review in Marbury v. Madison. This decision became a cornerstone of checks and balances in our legal system.


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The U.S. Constitution also outlines the foundation of due process and the rights of individuals under the law. The Fifth Amendment guarantees that no one shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, the right to confront witnesses, and legal counsel. The Fourteenth Amendment expands these protections by applying them to the states, ensuring that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law or deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. These amendments are critical when discussing the legal treatment of motorcycle clubs and their members.

In today's world, motorcycle clubs, especially 1%ers, are often treated not with fairness or reason but with judgment and presumption. These clubs, which arose from post-war America, were built on brotherhood, freedom, and defiance of conformity. Many wear the diamond patch not to signify criminality but to express that they live by a different code, one of loyalty, respect, truth, and independence from mainstream hypocrisy. The label "outlaw" has long been misunderstood. The term “1%er” originated after the 1947 Hollister Riot, when the American Motorcycle Association stated that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying that 1% were not. The diamond patch does not mean one forfeits their rights or their humanity. In fact, many of these individuals live by stricter moral codes than the institutions that judge them.

If John Adams were alive today, he would likely be appalled at how the courts and law enforcement use public spectacle to assume guilt before trial; especially with the all the bikers that live this lifestyle. He would recognize that due process, the very backbone of justice, is often abandoned when it comes to people society deems "other." Thomas Jefferson, a man who distrusted unchecked government power, would see in the motorcycle club culture a reflection of the very freedom he so fiercely defended. He would likely urge understanding before condemnation, and inquiry before judgment. Both Adams and Jefferson understood that liberty means little if it only applies to those who conform.

This nation’s failure to apply fair judicial standards to motorcycle clubs dates back to the 1947 Hollister Riot, which was sensationalized by Life magazine and distorted into the beginning of the outlaw biker stereotype. In the 1950s, clubs were harassed and arrested on vague charges simply for gathering in public. In the 1960s and 70s, surveillance and biased prosecutions became the norm, especially against the 1%er individuals wearing the patch, or some even do not wear that patch, but they are still a diamond. Different Ethnicity not just white skin color faced not only biker stigma but also racial profiling, and yet they were rarely charged with crimes.

The government needed no evidence, just fear.

In the 1980s, the RICO Act was weaponized to indict entire clubs for the actions of individuals. It was created to help stop the Mafia at first, but of course, our judicial system expanded it into other areas. We will talk about RICO as we go along with these blogs.

Motorcycle Clubs were swept into legal narratives that ignored personal accountability. All clubs faced years of infiltration, harassment, and unconstitutional attempts to strip their identity through logo forfeiture. The Black 1%er, Hispanic, Latino, and Indigenous clubs, have endured silent profiling and occasional raids, but never the flashy federal trials that white clubs face in the past generations because not only were different ethnicity treated differently, but for some reason different skin tones build on different leverage of how things are done in the court system. Sometimes, a person who is different ethnicity may have a flashy case brought to the masses, but it is covered up with the ethnicity not the biker. Hence, immigration stuff going on in today world. We have a lot of bikers that are different ethnicity getting sent to these camps without due process, and that is not OK. A different standard we need to talk about on ethnicity side of things in an educational way. The racial side of things overlapped into what they did to those organizations, and how they followed them. More to this dialogue. I am just hitting the service. We have to start somewhere.

I am not saying the white clubs did not have the secret watching,raids, or anything because they did have them, and still do. Or the black,Hispanic, Latino, and indigenous never had flash court cases. I am saying in different generations, or years it changes based on the times.

As an educator we have to understand the times, the history, and the entire picture of separation of how things are just understood in this lifestyle. I am wording it ways that may seem "unconventional" to an outside. That is OK. I had to learn as well. They all had issues with the raids, profiling, stigmas, stereotypes, and so forth. The times of what was going on in the communities over generations impacted them all differently. I am still learning, active listening to understand these things. When I first started did not know. Now, I do. Now, I am starting to talk about it.

This all shows not leniency, but systemic bias; silence used as a weapon, absence of trials used to justify continued suspicion.

The government’s treatment of these clubs violates every value the Constitution holds dear. Press conferences replace evidence; guilt is assigned by patch and color. Officers and prosecutors often act not as servants of justice but as politicians playing to fear. Judges too often allow RICO laws to be twisted beyond recognition, permitting trials where the crime is culture itself.

