Sin City Deciples

Sin City Deciples

Motto	Death before Dishonor[1]
Founded	1966
Location	Gary, Indiana
Type	Outlaw motorcycle club
Region	USA and Europe
Membership	10,657 members
Abbreviation	SCD, 1934 Express

Sin City Deciples [sic] is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club that started in Gary, Indiana in 1966.^[1] Though most club members are black, the club is open to all men, regardless of race or color. The club is known for having a large number of street gang members and having extensive contact network with these gangs as well as a high percentage of military veterans. Members ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Members pride themselves on the tight knit brotherhood they have developed over years of riding with each other from state to state. With charters that span from coast to coast in the United States and in Europe, they are one of the oldest and largest black outlaw clubs in existence.Membership totaling 10,657 active members^[1] Deciples is a portmanteau of the words decibels and disciples.

Criminal activities

Wisconsin

On August 18, 2014, officers with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office arrested James L. Norman of Milwaukee for attempted homicide, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and drunken driving in connection with an alleged road rage incident. According to police, Norman had a dispute with another motorist over which of them had right of way to merge onto the highway, after which Norman pulled his motorcycle alongside the other motorist's car and fired into it, narrowly missing the driver. The police further alleged that Norman continued a short distance down Highway 41 after the shooting before striking a median wall, suffering minor injuries, and was walking away from the scene with a pistol in his hand when police arrived at the scene. Although police did not formally state that Norman was a member of the Sin City Deciples, they did confirm that the motorcycle, which was registered in Norman's name despite his not having a valid operator's license, was stamped with a Sin City Deciples logo.^[2][3]

Ohio

In 2011, a federal grand jury indicted four members of the Sin City Deciples motorcycle club on charges they used counterfeit cashier's checks to buy $175,000 worth of motorcycles, cars, trucks, and stereo equipment. The suspects targeted private sellers found on the internet – primarily Craigslist – then used fake identities and phoney, computer-generated bank checks to buy the vehicles, according to the indictment. The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office became involved because the scheme stretched from Ohio into Michigan. The suspects are accused of illegally buying 25 vehicles and two stereo systems, which they either resold whole or disassembled and sold for parts, the indictment said. Several of the vehicles were recovered at the gang's former clubhouse.^[4]

In 2013, Dayton Police responded to a disturbance early Sunday morning at the Toro’s Motorcycle Club, 1536 W. Third St., where they found a man who was bleeding heavily from the head after being attacked with a machete. The victim, a 33-year-old male, said a large group of men who were members of the Sin City Deciples motorcycle club from Cincinnati had attacked him after one of them bumped into him and they exchanged words.^[5]

Pennsylvania

In June 2013, the clubhouse in Pittsburgh was damaged in a suspected arson attack.^[6]

Colorado

In 2012, six members of the Sin City Deciples and Sin City Titans were arrested on charges from first degree murder to suspicion of accessory to first-degree murder. On March 3, Virgil Means went to the Sin City clubhouse, known for its wild post-closing hour parties that frequently rage until dawn. Means was forcibly ejected from the club by members and beaten up outside before he was picked up by a friend, according to police testimony in the case. Means and the friend, Mark Nadeau, later drove back to the club to retrieve Means’ wallet. While Means sat in Nadeau’s stopped Cadillac debating whether or not to get his wallet, three gunmen appeared and opened fired on the vehicle according to testimony.^[7]

Indiana

In July 1968, two members of the Gary, Indiana charter of Sin City Deciples were arrested on racially biased charges of assaulting a white woman. This led the remaining club members to start a city wide riot that resulted in fire bombings, sniper fire and widespread looting. Six persons were reported injured, including a fire fighter who was shot by a sniper. It took over 180 state and local law enforcement agencies to quell the riot, and in all 123 persons were charged with resisting arrest and 43 more arrested for breaking curfew.^[8]

In June 2011, a shootout occurred as the Sin City Deciples' annual cabaret concluded early Sunday left five people wounded, one critically, police said. Police recovered dozens of cases from at least four different caliber cartridges.^[9]

Alabama

In 2009, a jury found club member Charlie Joe Wilson, Jr. guilty in the January 11, 2009 execution-style shooting murder of Charles Bevelle in Birmingham on Interstate 20.^[10]

Georgia

In 2009, three members on their way to the Annual National Biker's Roundup were arrested on felony charges of theft by receiving a stolen firearm, speeding, possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.^[11]

Nebraska

A married couple fired 12 shots in front of a northeast Omaha motorcycle group’s clubhouse in April after a woman was denied entry to the club, an Omaha police detective testified at a hearing Monday morning. Two members of the Thunderguards motorcycle club were killed. The shooting occurred about 10:45 p.m. on April 16, 2016 at the ZAC Riders motorcycle club at 1702 N. 24th St. Members of the group later told police that they are part of the Sin City Deciples (sic) Motorcycle Club, an outlaw motorcycle gang involved in criminal activity, according to the St. Louis Police Department and an FBI report on gangs. The Sin City Deciples had not been invited to the party.^[12]

Popular media

The Los Angeles chapter of Sin City Deciples was featured in the 2006 movie Crank.^[13]

Notes

References

• cryptocomb.org (PDF)