Living Next Door to the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang

Okay, If I had a nickel for every time I get this question . . . Here goes!

Yes, back in the 1970's when my Mom & Dad ran The Cubbyhole Grocery, a
small convenience store on Allen Rd. South (now Charlotte Rod & Custom) ---
The Outlaw Motorcycle Gang lived in a small green house next door. (Now office
& warehouse for Western Waterproofing Co., Inc.)

They had secured the yard with a high board fence. The windows were shuttered
and access was handled through a solid gate on the Graham St.side. Other than
that, the house and grounds looked pretty much as they did when Harvey Akins &
his family had lived there. The Gang did add a firepit out back for an occasional
bonfire or cookout.

You've probably heard the old admonition, "You don't S____ (Mess) where you live!"
Well, that was true of the Outlaws. They were good neighbors, probably even better
than some. Even with the sometimes late night arrivals of traveling motorcyclists,
they really made no more noise than the trucking company on the other side
of their house.

In the store, in public, and around neighbors --- their language was clean and
probably with less inuendo than an average high school teenager's. The Gang Girls
did dress rather skimpy during the summer. Outside, I saw a leopard print bikini
more than once but the girls usually slipped on a oversize tee when coming to
the store. Though once I recall hearing a shrill whistle emanating from somewhere
near the parking lot and a then voice booming over the wood fence, "Come back
here and get some clothes on!" when one of the visiting girls attempted to do her
grocery shopping in a thong and bikini top.

Often when I was away leading my weekly Boy Scout meeting, on a campout,
or maybe taking the Seniors on a trip --- a Gang Member, sometimes two, would
come over, pull up a stool in the corner behind the checkout counter and sit with
Mom or a night cashier until closing time. The store had been robbed before, but
never when a Gang member was present . . . Even guys that looked suspicious
did not tarry long when they saw who was "watching our backs."

For the most part, they were courteous and polite --- far different from the reps
they had on-the-road. News accounts talk about arrests for racketeering,
conspiracy, cocaine conspiracy, and participating in a bombing. Away from here
they were definitely not angels. It wasn't unusual to see a Gang member with a
broken wrist, and arm, or a leg in a cast. It might have resulted from a bar fight,
a rout with another gang, an initiation, or even as Club discipline, if a member
got out of line.

But that's not really what most people want to ask me about. They want to know
about the July 4th Massacre. One account reads:

"Angels In Derita: Welcome to the Derita neighborhood in northwest Charlotte.
Specifically, 2500 Allen Road South. Looks pretty quiet, doesn't it? Well, it was
anything but quiet on the night of July 4, 1970. That's when five Outlaw motorcycle
gang members had body parts blown all over the house in the infamous "July 4
Massacre." Four of the shooting victims were male gang members; the other was
17-year-old Bridgett Suzanne Benfield, a woman who rode with the gang. Members
of the rival Hells Angels motorcycle gang were suspected, but no charges were
ever filed."

First of all, I was not at home that weekend. Like most folks, I heard the news on
the television the next morning. I called home to see if my folks were all right. They
were. They had heard some gunfire during the night and then a near-endless
screech of sirens as Police & Medic arrived on the scene. Other than the original
reports, information was clamped down tight.

Yes, I knew Bridget well and Bill (the tall, lanky 20-something kid you used to sit in
the store at night with my folks). The others I knew in passing. Sometimes, one or
more of them would come knock on my door at 2 or 3am when travelling riders would
arrive here long after closing time. They usually asked earlier and I would go open up
the store so they could fill their tanks or grab a snack. They, too, obeyed the rule and
didn't create a scene at another Chapter's house.

Yes, I was often invited over for a beer or to join the party --- but No. I never did.

Something else that seems to surprise folks. I used to print their Christmas Cards
each year at my small print shop. Yes, The Outlaws send Christmas Cards! Not
your usual cherubs or gaily lit Christmas Trees. This Chapter usually requested a
white skull over crossed pistons (that looked more like bullets to me) and red eyes.
Inside was a worded holiday message and usually everyone in the Chapter signed
it. The cards were sometimes mailed, but usually hand-delivered as riders passed
though. But I'm getting off-topic here.

This account suggests that Hell's Angels done them in as the Outlaws slept,
but few folks believe that. There was no fierce battle. In fact most slept as the
assassins slipped past the Security Watch. Could he have been asleep. Not
likely. An offense like that could easily have gotten the Guard a broken leg as
discipline. Could be it was a disgruntled Gang member who opened the gate
for the outsiders and then got shot for his trouble. A number of theories still
exist.

I never went in the house after that, though some local teens did (either in
curiosity or on a dare). Police say they found a small arsenal at the crime scene.
Upstairs, the attic had purportedly been lined with sheet metal and gun ports.
But who's to say. Not long after that I was awakened at home by a report that
the store was on fire. It wasn't. It was the Outlaws house next door and the
flames shot high in the air. It had been doused well and torched. The Gang had
already moved to a new location, reportedly one that was better fortified. The
fire department put out this blaze, but the structure was torched again a few days
later and this time pretty much burned to the foundation.

After the Gang moved, I printed their Christmas Cards one last year. The
following year, a rider stopped by to pick up the artwork, any plates, negatives,
and file copies. The Gang had a new printer. He thanked me and left. For the
next few years, Members returned here to Allen Hills for a ride-by en masse on
the July 4th Anniversary. Haven't seen them in years, but I understand that
"The Outlaws today exist as one of the largest Motorcycle Clubs worldwide."
--- Bernie Samonds
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