AMERICAN BIKER CULTURE CENTER MODEL #1
By Hank McGrath – B.A.D. Assn.
Purpose: The purpose of the American Biker Culture Center is to provide self-help legal and advocacy resources for bikers to use to initiate defense of their civil/constitutional rights and provide an educational format to present to the public as to the truth of the culture to dispel negative propaganda.
The ABC Law Library offers:
*Free Legal and cultural research facility w/computer,books and study area
*Free legal consultation & referrals
*Free law clerk & basic Constitution certificate course
*Free Legislative certificate course
*American Biker Culture resources
*Biker disability & Veteran resources
*Biker Culture Sensitivity Training Team
American Biker Culture – Initial Structure:
Choose reliable folks for a committee – The American Biker Culture Committee
You become the Chair of the ABC Law library & Resource Center. It is advisable for the Chair to NOT BE immersed in the biker culture. This is crucial for later on in the growth process. The Chair is the founder of the center.
Advisable to obtain an attorney who is willing to be an advocate and make him/her the co-chair of committee (as he/her become a co-founder of center).
Advisable to obtain a volunteer who will be secretary – but should not be immersed in the biker culture to avoid conflicts.
Obtain a storefront or office area centrally accessible for most biker clubs and motorcyclists. Make every attempt to obtain said space for free or on loan. The American Biker Culture Center can be on loan to a business and be mobile…until nonprofit status is obtained. In this way, a business that has extra space can provide said area to you during the initial stages without having to get any licenses,etc.
Obtain office equipment by donation and legal materials/books by attorney’s donation Attorneys are going digital and always get new books and update inserts. Many would gladly provide you with book donations for your centers law library.
After naming your center obtain a DBA (as an individual (“Chair”) until you can file non-profit status)
And a bank account in the businesses name using the DBA. (Do not put secretary on account – keep it a single account until you file nonprofit status.)
Obtain a list of advisers who are willing to help the culture such as a disability adviser, vet adviser, cultural advisers(book writers, actors, etc. who can help provide cultural material for the library & public) and other advisers. Advisers will be contacted by Chair/Secretary on issues that are brought to the office direc tly pertaining to the adviser topic and the adviser is given the option to contact the client and provide advisement and referrals.
The secretary and advisers will help to finalize any details for opening and act as a board until non profit status is obtained…UNDER the Chairs instruction. Do not let them do their own thing or everything will be crisscrossed and complicated.
NOTE: beware of appointing those who are egocentric or without any background in social justice advocacy.
Use Facebook and other social medias to announce the opening and request for volunteer advisers. Visit various biker clubs and venues to talk with them in a campaign to support the concept of the Center. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT disclude 1%ERS! They are the central nucleus of the culture and must be involved in the initial stages and throughout.
Initial fundraising:
Offer a plaque which will be a historical plaque with all sponsors name’s on it for $25 sponsorship. All businesses, clubs and others in support are told of the event and sponsorship weeks before the Grand Opening. You can start collecting the $25 early in order to pay for the plaque and have it completed by the opening day.
Said monies , if received all at once, will be used to file for nonprofit status and pay for any expenses incurred to start running the center (in our case it was the cost of book shelves, cost of the plaque, office supplies, etc.). If not received on time (as was our in case) then whatever is received is used for expenses to open.
Grand Opening with a proper civil rights speech in defense of the culture, introduce advisers, photoshoot of a biker cutting the chain from across the office door. Have a writer/poet/actor from the biker culture speak and everyone heads over to pre-destined reception honoring the historical event. It is historical because such a center did not exist in your area before as a legal advocacy and education center! NOTE: Dedicate the Center to two different bikers who won their legal cases against false charges…In our case we dedicated the Center to two brothers who were falsely charged and convicted(compelled to cop out) and another brother who was falsely charged, took it to trial and won his freedom. ALL WERE 1%ERS.
