Monday, November 20, 2017

Bikers across Texas are fed up with law enforcement

Killeen, TX  (November 20, 2017) —Biker Switchboard — The sound of their motorcycle exhaust pipes will get your attention, but bikers say they do not want to cause fear or intimidation.

Bikers across Texas said they have had enough with law enforcement calling them corrupt and criminals. They said since the deadly Twin Peaks shooting happened in May of 2015, there has been a bad stigma attached to their motorcycle clubs.


"We're totally involved in our community, but you never hear about that. All you hear is about is the crap when they bust some of the big boys," Wolverine Motorcycle Club member Mike Drutter said.

More than 100 bikers, including veterans, showed up at Scooters Bar and Grill Sunday in Garland for a Region 2 Confederation of Clubs and Independents meeting.

"The COCI was started for righteous reasons. We work legislative issues, and we work charitable issues," Mel Moss of Sons of Liberty Motorcycle club said.

They also discussed biker's rights, and encouraged bikers to show comradery toward one another. In less than five minutes, they raised $660 in a hat for a biker who is battling health issues. Drutter said despite negative opinions, they are actually good people.

"If a family is in need we're right there for them. If someone gets hurt, we're there for them," Drutter said.

The latest motorcycle news to hit the state of Texas was the mistrial of Dallas Bandido Jake Carrizal. Drutter said since the Twin Peaks shooting, motorcycle clubs have been given a bad rap by both police and the public, and that they are viewed as criminals.



"This whole label of gangs and organized criminal activity is crap. The worst my people do is get arrested for a speeding ticket every now and then," Drutter said.

When Moss heard that the Twin peaks trial was a mistrial, he said was elated. He feels the state presented a weak case and the second trial for Jake Carrizal will have the same outcome.

"Abel Reyna made multiple, multiple blunders along the way. Of course we're not going to tell him what they are. I think he's his own worst enemy,” Moss said.

Moss said after the Twin Peaks shooting happened, bikers started to take a stand. They felt the police were not telling the whole truth about the shooting.

"And it became an issue that we followed and we continue to follow, because we feel that it’s our job to expose the truth of it all,” he said.

SOURCE:  KCENTV


Sunday, November 12, 2017

Bikers verses Bullies

Bikers escort 14-year-old girl to school after teen says she was bullied

WAXAHACHIE, Texas (November 10, 2017) — A 14-year-old girl had a lot of support as she headed to her Texas high school on Friday.

Christian’s mother, Dshannon Aday, told WFAA, her daughter is a survivor, not a victim. “We had a situation earlier this week where another child got up, walked across the room, and took a chunk of hair out of my child’s hair while she was doing her work.”

One of the bikers who rides with the Guardians of the Children Motorcycle Club said the goal is to give strength to children who are going through things like this.

WFAA reached out to the school district; due to privacy laws, they said they could not say if the accused bully had been punished or not.

A school spokesperson told WFAA, the district emphasizes “anti-bullying throughout our curriculum on all campuses.”



Saturday, November 11, 2017

The Build By Paul Teutul Jr.

A Reflection on Faith, Family, and My Time on “American Chopper

Paul Teutul Jr. starred on American Chopper with “Paulie” and his father, Paul Sr., building custom choppers together. After his time on the reality show, he started his own business, Paul Jr. Designs. Today, Paul Jr. Designs continues to thrive, producing custom bikes for a variety of individual and corporate clients. The Build is his first book.

“It remains humorous to me that after ten years of appearing on a reality television show, the question I am most often asked, by far, is whether what happened on our show was, well, real. But then again, the dynamic that made “American Chopper” a global phenomenon did appear unreal, prompting the two to three million viewers tuning in on Monday nights to hope – even pray – that the volatile relationship between my father and me was too bad to be true.

The premise of the show was simple: a father and son work together to build custom motorcycles. 

“American Chopper” worked because the bikes and our relationship were jaw dropping. For 10 seasons and 233 one-hour episodes, my father and I were often a train wreck that proved equally as difficult to turn away from as to watch. And yes, it was real. In fact, I believe that because of my relationship with my father, “American Chopper” not only was the most real reality show, but it was the first true reality show that didn’t involve surviving on an island.

Paul Teutul Jr. riding one of his custom choppers

The arguments, shouting matches, door slamming, and wall punching were no different from my life growing up with my father, working for him in the steel business, and then building custom bikes together. The only difference with “American Chopper” was that there were cameras around, recording our blowups for the world to see.

I have learned that there are many people with stories similar to mine – people who are part of, or are directly impacted by, an abnormal relationship. I have nodded in understanding while listening to fans of our show describe their relationships gone bad. I have even talked with one man who might have had a worse relationship with his father than I did with mine.

Those conversations are one reason I decided to write The Build. I have been married to Rachael for seven years now, and our strong relationship is one my parents did not have. Our son, Hudson, is almost three years old, and our father-son dynamic will be the complete opposite of what I grew up with. I have faith that will be the case… because of my faith. And when the opportunity arose to write a book about choppers, my family, and my faith, I said, “I’ve got to do this.”

Seeing my relationship with my father play out on a reality show for ten years was difficult because our society tends to keep such problems hidden. It has been difficult to detail in this book my bad experiences with my father because he is my dad, and I love him – I have long desired to have a nor­mal relationship with him.

But I kept it real on “American Chopper,” and I am keeping it real in this book, because I know there are too many others who will nod in understand­ing as they read my story. I’ve always liked having my freedom, and since the show ended, I have been able to make my own schedule for building bikes while also spending time with Rachael and, of course, Hudson. From my early teens until I was almost forty, I’d estimate that I worked two lifetimes’ worth of hours.

Hudson was born two-and-a-half years after we stopped filming the show. It isn’t easy to look back and say with certainty what I would have done in a hypothetical situation, but if Hudson had been born while the show was still filming, I know I wouldn’t have been around him as much as I have been. I can’t even imagine that.

Life is great. And I think the best is yet to come. I don’t know if that means another show or another baby. Or both! But I don’t think I’m done with television.

The way our show ended with big ratings for the second live build-off leads me to believe there is equity there for another show. Part of me asks, why would you want to do that again? But barely in my forties, I believe I’m in the prime of my creativity.”

SOURCE: Paul Jr. Designs