The Boozefighters Motorcycle Club was founded in California in 1946. The founders were Willie Forkner and JD John Cameron. Other original members included Fatboy Nelson, Dink Burns and George Menker. Her favorite bar at the time was the All American Bar on South Gate in Los Angeles, California. 🇺🇸
The club became known in 1947 for its participation in the Hollister Riots, in which other well-known motorcycle groups also took part… The Road Knitghs were there as well as members of the Hells Angels and bikers from the Galloping Goose group. This event led to the emergence of the term “ One Percenter« , although the club never referred to itself as such, as it did not want to become involved in territorial affairs and warring gang issues that all 1% clubs face…
The first of the club’s European chapters opened in 2006. Existing chapters will be discussed later in this article. The motorcycle club is now headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Members of the club are expected to ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles or some other motorcycle manufactured by an American motorcycle company – this is one of the requirements for becoming a member of the gang. 😎
After a massive expansion in the late 1990s, some tensions arose within the club. Wino Willie Forkner decided to relinquish the rights to his Fort Bragg chapter and leave the club. Five club members were expelled from the club in 1996 on the pretext that they were using drugs. These five members expulsés, ainsi que 20 autres, ont formé par la suite le Wino’s Crew MC.
Boozefighters crest and motto
The motto of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club is “The Original Wild Ones”. This motto refers to the 1953 film ” The Wild One ” in which Marlon played Brando. Actor Lee Marvin played the character, who was modeled after Boozefighters founder “Wino” Willie Forker. The club’s name, The Boozefighters, does not mean that it does not condone the consumption of alcohol – this is a common misconception in the US. Rather, the club is sometimes associated with the motto “a club of drinkers with a strong passion for big cars.” 🛠
The gang’s logo is relatively easy to spot because it’s very different from other motorcycle clubs. Many have patches with the skull and crossbones symbol and violent signs. The gang shows a green bottle with stars, which is quite original. The gang’s name is always at the top in an arc, the “MC” patch to the right, and the designation ” Est 1946 ” at the bottom in an arc, indicating the gang’s year of birth.
The chapters of the biker gang
The club has a large number of chapters spread across the United States and has recently expanded internationally. Let’s look first at the most well-known of them in the US, and then at the different groups that are present around the world. 👇
The most famous chapters in the USA :
- Boozefighters San Diego, CA
- Boozefighters San Diego, CA
- North Carolina Boozefighters
- Boozefighters Washington D.C.
- Boozefighters Seattle WA
- Boozefighters Cleveland, TX
- Boozefighters Colorado
- Boozefighters Oahu Hawaii
After the gang’s expansion in North America , the time has come to conquer the world and tackle other continents. Today the Booze are represented in these countries:
- Boozefighters Alpenkapitel, Europa
- Boozefighters France 🇫🇷.
- Boozefighters Italien
- Boozefighters Belgium
- Boozefighters Hessen, Germany
- Boozefighters Südkorea
- Boozefighters Litauen
We count an increasing expansion of the club in the world, it would make us endless to name all the chapters, but you now have an overview of the most famous of them.
Famous members of the MC Boozefighters
There are a number of personalities within the clubs who have shaped the history of the gang, whether by helping to found it or by taking motorcycle culture to a higher level than the average member can. Let’s look at some of them in detail and why they are famous within the group. 😎
« Wino » Willie Forkner – Founder
Willie Forkner founded the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club in California, USA, in 1946 and passed away in 1997. Willie Forkner was portrayed by actor Lee Marvin in Marlon Brando’s film The Wild One. The film is loosely based on the events of the 1947 Hollister riot, which was a very devastating event for the club!
Robert Patrick – Chairman of Chapter 101
Robert Patrick is primarily a Hollywood actor who has starred in numerous films. He’s a real star across the country. He is the Chapter 101 chairman of the Santa Clarita Boozefighters and is known as a “colorful” character according to all who have crossed his path. He is best known for his role as T-1000 in Terminator 2 , as well as major roles in the X-Files and The Unit series. 🔫
The Book of the Boozefighters
In fact, an entire book has been written about the Boozefighters MC. It tells the story of the gang that was one of the clubs present at the Hollister riots. The statements in the book by the members who attended the meeting clearly show that the situation was largely extrapolated by the media. The book can still be found on Amazon today. This story gave a lot of inspiration to the makers of the film regarding the gang!
« The Hollister Riot »
At the Great Rally and Races at Hollister, California in 1947, the Boozefighters took part in the rally and feast. The Hollister Riot Rally took place on July 4-6, 1947. The event was publicized by reports of motorcyclists ” taking control of the city ” and staged photos of the public unrest in the media. Around 4000 people attended the gathering sponsored by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The small town of Hollister was inundated with motorcyclists forced to sleep on the sidewalks and in the parks. 😵
Around 50 people were arrested during the event, most of them on charges of public drunkenness, dangerous driving and disturbing public order. In particular, members of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club are said to have fought and held races on the streets. Hollister’s “riot” gathering prompted Hollywood to define them as the bullies and rioters in “The Wild One.” The 1953 film (starring Marlon Brando) was inspired by the event and was based on an article in Life Magazine that included a staged photograph of a drunk man resting on a motorcycle amid a mass of beer bottles. 🍾
Lee Marvin played the role of “Wino” Willie, the founder of the BFMC, in the film under the name “Chino”. Although the media hyped the event at Hollister, it was seminal for the image of the American motorcyclist and marked the beginning of the split between the motorcycle clubs and the American Motorcycle Association (AMA). When Life Magazine published its July 21, 1947 article on motorcyclists and the events at Hollister, the image of the “bad boy” biker was catapulted into the living rooms of the entire American public.
13 rules for Boozefighters
In order to join the gang and stay there, there are a few important rules to follow. Let’s take a closer look at 13 of those rules:
1) To become a Boozefighter, a member must attend four consecutive meetings and be elected by secret ballot of all members present and not be overruled by three or more members.
2) The club is closed to a maximum of 20 members per chapter.
3) The admission fee is $2 . Membership dues are 50 cents per week. If a member is elected, they must pay the sum of $2.50.
4) If a member misses three consecutive meetings without substantial explanation, they will be put to the vote again.
5) Any member absent from club activities without a reasonable excuse will be automatically expelled from the club.
6) If a member misses a meeting without a reasonable excuse, they will be fined $1.
7) Officers are elected every three months, provided they are still alive. 🧐
8) There will be a $1 fine for any member not wearing their shirt without a valid excuse at meetings, club activities, races, etc.
9) Any member who leaves the club or is expelled by vote must either remove the writing on his crest or sell it on to the club.
10) It is strictly forbidden for any member to bring more than one case of alcohol or keg of beer or wine to any meeting.
11) There will never be women associated in any way with Boozefighters Motorcycle Club or its affiliates.
12) If a member of Boozefighters or its affiliates is found guilty of spitting on his back, putting the club’s name where it cannot be seen, or failing to wear his sweater at events, this will be awarded member is fined $1.
13) A member may not own a motorcycle for more than six months. If so, they will be automatically banned from the club .
We have now come to the end of this article. Now you know exactly what we’re talking about when this gang’s name crosses bikers’ conversations and why they caused such a stir in their early days, well done! If you want to learn more about this unusual world, we recommend checking out our article on American motorcycle gangs !
