agingrebel.com
There is woe and then there is the woe of the Invaders Motorcycle Club. The Invaders, who think of themselves as “the biggest little club in the world,” are a Midwestern club with, at last count, 10 chapters in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Colorado.
Since 2006 the club has been a target of both local and federal law enforcement. One federal case filed in 2009 was the result of investigation that began in 1994. During that time, members of the Invaders were alleged to have either bought, sold, given away or smoked a whopping 1,000 kilos of marijuana – Satan’s drug of choice. The club as a whole has also been accused in the press of manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine – which was President John F. Kennedy’s drug of choice
Murders
Most of the current cost of being an Invader stems from the 2007 murders, in separate incidents near St. Louis, Missouri, of men named Alan Henry Little, Randy Greenman and George Whitter. Little was an Invader and his murder remains unsolved. Multiple federal police forces including the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated a policy of harassing every Invader they could find until the murders were solved. Eventually, two of the killings were closed.Three members of the club, Edward “Special Ed” Boroughf, Herman “Oz” Ozwalt and Steve “Sticky Steve” Morris were charged with the murders of Greenman and Whitter a year ago.. Boroughf pled guilty to the charges last January. But, like most crusades, by then the crusade against the Invaders had already begun to generate its own momentum. Which may explain the current ongoing battle between the club and the Portage, Indiana Chief of Police.
A Safe Environment
An unspcified chapter of the Invaders has been accused of attempting to use a former smoke shop at 6720 Melton Road in Portage as a clubhouse. Last April the Police Chief, a man named Troy Williams, issued a press release in which he accused the Invaders of renovating the vacant building. “There have been renovations done inside and they’ve painted the exterior with their colors,” Williams told the world. “Currently they are in violation of city code.”Williams’ release, which seems to have been ignored by most newspapers and television stations, explained, “As chief of police it is my duty to ensure a safe environment for our residents, and we will avail ourselves to all local, state and federal resources to accomplish our mission. We are proactive on safety in Portage, and we will exhaust all legal remedies to notify our residents of any and all potential threats.”
Lawsuit
Huffing, puffing and letters printed out on official stationary did not work so yesterday the city of Portage filed suit against the building’s owner, Peter Stamper. Stamper is accused of failing to obtain the an occupancy permit for the building and with maintaining a “public nuisance.” The process of obtaining an occupancy permit in Portage involves filling out a form and paying $100. The form includes a space for the applicant to describe the building’s use.Yesterday Stamper told Bob Kasarda of the Northwest Indiana Times that he had filled out the form but the city simply ignored him. “The city is totally unrealistic,” Stamper said.
There will be a court hearing on the matter July 27. The city wants Stamper to pay a $100 a day fine and to reimburse the Portage for the cost of suing him.
