OUR HISTORY

The Cossacks Motorcycle Club was founded in Tyler, Texas in 1969 by a group of six bikers: Earl Swift, Charles Hanks, Butch Cheatham, Paul Henley, Tom Eliason and Carl Blair. The club was named after historical Cossack horsemen of Ukraine and southern Russia. Membership eventually grew in number, with many chapters currently established across the state of Texas and other states in the US. We are still growing and going strong.

Our center patch was originally inspired by a 1967 issue of Hot Rod Comic Magazine, redrawn by Tom Eliason. This detail is not widely known in our history. Initially, our patches featured Red and Gold colors with a Texas bottom rocker. The reasons behind our changes in colors and rockers are not entirely clear to current members, but it is said that the Bandidos expressed a desire to be the sole club in Texas with a state rocker. They requested that we adopt county rockers and change our colors, with the understanding that they would refrain from establishing support clubs with county rockers in areas where we were already present.

Much of the previously mentioned is accurate, as many of our conflicts with the Bandidos originated from their establishment of support clubs with county rockers in areas where we were already present, violating the terms of our agreement. This led to numerous altercations, including bar fights. Consequently, we began wearing the Texas bottom rocker for the second time.

Following an attack on our members by a group of Bandidos outside Tyler, and with Zeke resuming the presidency, negotiations with the Bandidos were initiated. It was agreed that we would revert to the original agreement and remove the bottom rocker. While some members were initially reluctant to wear the rocker, and others opposed its removal once adopted, ultimately, everyone followed the club's leadership decision.

Before putting on the Texas bottom rocker, as previously mentioned, we were actively involved in the Confederation of Clubs (COC) and United Clubs (UC) coalitions, with some members even serving on their boards. However, due to the aforementioned issues and the additional requirement that we pay membership fees per member per chapter, the club collectively decided to withdraw from the coalition.

Following the aforementioned events and the ongoing challenges we faced with the Bandidos attempting to dictate our actions and repeatedly violating the agreement, our leadership decided to proceed with wearing the Texas rocker. A meeting was arranged to directly inform the Bandidos of our decision. During this face-to-face discussion, we made it clear that we intended to wear the Texas rocker once again and that this time, we would not be removing it.

We were requested to allow three months for them to align their support clubs with our actions. In response, we extended this period to five months before donning the rocker. I believe the Bandidos' response to our decision to wear the Texas rocker was to grant the Texas bottom rocker to all their support clubs. This development did not concern us, even as other clubs, such as the Scorpions, also adopted the Texas rocker. However, this is where the true issues began to emerge.

Over time, the situation settled into relative peace, with occasional bar fights that were not particularly serious. However, tensions began to rise when we learned about a decision from the opposing side expressing their disapproval of us wearing the rocker. This sparked a series of retaliatory actions, eventually culminating in the events at Waco.

So on May 17, 2015, the shootout occurred in Waco, Texas, that has been the subject of various narratives, each containing a mixture of truths, misconceptions, and assumptions. Reports differ depending on the perspective and source, but the presence of such a large number of Cossacks was unexpected. Contrary to some claims, there was no premeditated ambush. Anyone with tactical experience, especially those with military backgrounds, would recognize the strategic disadvantage of positioning oneself in confined spaces such as doorways or open porches during a shootout.

Blame for the incident can be attributed to overzealous individuals on both sides or even to law enforcement, but ultimately, it was pride that ignited the conflict in the parking lot, with neither side willing to concede. Depending on the biker news source consulted, different perspectives offer varying accounts of the event, each with its own narrative.

On that day, we lost some good brothers, one I was actually drinking with not 6 hours before as it was his birthday. All that died that day were my brothers... friends...

Following the tragic events in Waco, communication significantly diminished, and silence prevailed. Zeke and some others attributed the events in Waco to Big O. Rumors began to circulate, suggesting that drug distribution and other activities in that area were the underlying causes. While I cannot confirm whether these were the true reasons for the incident, it was suggested that, although there was no concrete evidence against Big O personally, certain members of the crew there were involved in such activities. This conduct was contrary to our mandate. Nevertheless, Big O began to feel ostracized due to the circulating rumors and his association with the chapters around Waco.

If you review the reasoning on the 1% Cossacks website for the split, it states: "did not live up to that motto after the Twin Peaks incident." Let's examine this claim. At the time, we had over 75 members incarcerated, each held on a million-dollar bond. Our club exhausted every dollar from national and chapter funds to secure our brothers' release once the bail amounts became manageable. While some members did seek assistance from their families, we provided as much support as possible. We even covered the living expenses of family members awaiting bail. I know of brothers who spent over $35,000 to pay the bills of those in custody. We also paid off Big O's motorcycle while he was in jail and ensured his family's rent was covered. We extended this support to as many as we could. Therefore, the narrative presented by Big O is based on a lie. Furthermore, Big O did not establish the new club until rumors about his crew's involvement in illegal activities surfaced, coupled with pressure from Zeke, who was seeking to remove him from the club.

Since waco, our brotherhood has emerged stronger and better than ever before and will keep getting bigger and stronger!!