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. Not that the police get the message. The bottom patches displaying their territory are rectangular, not curved. I enjoy the feeling of the wind, the music and sometimes even solitude.. 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. Learn more | How much snow did Tahoe get? Now in its 60th year of existence, the East Bay Dragons are one of America's first-ever all-black motorcycle clubs. 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. There would be black bikers from all over the country that would drive all the way to the East Coast. 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. Ordering Hours. The words "East Bay" were added by member Joe Louis, signifying their region of origin. Were like family to each other, said Levingston, whos in his 70s. The East Bay Dragons started out in Oakland in the 1950s and only allows African American members to join. The East Bay Dragons in the '60s or '70s. What does Spellman know? Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member Charles Darth Jones, left, chats with friends Kym Heedley, center, and DeeDee Dejan at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Friends and family members are planning a viewing 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 24 at the East Bay Dragons clubhouse, 8731 International Blvd., in Oakland, and outdoor funeral services at 10 a.m. July 25, at Acts Full Gospel Church, 1034 66th Ave., in Oakland. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 29: East Bay Dragons motorcycle club member Ray Nelson shows the first painting of the club at the East Bay Dragons Motorcycle Club in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Membership is open to all regardless of race or gender but in game character must be black or latino. 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. RELATED:Oakland from 1900 to now: See how the city has changed, "I remember them fondly as a little girl because they used to have this black family day picnic every year up in Nolan Park, and that was huge," Spellman explained. The motel is just off Highway 99, and the low din of car traffic from the road is regularly punctuated by roaring motorcycles. Except where otherwise noted, this content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. 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 Motorcycle Club of Oakland, California, started in the 1950s as a car club. Buy It Now +$13.50 shipping. Unlike most motorcycle clubs, the East Bay Dragons do not have a "prospect" or "probation" period for prospective members. packs - $55.00 (16) 10 oz. Joe Louis Levingston would later add East Bay to the name, creating the green dragon logo with red lettering set atop a gold backdrop. 2,657 were here. Chosen Few Motorcycle Club- Photography by Gold Mustache Photography, Elliot M. Gold. On Wednesday, the club shared newsof Levingstons passing and asked well-wishers to keep Levingstons wife and children and club members in their prayers, saying: Rest in Heaven, Pres.. The Dragons were founded in the 1950s as a car club, but switched over to motorcycles in 1959. Hes a solidly built man with a shaved head. Nate Gartrell covers crime, politics, and corruption in Contra Costa County. Because its made in America and they keep jobs here, Levingston explains. In 1959, Tobie Gene organized the Dragons, a loosely knit club for black men. 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. (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. He was 86. He passed in July 2020. As Levingston recalled in his 2004 autobiography, Soul on Bikes, most families in the '50s couldn't afford the luxury of having more than one vehicle. 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. Many of the riders here are affiliated with clubs, like Los Angeles Divided Time and Chosen Few, Sacramentos Aftermath and Fresnos Unknown Riders. Unlike some of their "outlaw" counterparts, the members of this club have planted deeper roots in the community and, consequently, have supportive neighbors. But through all the changes, the Dragons stuck with the same man as president: Tobie Gene Levingston. Kory Graffs Wall of ShameTake us to work with you and help us pass the time. So I started a car club to work on old cars and get their mind occupied working on cars.. Double Dragon Menu. (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. 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]. Part of Parnells character is rooted in her fathers life. [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. The club is turning 60 years this weekend at the same and only location it was founded in East Oakland. Related Articles h. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) $45.00. The suit is still in its early stages. "I hadn't seen it on screen and I just thought it was such an interesting flavor to add," Spellman continued. [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. Tobie Gene Levingston was born to a sharecropper father who made the migration west, and eventually settled with his family in Brookfield Village, Oakland (Tribune). 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. We welcome all levels of players including beginners to experts. But it wasnt just the bikes, he said. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? The club is turning 60 this . He says bikes were cheaper, and they didnt get hassled by cops as much on two wheels. 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. Shot out to Tobie, Pac-Man and Tugboat! If you came out here and talked to folks, no one is going to say anything negative about the East Bay Dragons, Reid said. 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[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. He is part of East Bay Dragons, an all-black and all-male Harley Davidson riding motorcycle club in Oakland, California. This insidious belief of EBDs threat traveled all the way to Oakland and with the help of the Oakland Police Department, and at the conclusion of the 60th anniversary celebration, on September 2, 2019, the EBD were surrounded by Oakland Police Department officers due to racist motives as they were enjoying themselves at Level 13 in Oakland, the civil complaint says. The club was initially . The bakerys website says its founder, Kim Cloud, is proud of that fact because his family benefited from the Panthers free breakfast program as kids. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. If you are a player and are looking for a new group post it here. A lot of the members attended weekend rallies to show off their bikes and to listen to speeches given by prominent Black Power movement leaders of the day. After following the recommendation of Barger, The East Bay Dragons officially became a motorcycle club in 1959. Rapid demise of Dilbert no surprise to some who were watching 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. Wilson has been a . The Rock Machine gang has a lengthy history overseas but police said the group had only been active several months. And they ride only Harley-Davidsons. Eagles Motorcycle Club. Everything from Shirts, Hoodies, Embroidered hats and more. That conflicted bond she has with her father and his crew makes this story component resonate. A member of a car club tinkering and drag-racing . By Nate Gartrell. The East Bay Dragons turned 60, and brought all the bikes out. For now, though, Levingstons going strong at 80, and looking to buy his next Harley: a three-wheeler. Many club members could only have access to the family car either during the weekends or late at night. According to the lawsuit, the trouble for the planned August 2019 event started when a county employee learned that a member of the Dragons owned Its All Good Bakery in Oakland, located at 5622 Martin Luther King Way, the Black Panthers first headquarters. During the Christmas season, they sponsor a toy drive and deliver toys to Oakland children on their bikes, while dressing up as Santa Claus. 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. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? The East Bay Dragons. 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