SONS OF ANARCHY HOW IT ALL STARTED
The Sons of Anarchy (SOA) is an outlaw motorcycle club with many charters in the United States and overseas. The show focuses on the original and founding charter, Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original,[9] referred to by the acronym SAMCRO.[10] or Sam Crow. This nickname is also reflected in the original title of the show, Forever Sam Crow.[11] The Redwood charter is headquartered in Charming, California, in a clubhouse adjacent to the Teller-Morrow auto mechanic shop. Led by former President Clay Morrow, the club protects and controls Charming through close community relationships, bribery and violent intimidation.
John Teller and Piermont "Piney" Winston co-founded SAMCRO in 1967 following their return from the Vietnam War, where both men served in the paratroops.[12] The first charter was called "Redwood" because they weren't settled in any one city but just cruised the Northern California coast from Eureka to Big Sur, which is Redwood country. It wasn't until after Gemma, John's wife, became pregnant with her first son, Jackson, that they decided to settle in Charming, the town where Gemma grew up. At that point, John Teller thought Charming was a little too cute for a charter name, so he called the charter the Redwood Originals. That's when the SAMCRO handle was born. Six of the "Redwood Original 9" members were veterans; Clay Morrow was the youngest of the original members. John died in 1993, Gemma remarried to Clay. John and Gemma's son, Jackson (Jax), grows up around the club and becomes Vice President of SAMCRO. Jax is also connected to Tara, a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital.
Club members wear vests known as cuts or kuttes (jacket with the sleeves cut off). The SOA patch on the back is a Grim Reaper holding a crystal ball with the anarchy "A", and wielding the Reaper's traditional scythe, the handle of which has been replaced by the M16 rifle that the club's founders wielded in Vietnam. Only full members can wear the "patch". Other smaller patches on the vest stand for different things, examples being "Men of Mayhem", which is worn by club members who have spilled blood on the club's behalf, and "First 9", worn by the original nine members of SOA. Jax also commonly wears a cap with the words "Reaper Crew", and at least four female characters affiliated with the club (Gemma, Tara, Wendy, and Lyla) have crow tattoos. The Sons ride customized motorcycles of various types. Club members have "day jobs" in local industries, most of them working at the Teller-Morrow garage as mechanics, but they primarily make money by illegally importing weapons, modifying and selling them to various gangs, along with protection runs for local businesses by protecting valuable truck shipments from hijacking.
The club operates out of a clubhouse on the same lot as the Teller-Morrow auto shop. The clubhouse includes a living area with multiple rooms (where members sometimes crash for the night), a fully operational bar, a pool table, a kitchen, a workout room, and the "chapel", a room with an elaborate conference table made of redwood that has a reaper logo carved into the top, where the patched members meet to discuss club business and vote on major decisions. The club also owns a secluded cabin in the woods and formerly had a warehouse outside of town where they assembled the illegal weapons.
SAMCRO keeps meth traffickers and drug dealers out of Charming, which puts them at odds with the meth-distributing white supremacist Nords, headed by Ernest Darby; this earns them respect and admiration from the townspeople, who believe the Sons do more to protect their town than its own police. SAMCRO also has to deal with a rival Oakland-based motorcycle club (MC), the Mayans led by Marcus Alvarez (who also features in The Shield episode 2, season 2). Other groups in SAMCRO's orbit include the San Francisco–based Chinese mafia Lin Triad, led by Henry Lin; the Italian American Cacuzza crime family; the Real IRA of Ireland, which supplies them with illegal Russian-made guns; the "One-Niners", an African American street gang (who also appeared on The Shield, thus possibly putting the two in the same fictional universe) to whom SAMCRO sell weapons; and various affiliates in the state prison system, where many members of the club have been incarcerated at one time or another.
Sutter has said of the Shakespeare element, "I don't want to overplay that but it's there. It was Jax's father who started the club, so he's the ghost in the action. You wonder what he would have made of the way it turned out. It's not a version of Hamlet but it's definitely influenced by it."[13] Ron Perlman believes "they’re going to stick to the structure of Hamlet all the way to the end (of the series
Ranking Structure Sons Of Anarchy
INTRODUCTION
Patch-wearing gangs have a formal hierarchy with a structure that is similar in most gangs. The positions of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and sergeant at arms are known as “officers”.