Psychologically, society lumps people into categories. Community psychology and behavioral science confirm this: the human brain simplifies complexity by grouping, labeling, and stereotyping. This survival mechanism becomes dangerous when fueled by media hysteria and state-sponsored fear. In the case of motorcycle clubs, it has led to a generational trauma, where freedom is criminalized, and justice is denied.

We, Bikers Across The Nation Concept, are not meant to be a "superhero", it is meant to be human. That means asking questions, shutting up and listening, and approaching one another with empathy. This is why this concept was created. Not to glorify outlaw behavior, but to advocate for a judicial system that respects all citizens, regardless of their patch. Clubs have built communities, not cartels. They deserve to be heard.

If the founders of the US Constitution Concept could speak to us now, I would think they would express that these riders are not criminals, but as a reflection of the tension they predicted: power versus liberty, control versus freedom. And I believe they would remind us: true justice is not who shouts loudest in a courtroom or press conference; true justice is how we treat those we fear the most. We need to grow more, whether we wear a badge or ride our own path. We also want to make sure we stop stigmas. It all bleeds into each other, doesn’t matter what type of rider you are. Stigma and stereotype are always there.

In psychology and community psychology, we know that the human brain is wired to simplify the world by lumping people into groups. This process, called social categorization, helps us make quick judgments, but when unchecked, it fuels systemic bias and injustice. That’s why we must constantly challenge ourselves to think beyond the label, beyond the patch, and beyond the assumption.

To that end, I want to honor Miklo 1%er of Los Perros Motorcycle Club for his powerful words and leadership in upholding the true code of the 1%er. In his letter, he wrote:

(I have been honored to learn a lot from him since I never came from this lifestyle. I had to shut up and active listen to understand. It has been an honor to listen to not just Miklo, but a lot of you. Everything stays between us, but we talk about develops these types of conversations not just for the biker world since I connect all.)


"For you are the elite. Not because of money, power or territory; but because you are the righteous few that have discovered the value of and live lives of true brotherhood and true freedom... They’ve sought to destroy the 1%er spirit since the day it was born. Why? Because there is nothing more powerful. That’s why we’re still here. They can try every trick in the book, but they cannot kill our spirit!"

"Those that protect and guide their communities. Those that live by a code. Those that refuse to commit violence against women, children, sick and elderly. Those that value the love and trust of their brothers more than any amount of money. Those that have given up on society, politicians and their one way laws. Those that seek freedom instead of power and territory."

"You can attempt to corrupt with power, contaminate with greed, infiltrate with snakes, ban our freedoms; it doesn’t matter... The Spirit of The True 1%er Will Live Forever!"

— Miklo 1%er, Los Perros Motorcycle Club.




*** This blog was not written for glory or recognition; it was written because I actively listen—to clubs, to riders, to history, and to what has been missing in our national dialogue. We must do better. We must think deeply, listen harder, and respect one another not because of patches or uniforms, but because we all bleed the same humanity. Respect takes work. Let this be a start.

I am always willing to help go through government archives in every single state to federal level, and research libraries to going into places to get answers to help you bikers out. This goes for every single one of you with a patch that represents a different lifestyle, and not a normal life in society standards. You all have families that are affected by profiling and how the communities treat you. That will be my next article when it comes to judicial and the bikers, because it seeps into our children, our families, and extended families, where it is hard for some of you to breathe, or you are walking on eggshells to be an outstanding citizen when you are human as well.

I would pray we live in a community where being you is a freedom we all have a right to based on the U.S. Constitution. And yes, we have a society we go shopping in, ride in, and connect with. Is it okay for someone to judge you before even knowing you? Should they know you? No, it is none of their business. No, we as a species should not judge and assuming. We all know that assuming does to each of us.

Boundaries.

We have forgotten those boundaries. I am always here for research. If you need help researching or finding something, I will do my heart to find it for you, or stand with you in court, or show a humanity side of things and sit beside your lawyer on a human standard. I am pushing for this dialogue hard in our communities. It is time we start having it. This is the 2nd blog part of the first part of me announcing we are talking about Judicial, Rico, Bikers, Humanity, and Beyond.

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Other sources:

Full U.S. Constitution

The Bill of Rights (First 10 Amendments)




Recognition:



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