Brandon ‘perfect’ fit for Hells Angels: Expert

The city of Brandon is considered perfect “fresh territory” for the Hells Angels to set up shop, says an internationally renowned investigative journalist and author who’s familiar with the organization.

“Small towns are perfect. First of all, they assume there’s perhaps a little less police presence. They also … don’t necessarily want competition from another gang,” said Julian Sher, who has penned several books on the outlaw motorcycle gang, including “Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin.”

While the Hells Angels do have chapters in big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Sher said that they tend to set up in suburbs or smaller surrounding towns.

“It’s quite typical they’d aim for places like Brandon.”

In mid-July, Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates confirmed there is a “fairly new” chapter of the Hells Angels in the city, which they are actively monitoring.

While he wouldn’t comment on specifics, Bates said in a statement last week that BPS is “aware of several organized crime groups, inclusive of the Hells Angels that are active within the city of Brandon. Some are more visible than others by virtue of their garments and proclamations.”

Bates assured that public safety is BPS’s first priority, and suppressing organized crime is an ongoing effort.

However, monitoring is all the police can do at this point, Sher said, since it’s not illegal in Canada to be a member of the Hells Angels.

“The Hells Angels has been declared a criminal organization in several trials, but that doesn’t ban them. It just means that in that specific trial, there are extra sentences and penalties that come with the person who is found to have committed a crime in the name of that criminal organization,” Sher said.

He said that if the police planned to take on the Hells Angels at some point, they would need specialized organized crime investigators. He added that this makes smaller cities or towns more appealing because they may not have the same resources that larger cities have.

Sher said it’s important that people don’t hide away or be fearful but instead be aware of the gang’s history and not fall for their propaganda. This can include advertising merchandise on their websites, which appears to be the case for Brandon.

A Hells Angels affiliated website under the name Brandon Manitoba’s 81 Support Gear Shop sells support apparel for men, women and children, including patches and shirts that read “Support 81 Brandon.”

On the website’s home page, it states that Hells Angels Brandon Manitoba was founded in December 2024. There is also a Facebook page under the name Brandon 81 Support Gear that advertises the clothing.

Sher said this is typical.

“That’s what has people scratching their heads,” Sher said. “People say, ‘Well, how criminal can it be?’”

He said this is all a part of their public relations “swindle.”

“They’re very showy, because it’s part of planting the flag and showing their power,” he said. “They are a registered corporation … but part of their PR is to kind of say, ‘We’re lovable rascals, you know, yes, we’re a bit dangerous.’”

He said they insist they are not a criminal organization, and that if anyone within the club is convicted of a crime, that has nothing to do with the fact that they are a member of the Hells Angels.

Despite this, he said people don’t get kicked out of the club for committing crimes, but they do if they are accused of being informants or working with rival gangs.

“You have to judge them by who they keep in,” he said.

With the Hells Angels present, Sher said it will make it harder for other organized crime groups in the city to do business. He described Hells Angels as the “McDonald’s of organized crime” because of their internationally recognized logo and connections with more than 30 chapters across the country alone.

“I’m sure there are mom-and-pop criminal organizations in Brandon, but they cannot compete with the viciousness and the power of the Hells Angels,” Sher said. “When the Hells Angels set up clubs, they will either crush or absorb the competition. And if they can, fine, you’ll just have a bigger Hells Angels presence in Brandon. But if they can’t, you’ll have violence.”

Sher said despite confirmation from police, the only “real proof” of a Hells Angels’ Brandon chapter is if “Brandon” is on the bottom of their patch on the back of their jackets.

He said when the Hells Angels set up somewhere, it is almost impossible to get rid of them completely, and it’s very rare to shut down a chapter.

» The Brandon Sun