Former Australian bikers have spoken out about their anxiety at being singled out for assaults after leaving gangs, leaving them unable to sleep and fearing violent retaliation.
Being assaulted, stabbed, and robbed may be the form of retribution for quitting an outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG), and one ex-biker claims he still sleeps with “one eye open.”
39 former bikies who left their different organisations are profiled in a 2021 Australian Institute of Criminology study on their experiences.
According to the study, these motorcycle clubs value loyalty, thus it is expected that everyone who joins one would be a member for life.
The investigation concluded that “the choice to quit an OMCG may therefore come with a major emotional, financial, and physical cost.”
A former biker described the human cost of his previous group’s targeting of his pals, regardless of their surroundings.
Oh, plenty of threats. They harassed, battered, and brandished a pistol at a friend of mine while his kid was in the vehicle. I was so afraid to see her again, dressed as a biker, and it destroyed my heart,’ a former biker remembered.
I have a tattoo on my body. When I awoke one morning to find a message from an unidentified man telling me to check out a [web]site that was about, like, how to live on the street, [my information were there]. I’ve just been treated like a man,’
Another ex-biker who claims to have left the group many years ago claims that he continues to live in fear of retaliation.
“I always have four eyes,” I said. I can’t sit with my back to anything at a restaurant; I have to be able to see everything, I sleep with one eye open, I can’t be in my own house without listening for sounds, and I inquire if they’re coming for me of each bike that passes, he added.
“My wife thinks I have really jittery sleep.”
Another person described how he was assaulted with something that caused his skull to be split open and required stitches.
“They attempted to steal my bike.” They yelled at me and demanded the registration. Then used a baseball bat to attack me bodily,” he said.
“I was at work one day when the gentleman who had been assisting me with the bike phoned to say that several men had came and grabbed your bike,” the man stated. I thus anticipated what would happen at that time. afterwards I received a really severe beating.
Yes, I had been hit in the back of the head by several guys with [a weapon]. I had sutures in the back of my skull at the end.
Depending on how amicably a member leaves, there may be repercussions; nonetheless, one bikie warned that if you attempt to hide, “they’ll find you.”
According to the terms. Are they going to depart on good terms or are they a f***-up? How you get along with your brothers, vice president, treasurer, and president, as well as your performance history, are all important considerations,’ the ex-biker stated.
You may attempt to hide, but unless you’re fortunate, they’ll catch you, my friend.
I’m saying that if you act honourably and don’t steal, cheat, or lie from the club, you may leave with dignity.
However, there are people in place that could result in you losing your bike, your teeth, a lot of money, or some other punishment if you leave [within a] certain amount of time, haven’t behaved properly, or have used the club’s name to stand over others.
According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s (ACIC) most recent assessment on biker organisations, there are now 38 motorcycle gangs operating in Australia with more than 4,700 patched members and 1,000 potential recruits.