The reason this is how you want to start is because many,many established alleged biker rights groups/organizations actually discriminate against 1%ERS and avoid working with them on issues. By doing so they assist the government in propagating bias and stigmas against 1%ERS. You cannot be a true civil rights venture without including ALL in your services.
Celebration is over – Start building a website from,say,wix.com to show the new American Biker Culture Law Library & Resource Center, pictures, list services, listing of advisers, contact page, sponsor page and a Legal Research Resource page with links that provide instruction on how to look cases and law up,do legal research online and so on…
To get a feel visit http://americanbikerculture.wix.com/bad
Immediately advertise for a volunteer Office Assistant – preferably college student who will be your go to as the Chair. She will help to obtain financial support and sponsors for the center. Start taking cases right away and keep a log of all cases. Later that will be used to file nonprofit status.
In spare time write up BYLAWS governing the Center. The BYLAWS will become part of the nonprofit filing.
As Chair you call a meeting with the co-chair and the interim secretary of the committee. If there is two co-chairs that is just as good. The meeting will be on Talkshoe where all of you can review the BYLAWS, vote each part in and approve the bylaws…all being recorded at Talkshoe which you can download as mp3 later and file.
The BYLAWS now become official record and are the purpose, principles and ethics of the American Biker Culture Center – as a nonprofit corporation.
In those bylaws you describe the duties of Executive Director, Admin Director, Secretary and Treasurer. In most cases the Secretary/treasurer can be the same person. Also describe compensation or volunteer. You also describe committee and Committee Director positions. They are all volunteer.
Complete the proper papers (much of which is available online for you to download)and submit to your State Secretary, etc. Include the BYLAWS which are part of the filing papers. Have couple hundred ready to pay for the filing fees – unless an attorney volunteers to file for you as a write off, etc.
Upon completion and acceptance by State you will be functioning as a not for profit.
You now file for grants and funding with a two-prong approach : As a Center that provides legal advocacy and as a Center that provides education to both the public and the biker community.
You will also be able to obtain business contributions that are a tax write off for the business!
As well, in the interim you will have been garnering sponsorships and supporters to finance Centers function s…
ADVICE:
Although this model is copyrighted with license it may be used in the fashion described as long as you attribute the model to the original founder (B.A.D. Assn.), design with the principles and purpose in mind and it may be redesigned, changed or advanced to fit your area and special needs. The LOGO used by the original Center may be used without change or you may design your own logo.
Make it clear you are not a law office…you do referrals…advocacy and document cases of bias and discrimination for use in civil rights complaints, as well as, educate the public.
As Chair and then Exec. Director, you cannot be immersed in the culture itself as there are allot of discrepancies you would be confronted with that would gravely affect the proper functions of the center. You will have to be a fighter, a go-getter who is not concerned about monies!!! You are about rights, equal rights. Plan to make less than 12,000 per year and your part time secretary/treasurer only $6000. Its about the rights!
You will also need to obtain the services of an accountant familiar with nonprofits.
Too many organizations and groups have missed their mark by creating too many power positions and seeking too much monies…Its about finding the right civil rights case that will turn things around for the biker culture. It could come from your center, my center or a center in another State. Know that if done correctly, this civil rights advocacy center will be able to file a class action suit representing all bikers! That is the reason we are encouraging their development throughout the United States!
Further, it is advisable to involve public volunteers who are not immersed in the biker culture. This is because the Federal Government’s design of attack against the culture includes extreme definition of conspiracy and would attempt to tie the Center into a criminal conspiracy. Hence, the center must be run by brave citizens who are friends with and understand the American Biker Culture.
As founder , I give anyone permission to use this model and expand on it ONLY for the purpose it is intended…For the preservation and protection of the American Biker Culture. If I may be of help in developing a Center in your State feel free to contact me at (518) 810-1430 or email me at badbikerrights@yahoo.com
Hank McGrath, Exec. Director, Bikers Against Discrimination