Oklahoma motorcycle group members object to police gang allegations
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| The Oklahoma Mongols were mentioned this week during a school district workshop on gangs given by an Enid police officer as being a gang that operates in drugs and other crimes. “We’re just a bunch of Okies that like to ride and party,” Wooten said. “None of us do drugs.” He did acknowledge some of the group “occasionally smoke pot.” Wooten said his group has specific rules against being involved in what he calls hard drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. He said the club’s rules prohibit the sale of any drug, including marijuana. “We catch a brother doing that, he’s out of the club,” Wooten said. Wooten said the Oklahoma Mon-gols participate in fundraisers, specifically motorcycle poker runs that benefit charities, such as Toys for Tots. Wooten also contends since a federal judge in California ruled against the government’s attempt to seize the Mongols Motorcycle Club’s trademarks, and in her ruling called the biker’s club “not a gang,” they should not be classified by law enforcement as a gang. The government case in California stemmed from a 2008 case in which at least 61 members were arrested under a racketeering indictment that accused some of murder, attempted murder and drug sales. Wooten said he believes a gang is a group that is a criminal enterprise that is actively selling drugs for revenue. He said all members of Oklahoma Mongols have jobs and families. He is a truck driver for Lavickey Sand Co. “We have respectable jobs, some are aircraft mechanics, some are truck drivers,” he said. “I find it offensive when someone calls me a gang member.” |
Source: Oklahoma motorcycle group members object to police gang allegations
