by David "Double D" Devereaux
There is no room for ego in the motorcycle rights movement. In a
community full of alpha male personalities this makes things difficult.
But every one of us learned what we know from somewhere and most likely
from someone. And what we all know, even if we seem to forget, is that
successful grassroots people-powered movements are the result of an
entire community’s efforts.
I understand this reality firsthand. I am a Spokesperson for numerous motorcycle rights groups and therefore I am more visible than many. But the fact remains, every amount of success I may have achieved has only been possible because of the hundreds of unified bikers always standing with me. The Washington State Confederation of Clubs and ABATE have always stood with me and trusted me to represent the voice of our movement. I humbly recognize this reality and will never take it for granted.
Although it is true that it takes everyone, it is also true that there are usually a few obvious stand-outs in any successful effort that create a strategic foundation for the entire movement. In Washington State, we were lucky enough to have a handful of highly motivated and capable individuals.
I understand this reality firsthand. I am a Spokesperson for numerous motorcycle rights groups and therefore I am more visible than many. But the fact remains, every amount of success I may have achieved has only been possible because of the hundreds of unified bikers always standing with me. The Washington State Confederation of Clubs and ABATE have always stood with me and trusted me to represent the voice of our movement. I humbly recognize this reality and will never take it for granted.
Although it is true that it takes everyone, it is also true that there are usually a few obvious stand-outs in any successful effort that create a strategic foundation for the entire movement. In Washington State, we were lucky enough to have a handful of highly motivated and capable individuals.
Donnie “Mr. Breeze” Landsman
Donnie was our single point of contact,
our feet on the ground, for legislators. Donnie developed and
implemented a cooperative strategy combining the legislative process
knowledge of active independents and the massive manpower of an
increasingly involved club contingent. I worked closely with Donnie
including daily communication and constant and absolute collaboration on
every issue that arose.
Jeff “Twitch” Burns
Twitch took responsibility for all public
information requests and video documentation. Jeff’s contribution to
Washington State’s success cannot be overstated. Filming the movement
for over two years resulted in the award winning documentary “What It’s
All About”, an invaluable tool for mobilizing the community and
providing a “how to” for the rest of the country.
Lucky Les
Lucky Les keeps our movement in
Washington State connected, maintaining our US Defenders program through
countless hours of contact information changes and integrating new
organizations into the network. Without Les’s contributions our
coordinated calls to action would not have been effective and passing
the profiling law would not have been possible.
Robert “Pigpen” Christopher
Pigpen was critical to the formation of
the Washington State COC and my involvement in the movement. Before
anyone knew my name, my brother Pigpen put his own credibility on the
line to vouch for me with literally everyone he talked with. He saw
something in me I don’t think I even saw in myself. It’s been over a
decade and we all still recognize and thank him for having the vision
and belief that we could unify motorcycle clubs to protect our culture.