A new officer is elected whenever an existing office-holder is unable to carry out his job properly, usually due to imprisonment or sickness (motorcycle crashes etc).
Most gangs hold regular meetings (which they call “church”) that all patchmembers must attend to discuss matters relating to the club. The majority of gangs are run as a democracy with every patchmember having one vote. Many gangs hold annual elections to select their officers while others vote on a specific position when it becomes vacant or when another member mounts a challenge.
Each chapter has its own set of officers. A “chapter” is a group of gang members under the control of one president. Some gangs, such as the Black Power or Mongrel Mob, have numerous chapters throughout the country (often with more than one chapter in major cities) while others have only one or two nationally.
RANKS
PRESIDENT
The prez is the leader of the chapter. He is the clubs figurehead and is usually the spokesman when dealing with the police or the media. The prez is the chairman at club meetings and represents the chapter at national meetings.
VICE PRESIDENT
The vice president is second in charge and fills in when the president is away. The vice prez is often the heir apparent to the clubs leadership although this isn’t always the case. It’s his job to make sure that matters passed at club meetings are carried out satisfactorily.
SECRETARY
The secretary is responsible for the clubs paperwork. He keeps minutes of meetings and records dates of significant events, such as anniversary dates (when prospects gain their patch). He corresponds with other gangs and it’s his job to keep members informed of upcoming events. The secretary is usually responsible for keeping records of club assets although the treasurer will do this in some gangs.
TREASURER
The treasurer is the chapters’ money-man and he’s in charge of collecting club fees, run funds etc and paying the bills. The treasurer is responsible for collecting any debts owed to the gang and usually gets the job of checking out business opportunities prior to any decisions being made. The treasurer is usually the person who handles the proceeds of a gangs illegal activity.
The positions of secretary and treasurer are often combined.
SERGEANT AT ARMS
The sergeant at arms is basically the gangs “policeman” although most would not like to be referred to in this way! He enforces club procedures and maintains order at club meetings. The sergeant is in charge of security at gang events and he is responsible for “back ups” (attacks on rivals). The sergeant looks after the gangs’ firearms and other weapons.
The sergeant at arms is sometimes known as the “master of arms”, (although “sergeant at arms” has become much more common). In some gangs, the sergeant wears a military style sergeant’s badge.
ROAD CAPTAIN
Most motorcycle gangs have a position known as Road Captain. He is in charge of logistics during a club run. He plans the route and organises refuelling stops etc. The Road Captain rides at the front and leads the pack with the president. The position of Road Captain is usually a “non executive” position.
PATCHMEMBERS
Patchmembers are members of the club who have earned the right to wear the gangs colours, after a suitable period spent “prospecting”. They take part in the running of the club and attend the gangs weekly meeting (“church”). They are commonly referred to as “members” or, in some clubs, “patches”.
LIFE MEMBERS
A few motorcycle gangs have life-membership which is awarded to long-standing patchmembers for their contribution to the club. Life-members have the right to take part in the running of the club, however, their attendance at meetings and club events isn’t compulsory. Life-members retain their patch even though they may no longer take an active part in the gang. Some life-members retire although they are still technically part of the gang until they die.
PROSPECTS
A prospect is a “prospective” member of the club who is yet to earn his patch. Prospects are expected to do what they are told and follow the orders of patchmembers. They must be prepared to engage in illegal activities to prove their loyalty to the gang. Prospects have no voting rights and do not attend meetings unless invited in.
HANGAROUNDS
Some gangs have a stage before “prospect” which is known as “hangaround”. The purpose of the hangaround stage is to become known by all members before being accepted as a prospect. The hangaround period can be up to six months.
EX-MEMBERS
When gang members leave the gang it’s either on good terms or bad terms. Many ex-members who leave on good terms remain close associates of the gang.
FRIENDS OF THE CLUB
“Friends of the Club” are close supporters of a gang. They are often “regulars” at the clubhouse and actively support the gang, attending functions and taking part in events.
ASSOCIATES
An “associate” of a gang is a (wide-ranging) law enforcement term for persons who are linked to a gang in some way. An associate can include persons who are connected through criminal activity, drugs, family or friends, motorbikes, vehicles, sport, legitimate business interests, social or other interests
Patch-wearing gangs have a formal hierarchy with a structure that is similar in most gangs. The positions of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and sergeant at arms are known as “officers”.
