Hollister riot: Difference between revisions
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*Dougherty, C.I. [http://www.cestcop.com/chron1.htm "Motorcyclists Take Over Town, Many Injured."] ''San Francisco Chronicle''. July 5, 1947. |
*Dougherty, C.I. [http://www.cestcop.com/chron1.htm "Motorcyclists Take Over Town, Many Injured."] ''San Francisco Chronicle''. July 5, 1947. |
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*Dougherty, C.I. [http://www.cestcop.com/chron2.htm "2000 'Gypsycycles' Chug Out of Town and the Natives Sigh 'Never Again'."] ''San Francisco Chronicle''. July 6, 1947. |
*Dougherty, C.I. [http://www.cestcop.com/chron2.htm "2000 'Gypsycycles' Chug Out of Town and the Natives Sigh 'Never Again'."] ''San Francisco Chronicle''. July 6, 1947. |
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dj is the fat princibal of gibbs |
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===Notes=== |
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<references/> |
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{{OutlawMotorcycleGroups}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollister Riot}} |
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[[Category:1947 riots]] |
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[[Category:1947 in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in the United States]] |
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[[Category:History of California]] |
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[[Category:Crime in California]] |
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[[Category:Hollister, California]] |
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{{US-hist-stub}} |
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[[nl:Hollister Bash]] |
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Revision as of 13:57, 30 September 2011
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The Hollister riot occurred during the Gypsy Tour motorcycle rally in Hollister, California, from July 4 to July 6, 1947. The event was sensationalized by yellow news reports[citation needed] of bikers "taking over the town" and staged photos of public rowdiness.
The rally, which was sponsored by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), was attended by approximately 4,000 people. This was several times more than had been expected, and the small town of Hollister was overwhelmed by bikers who were forced to sleep on sidewalks and in parks.
About 50 people were arrested during the event, most for public intoxication, reckless driving, and disturbing the peace. Members of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club, in particular, were reported to be fighting and racing in the streets. There were 60 reported injuries, of which 3 were serious.
The 1953 film The Wild One (starring Marlon Brando) was inspired by the event and based on an article run in Life magazine which included a staged picture of a drunk man resting on a motorcycle amidst a mass of beer bottles.
Representatives of the AMA, seeking to deflect the negative press surrounding the rally, are alleged to have stated at a press conference that “the trouble was caused by the one per cent deviant that tarnishes the public image of both motorcycles and motorcyclists”. The AMA now says they have no record of such a statement to the press, and call this story apocryphal. This statement led to the term “one-percenter” to describe “outlaw” bikers.[1]
References
- Dougherty, C.I. "Motorcyclists Take Over Town, Many Injured." San Francisco Chronicle. July 5, 1947.
- Dougherty, C.I. "2000 'Gypsycycles' Chug Out of Town and the Natives Sigh 'Never Again'." San Francisco Chronicle. July 6, 1947.
dj is the fat princibal of gibbs
- ^ Dulaney, William L. (November 2005), "A Brief History of "Outlaw" Motorcycle Clubs", International Journal of Motorcycle Studies,
The Life story caused something of a tumult around the country (Yates), and some authors have asserted that the AMA subsequently released a press statement disclaiming involvement in the Hollister event, stating that 99% of motorcyclists are good, decent, law-abiding citizens, and that the AMA's ranks of motorcycle clubs were not involved in the debacle (e.g., Reynolds, Thompson). However, the American Motorcyclist Association has no record of ever releasing such a statement. Tom Lindsay, the AMA's Public Information Director, states 'We [the American Motorcyclist Association] acknowledge that the term 'one-percenter' has long been (and likely will continue to be) attributed to the American Motorcyclist Association, but we've been unable to attribute its original use to an AMA official or published statement—so it's apocryphal.'