Canada - Outlaws not welcome: police

OFF THE WIRE
SARAH DEETH
 thepeterboroughexaminer.com

City police want to be sure members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang understand them clearly – the organized crime syndicate isn't welcome here.
More specifically, they're not welcome to broadcast their biker gang affiliation if they're going to toss back brewskies in local bars.
Earlier this month, city police announced that signs were coming to the city, cautioning that people wearing gang colours, gang insignias and gang support were unwelcome in downtown bars.
The signs also state that failing to abide by the rules could result in a trespassing charge.
At the time, no specific group of people were mentioned in the announcement, resulting in a few raised eyebrows, a few letters to the editor, and a few comments questioning the move.
City police Const. Dan Gemmiti said officers working the downtown beat began hearing concerns from business owners when the Outlaws, and their friends, began hanging out at local bars.
In November the Outlaws set up a clubhouse just outside the city limits, on Lansdowne St. W.
Officers asked bar owners if they were interested in putting up a "no gang colours" sign, Gemmiti said, and received 16 requests for signage.
Gemmiti said the bars pay for the signs, with some funding through the DBIA.
That sparked another initiative, he said, with officers stopping in at those establishments and educating bar staff about biker gang insignia looks like.
"Not everyone understands what support wear is," he said.
In some cases, it's a patch with a biker gang's logo on it. Other examples include a "1%" patch.
Police want to send a very clear message, and let any member of a criminal organization know that they're flat-out not welcome in the city, Gemmiti said.
Police have no intention of targeting biker clubs, or any group, that has no involvement in organized crime, he said.
Insp. Tim Farquharson said there was no indication that the Outlaws were interested in setting up downtown.
The move is part of a bigger war the police force is waging on the drug trade, he said.
Drugs, organized crime and organized gangs go hand in hand, he said, adding that it's an issue of public safety.
sdeeth@peterboroughexaminer.com