This is not a post, but a collection of sources and references on the Vagos Motorcycle Club. Updated May 19, 2010.The triangular patch reinforces the 'V' of Vagos. The 'devil on wheels' is said to indicate Loki, the Norse god of trickery. That and the green color reinforce the primarily whites-only original make-up of this gang. The name sounds vaguely Hispanic until you remember the word 'vagabond'--moving around. There are hispanic members and a thriving community of Mexican members in the Tijuana area. No doubt this is convenient for marijuana and meth-amphetamine trade.
They are also known as the 'Green Nation', and wear green touches on their gear. Their number is 22. (V is the 22nd letter of the alphabet.) Both Germanic and Celtic imagery are used.
Motorcycle Club versus Motorcycle Gang
The Vagos maintain they are a motorcycle club, not a gang, and have a history of suing law enforcement agencies that treat them as an outlaw group. (See news entries below) and motorcycle gang introduction here.
Graffiti--Fake.
News:
2010
--(2010, April 26) "Street brawl points to new outlaw mc rivalry." Silicon Valley Mercury News.
--(2010, March 31) "Vagos Motorcycle Club report that they are not a criminal gang." Valley News, Volume 14, Issue 13.
--(2010, March 22) "Outlaw motorcycle gang member sentenced to prison on coercion, weapon charges". The Oregonian. "The final case in a multi-year prosecution of the North Valley Chapter of the Vagos Motorcycle Club" which is headquartered in Grants Pass. The trial is from an incident in 2007. A total of six members of the club convicted it appears for an inside-the-gang dispute.
--(2010, March 18) "Gang Crackdown: Vagos MC targeted in police raids." Christian Science Monitor.
A good article. Raids in four states (including 70 locations in California) netted a meth lab, weapons, and drugs. A little gang history is included in the article.
--(2010, March 17) Northwest Harley Blog, "'Green Nation' busts on St. Patrick's Day"
2008
(2008, August 8) Northwest Harley Blog, ' Vagos MC meeting in Grants Pass." Discusses previous conflicts in Grants Pass as part of the history of the Vagos.
(2008, July 14) "Vagos: Ogden members say they're "a bunch of clowns." Brain Bucket Magazine. This goes with the video above.
Photos:
More images of insignia, posters, and bumper stickers at Vagos Motorcycle Club Group (Photobucket).
Northwest Harley blog for Vagos jacket picture.
Quotes: none so far.
Video:
Nothing here is really documentary quality. Hence more notes.
Uploaded by MRGarimus, October 12, 2009. This is almost ten minutes of a Vagos biker parade in Reno, Nevada 2009. Music for about three minutes. After filming five minutes of the parade, the vidder then takes a brief glance at waiting associates/tourists/and police helicopter practicing surveillance. After the six minute mark, the parade footage resumes at a different location, presumably the post-parade cavalcade to a second event.
This video shows some range of motorcycle customization for the gang. Most notable to me were the wings on each side of the handlebars (Valkyrie wings? sex trophies is one legend) These are mostly black or bronze, one silver, one red, one blue. There appears to be a consistent hand sign flashed (forefinger and middle finger, extended horizontally or up, most times with the palm toward the body--(the 'V' for Vagos). Also, there appears to be a standard (though not uniform) style of helmet reminiscent of WW2 era storm troopers. Most are black and some are green. At the end, I at last saw a green bandanna gang tag.
Uploaded by sylmacaligirl, 29 seconds, showing the uniformity of insignia--a closer look at people--in the Tristate Vagos Chapter.
A newsreel by the Standard-Examiner (Standard.net) in Ogden Utah, about a chapter of the Vagos at one year old. They started with six members and now have significantly more. One member smiles in the parking lot of the pool hall and says, "This is heaven on earth."
Web Sites--Social Networking Sites:
MySpace Green Machine MC-SoCal--music tracks, some videos, messages, and an e-mail portal.
North Sac Vagos
Gang Green Crew 22--a blog by ganggreencrew22 on MySpace, dated April 12, 2008. An entry/press release about suing law enforcement over 2008 raid. And other posts.
Web Sites:
Gang Identification Task Force--White Prison Gangs-Vagos
Vagos MC NYC Web site. They have a history , a guestbook and a shop, too. In the shop is a shirt which has the motif and slogan "22 Wrecking Crew." Of course V is the 22nd letter of the alphabet. The slogan is banded with a diamond shape in which spiderwebs (a prison tattoo motif signifying 'time') is included.
Wikipedia, Vagos Motorcycle Club
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