A new officer is elected whenever an existing office-holder is unable to carry out his job properly, usually due to imprisonment or sickness (motorcycle crashes etc).
Most gangs hold regular meetings (which they call “church”) that all patchmembers must attend to discuss matters relating to the club. The majority of gangs are run as a democracy with every patchmember having one vote. Many gangs hold annual elections to select their officers while others vote on a specific position when it becomes vacant or when another member mounts a challenge.
Each chapter has its own set of officers. A “chapter” is a group of gang members under the control of one president. Some gangs, such as the Black Power or Mongrel Mob, have numerous chapters throughout the country (often with more than one chapter in major cities) while others have only one or two nationally.
RANKS
PRESIDENT
The prez is the leader of the chapter. He is the clubs figurehead and is usually the spokesman when dealing with the police or the media. The prez is the chairman at club meetings and represents the chapter at national meetings.
VICE PRESIDENT
The vice president is second in charge and fills in when the president is away. The vice prez is often the heir apparent to the clubs leadership although this isn’t always the case. It’s his job to make sure that matters passed at club meetings are carried out satisfactorily.
SECRETARY
The secretary is responsible for the clubs paperwork. He keeps minutes of meetings and records dates of significant events, such as anniversary dates (when prospects gain their patch). He corresponds with other gangs and it’s his job to keep members informed of upcoming events. The secretary is usually responsible for keeping records of club assets although the treasurer will do this in some gangs.
TREASURER
The treasurer is the chapters’ money-man and he’s in charge of collecting club fees, run funds etc and paying the bills. The treasurer is responsible for collecting any debts owed to the gang and usually gets the job of checking out business opportunities prior to any decisions being made. The treasurer is usually the person who handles the proceeds of a gangs illegal activity.
The positions of secretary and treasurer are often combined.
SERGEANT AT ARMS
The sergeant at arms is basically the gangs “policeman” although most would not like to be referred to in this way! He enforces club procedures and maintains order at club meetings. The sergeant is in charge of security at gang events and he is responsible for “back ups” (attacks on rivals). The sergeant looks after the gangs’ firearms and other weapons.
The sergeant at arms is sometimes known as the “master of arms”, (although “sergeant at arms” has become much more common). In some gangs, the sergeant wears a military style sergeant’s badge.
ROAD CAPTAIN
Most motorcycle gangs have a position known as Road Captain. He is in charge of logistics during a club run. He plans the route and organises refuelling stops etc. The Road Captain rides at the front and leads the pack with the president. The position of Road Captain is usually a “non executive” position.
PATCHMEMBERS
Patchmembers are members of the club who have earned the right to wear the gangs colours, after a suitable period spent “prospecting”. They take part in the running of the club and attend the gangs weekly meeting (“church”). They are commonly referred to as “members” or, in some clubs, “patches”.
LIFE MEMBERS
A few motorcycle gangs have life-membership which is awarded to long-standing patchmembers for their contribution to the club. Life-members have the right to take part in the running of the club, however, their attendance at meetings and club events isn’t compulsory. Life-members retain their patch even though they may no longer take an active part in the gang. Some life-members retire although they are still technically part of the gang until they die.
PROSPECTS
A prospect is a “prospective” member of the club who is yet to earn his patch. Prospects are expected to do what they are told and follow the orders of patchmembers. They must be prepared to engage in illegal activities to prove their loyalty to the gang. Prospects have no voting rights and do not attend meetings unless invited in.
HANGAROUNDS
Some gangs have a stage before “prospect” which is known as “hangaround”. The purpose of the hangaround stage is to become known by all members before being accepted as a prospect. The hangaround period can be up to six months.
EX-MEMBERS
When gang members leave the gang it’s either on good terms or bad terms. Many ex-members who leave on good terms remain close associates of the gang.
FRIENDS OF THE CLUB
“Friends of the Club” are close supporters of a gang. They are often “regulars” at the clubhouse and actively support the gang, attending functions and taking part in events.
ASSOCIATES
An “associate” of a gang is a (wide-ranging) law enforcement term for persons who are linked to a gang in some way. An associate can include persons who are connected through criminal activity, drugs, family or friends, motorbikes, vehicles, sport, legitimate business interests, social or other interests
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