BY: Kristie Pearce
windsorstar.com
It was Hells Angels on one side of the street and police on the other, with stone-cold glares directed across the asphalt.
The bikers were in the region on the weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their establishment in Ontario. They convened at their Amherstburg clubhouse in the 7800 block of Howard Avenue, just south of County Road 8.
About eight leather-clad bikers sat at a wooden picnic table Saturday on the edge of the driveway. They were guarding the entrance to the party which was surrounded by a black cloth-covered fence. A dozen police stood across the road, occasionally snapping photos of party goers who entered or exited.
"If we weren't here we don't know what these guys would be up to," said Det. Sgt. Len Isnor of the OPP's Biker Enforcement Unit, which had a police command post and OPP helicopter located close to the biker compound.
As part of a joint forces effort, officers from the Biker Enforcement Unit, Essex County OPP and Windsor, Amherstburg and LaSalle police services joined to patrol downtown Windsor and hotels the bikers were staying. Officers took turns monitoring the clubhouse over the weekend.
"The Hells Angels are a criminal organization, we've proved that in courts many times," Isnor said.
"We have lots of evidence to back that up and our presence here is to keep the community safe."
Ray, a neighbour to the clubhouse who didn't want his full name published, said in the 10 years the bikers have been there he's never had a problem.
"They've got a bad rep as far as I'm concerned," Ray said. "They all work just like you and me."
Ray said some of the bikers he's got to know are millwrights and work in construction. Ray sat in his backyard Friday night drinking a beer and said he enjoyed the loud music blasting from the clubhouse.
"They're good neighbours," Ray said. "I always got along with them."
When approached, Hells Anels members declined to coment.
Police set up outside of the clubhouse Thursday afternoon and stayed until Sunday evening when they felt most of the Hells Angels had left the city, Isnor said.
Isnor said there are about seven Hells Angels members who live in Windsor and estimated more than 160 members from across Canada attended the event.
Though the main priority of the heavy surveillance is public safety, Isnor said the police use the event as an opportunity to collect intelligence.
Isnor said the bikers were "well behaved" over the weekend, which ended without any major incidents.
However, police laid several charges under the Highway Traffic Act for vehicle permits and unsafe motor equipment, such as bike handlebars that were too high.
Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/Hells+Angels+well+behaved/5117538/story.html#ixzz1SVwemrv5
The bikers were in the region on the weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their establishment in Ontario. They convened at their Amherstburg clubhouse in the 7800 block of Howard Avenue, just south of County Road 8.
About eight leather-clad bikers sat at a wooden picnic table Saturday on the edge of the driveway. They were guarding the entrance to the party which was surrounded by a black cloth-covered fence. A dozen police stood across the road, occasionally snapping photos of party goers who entered or exited.
"If we weren't here we don't know what these guys would be up to," said Det. Sgt. Len Isnor of the OPP's Biker Enforcement Unit, which had a police command post and OPP helicopter located close to the biker compound.
As part of a joint forces effort, officers from the Biker Enforcement Unit, Essex County OPP and Windsor, Amherstburg and LaSalle police services joined to patrol downtown Windsor and hotels the bikers were staying. Officers took turns monitoring the clubhouse over the weekend.
"The Hells Angels are a criminal organization, we've proved that in courts many times," Isnor said.
"We have lots of evidence to back that up and our presence here is to keep the community safe."
Ray, a neighbour to the clubhouse who didn't want his full name published, said in the 10 years the bikers have been there he's never had a problem.
"They've got a bad rep as far as I'm concerned," Ray said. "They all work just like you and me."
Ray said some of the bikers he's got to know are millwrights and work in construction. Ray sat in his backyard Friday night drinking a beer and said he enjoyed the loud music blasting from the clubhouse.
"They're good neighbours," Ray said. "I always got along with them."
When approached, Hells Anels members declined to coment.
Police set up outside of the clubhouse Thursday afternoon and stayed until Sunday evening when they felt most of the Hells Angels had left the city, Isnor said.
Isnor said there are about seven Hells Angels members who live in Windsor and estimated more than 160 members from across Canada attended the event.
Though the main priority of the heavy surveillance is public safety, Isnor said the police use the event as an opportunity to collect intelligence.
Isnor said the bikers were "well behaved" over the weekend, which ended without any major incidents.
However, police laid several charges under the Highway Traffic Act for vehicle permits and unsafe motor equipment, such as bike handlebars that were too high.
Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/Hells+Angels+well+behaved/5117538/story.html#ixzz1SVwemrv5
