Popeye Moto Club
French-Canadians | |
Leader(s) |
|
---|---|
Activities | Drug trafficking, prostitution, extortion, theft, contract killing, assault, and murder |
Allies | Gitans MC[2] 13th Tribe MC Devil's Disciples |
The Popeye Moto Club, also referred to as the Popeye(s) MC, and often shortened to simply The Popeyes
History
The Popeye Moto Club was founded in the populous city of Montreal by over half-a-dozen avid Quebecois motorcycle enthusiasts Michel "Sky" Langlois, Gilles "Super Gilles" Charette, Roger Calve and Yvon "Gorille" Bilodeau.[7] The specific year of the club's formation has been a subject of dispute - but is variously reported as either 1951 or 1965 (with the latter being widely accepted as more accurate).[8][9]
Inspired by the iconic cartoon figure
At their largest, the Popeyes were estimated to have several hundred members across Quebec.From 1936–1939 and 1944–1959, Quebec endured a regime of conservative policies that were implemented by its 16th Premier (head of government) Maurice Duplessis along with his right-wing nationally conservative party Union Nationale.[12] This era, referred as "Grande Noirceur", gave birth to the province's signature outlaw biker subculture - as a response to the emphasis put on the society's traditionalist norms.[13] Furthermore, countless biker gangs arose across Quebec that were fundamentally based on the values of liberty and freedom.[14][15]
The Popeyes were regarded to be the most violent outlaw biker club in Quebec, and were notorious for engaging in gratuitous and sadistic violence, which is part of the reason why they were later chosen by the Hells Angels for recruitment. They had the reputation for being the most prosperous and the most violent motorcycle club in Montreal.[16] As one of the most notorious and dominant biker gangs in the province, the Popeyes had a strict policy towards other motorcycle clubs whose logos featured a red and white color scheme. On multiple occasions, they would strip the patches of clubs bearing red and white colors, and subsequently burn them as a way of displaying their dominance. Some of the clubs that would be affected by the Popeyes' rules included the Zombi MC, Black Angels MC and Escape Hell MC.[17]
Another Quebecois club, the Drummondville-based Mongols MC (unrelated to the U.S.-based club of the same name), was absorbed by the Popeyes's Rive-Sud chapter in late 1974. Among the Mongols' members was future Popeye president Yves Buteau.[18][19] Buteau was personally courted by high-ranking Hells Angels member Sonny Barger - a crime boss from Oakland who was highly instrumental in cultivating the Hells Angels' rebellious and nonconforming image.[20]
Criminal activities
In the early 1970s, the Popeyes began working as "
Devil's Disciples War
From 1968 up until 1970, a short but violent turf war for control of the drug trade went between the Popeyes and
A violent confrontation that involved roughly 100 people, both members of the Popeyes and the Devil's Disciples, occurred on 1 June 1968. The skirmish involved the use of chains and baseball bats and left four belligerents seriously wounded. On 17 June 1968, a knife fight broke out between both gangs after a group of ten Popeye MC members blocked the road on Fabre Street in Jacques Cartier while eight members of the Devil’s Disciples were riding there. The engagement led to the death of 18-year old Devil's Disciples member Jean-Yves Picquet, who later died of stab wounds.[23]
In March 1969, French singer-songwriter Johnny Hallyday went on tour in the province of Quebec. As a well-known musical icon in the French-speaking world, he was very popular among the Québécois people – including the Popeye MC, who were big fans of his. When he arrived to perform shows across Quebec, he was welcomed by members of the Popeyes from different chapters. During his stay, Popeyes acted as security for Hallyday at his concerts. Jacques "Coco" Mercier, the president of the rivaling Devil's Disciples, saw the beloved singer's association with the Popeyes to be disrespectful as they, too, were fans of his. This angered the Devil's Disciples, who responded by making public death threats towards Hallyday. When the singer later returned to Quebec for another tour the following year, the Devil's Disciples followed through with their threats they had made and shot at him while he was eating at a restaurant in downtown Montreal. Hallyday was not injured in the shooting, but this attempt on his life caused him to distance himself from the Popeyes.[24][25][26]
Later in May of that same year, Popeye Moto Club member Pierre Boucher was stabbed to death by three members of the Devil’s Disciples, including Andre Bureau. An autopsy report yielded that Boucher sustained a total of 58 knife wounds as a result of the stabbing. By 1976, the Devil's Disciples had disbanded after fifteen of their members had been murdered by one criminal group or another.
Satan's Choice war
With Satan's Choice MC being backed by the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, a rival of the Hells Angels, it caused conflict between them and the Popeyes MC, who were allied with the Hells Angels. This led to a two-year war between Satan's Choice and the Popeyes which resulted in the death of at least one Popeyes patch-holder and the injuries of many Satan's Choice members.[27]
Additional crimes
After stealing a motorcycle from a Popeye Moto Club member, Jean-Marie Viel was shot and killed by Montreal chapter president Yves Trudeau in 1970. His body was discovered in a field that was located not far from the club's Trois-Rivieres chapter clubhouse.[28][29][30][31]
Police in Montreal were phoned in July 1970 following an apparent
During the month of August in 1976, A group of 50 Popeyes members were arrested after they had been involved in trashing a hotel. Among the group members was Yves Buteau.
Dissolution and legacy
The Popeyes were patched over by the
Notorious Hells Angels
Other Popeye members that later became famous Hells Angels include Laurent "L'Anglais" Viau, Normand "Billy" Labelle, Robert "Tiny" Richard, Denis "Le Cure" Kennedy, Jean-Pierre “Matt le Crosseur” Mathieu, Jean-Guy “Brutus” Geoffrion and Michel "Sky" Langlois.[37][38] Trudeau, Langlois and Viau all played a role in the infamous Lennoxville massacre.[39][40]
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- ^ "Popeyes MC clubhouse Montreal Quebec Canada 4862 Drolet St". 14 August 2016.
- ^ "The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search".
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- ^ Yves Buteau numerique.banq.qc.ca
- ^ Risen, Clay (30 June 2022). "Sonny Barger, Face of the Hells Angels, Dies at 83". The New York Times.
- ^ Charbonneau, Renee. "Motorcycling in Canada - A Ride Through our History - Part 8". bustedknucklechronicles.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ISBN 9780771030499. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- Montreal Gazette. 19 June 1968. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "RECIT. Johnny Hallyday échappe aux Hells Angels (Hiver 1970)". 8 December 2017.
- ^ "La MUQ – Teresa Martin #4 / WKT5 | WHO KILLED THERESA?". 10 April 2021.
- ^ "Tony Frank : "Avec Johnny, on nous a tiré dessus à balles réelles !" - France Dimanche". 18 September 2018.
- ISBN 9780802073631. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "YvesTrudeau". Archived from the original on 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
- ^ "Yves Trudeau "Apache" - Hells Angels". 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Biker Hit Man Extradited from Switzerland to Canada".
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- ^ "MichelLanglois.page". www.oocities.org. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ Throttle, Insane (5 November 2019). "The Hells Angels took over a violent Quebec biker gang called the Popeyes led by a man named Yves Buteau". Insane Throttle Biker News. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ISBN 9780470835005. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Un party sous haute surveillance". 7 December 2007.
- ^ Lejtenyi, Patrick (26 September 2017). "How Canada's Most Prolific Hit Man Turned Informant on the Hells Angels". Vice (Canada). Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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- ^ Wilson-Smith, Anthony (24 June 1985). "The fallen Angels case". Maclean's. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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