People are drawn to certain things for a reason. Many members joined the motorcycle club because they were missing a sense of brotherhood, like joining a fraternity. Christie joined the Hells Angels because he was drawn to their code of honor.
“I felt there was really a code of honor despite what society-at-large would think,” Christie explains. “These were guys I could trust. I knew if I confided in them or told them something, they wouldn’t take it and use it against me.”
Retaliation
Should Christie be afraid of payback not just for leaving the club but for airing their dirty laundry? As we all know, nobody gets to just walk away from a gang. In this case, the Hells Angels are not a gang but there have still been instances where they took their revenge on people who have spilled their secrets.
“That’s really not an issue with me,” Christie states. “Certainly there are people that have taken exception. When you’re a leader in an organization for 35 years and you have a revelation and decide to leave, certainly there’s a faction of your old associates that aren’t going to be happy with you.”
Like Getting a Divorce
Christie isn’t worried about the Hells Angels gunning for him, but what he is feeling is something a lot of people can probably relate to. He describes leaving the club like going through a divorce.
He clarifies by saying: “When I left, it kind of reminded me of a divorce: At first, everyone wanted to be amicable. They weren’t happy about my decision, but they understood it. As things progressed, it became aggressive, and it was hard to take.”
He Just Wants The Proper Representation
Christie has faith that his representation of the life of the Hells Angels will help start a different conversation about the group in the under informed public. What he really doesn’t want is for people to base their knowledge of the club on the inaccuracies published by the media.
Christie talks about his hopes: “What I want [viewers] to understand is they have completely misinterpreted what the organization is all about and what its primary function is.” Maybe he can help finally change the image of the Hells Angels.
His Reasons for Leaving?
Stepping down from a leadership position is never easy, especially for Christie who served as club president for such a long time. It would have been an enormous change for him. Why did he make the decision to leave the club after so many years? According to him, he felt that they became the people they rebelled against. He clarifies. “At one time, we would interact with all the clubs up and down the coast, and by 2011, we were fighting every major outlaw-bike club in the United States—plus law enforcement.”
Can't deny the politics!