The Bandito Motorcycle Gang and the Women Who Love Them

While I was researching my report on the Bandito Motorcycle Gang in Pasadena, Texas for KHOU TV (CBS) and 20/20 (ABC) I met and talked to many of the young women who rode with the Banditos.�

They are certainly not the easiest young women to understand since they seem to enjoy being treated as property of "a Bandito" member. They are called "Old Ladies" however most are rather attractive and are in their late teens and early 20's. The President of that Bandito Gang had an "Old Lady" who was 29 years old, and very attractive.

The younger women in their teens were mostly runaways and high school dropouts. These were young women who seemed to be seeking direction in their lives through a group like the Motorcycle Gang. They seemed to enjoy having someone tell they what to do and control their lives. When they were permitted to talk to me on or off camera they bragged about their life of excitement and the thrill of riding with their own Bandito. Some had belonged to several different members of the gang at different times, because a bandito could trade his "Old Lady" for another members "Old Lady."

When I asked the Gang's President's "Old Lady" about this trading of "Old Ladies" she said "I am the Old Lady of one Bandito not all Banditos. If he trades me I am gone."

When I rode with the Banditos to the Texas Beach of Galveston, the young woman who rode behind them on their cycles were well dressed and clean. They would have fit into any sorority beach picnic. All wore levies or leather pants and jackets. Some had jackets that showed which Bandito Gang they belong to. The jackets, which they call colors, were small versions of their Banditos colors, but never an exact copy. A Bandito would never ride his cycle without wearing his colors, and no one else wears his jacket or colors. When riding his motor with his jacket on it's called flying his colors. You have heard of cowboys wanting to die in their boots, well Banditos want to die in their colors.

The young women, "Old Ladies," wear spiked collars around their necks with a dog chain hanging down. They can be lead around by the chain if the Bandito has the urge. I only saw that happen once during the time months I was with the Banditos. When I was at the Bandito President's home in Southeast Houston, Texas, his wife and the other young women acted like any other women at a friendly gathering. They served food and drinks. But when the men were doing business they knew to stay away. The favored drink was Wild Turkey, and beer. The women would drink just as much as the men. I would say the majority of Banditos and their woman are alcoholics. However I would not say that to their faces. Many of the Banditos who are Marine and Army Vets seem to enjoy giving orders to their "Old Ladies."

During the weekdays many of these women worked as waitresses, in motorcycle shops, and one worked in a medical office. When I asked some of the young women about the obvious bruises they had on their faces, necks or arms, they would simply smile and say I was bad and deserved it. I only once saw a young woman hit. She was slapped extremely hard two times by a very drunk Bandito. Everyone looked the other way. Why didn't intercede? I learned very early in my research for this TV report that I was an observer and if I tried to get involved with anything to do with the Banditos I would probably not live to finish the report. One night things were getting extremely out of hand and there were some major fights. People were really hurt. The gang members were tearing up a man's bar in Galveston, Texas and they would not let him call the police. I got on my cycle and got out of there very quickly and dropped a dime to the cops to help the bar owner.

By the way, the "Old Ladies" were never permitted to drive a motorcycle, they always rode behind their Bandito. These young women said they Bandito Gang was their family and they never wanted to leave. They all said they felt secure in this gang atmosphere. But many "Old Ladies" have been found beaten almost to death, or dead. The Banditos bragged that no one leaves the Banditos' Gang, unless they are dead.

(Note: These Banditos refuse to identify any dead Bandito member. After my report on TV the Harris County Coroner's Office called on me to identify one of the Bandits who had appeared my report. He was the oldest Bandito at the age of 62. He told me on camera that he planned to ride with the Bandits until he died. He did. When I identified him at the morgue he looked like someone's grandfather with white hair. The cause of death was someone had stomped-in his chest. You could see the boot tread marks on his skin. The doctor said he was stomped until his chest collapsed. All I really know about him was his street name and that he was a former 20-year vet of the US Marines. He told me on TV that he felt that the gang was his family and he belonged here. He said they always take care of me. This time they didn't.)

To this day I cannot understand why these attractive young women want to ride with the gang and be treated as slaves, and have no control over their own lives. One 19-year old woman told me she did not mind being traded for sex among the Banditos because she was doing it for the man she loved.���I wonder how many of those women that I interviewed are still alive.����

Note: For an overall perspective of the gang like I observed it's best to read all of the reports about the Banditos in this Investigative section. Also it is important to note that most of the Banditos were on their best behavior when I was there with or without a camera crew. Most of the gang members were heavy drinkers and some could turn into vicious fighters by the time midnight came. I always wondered how they could drive those motorcycles home after hours of heavy drinking of Johnny Walker or Wild Turkey, chased with beer.

Editor's Note: A woman who rode with the Banditos' Motorcycle Gang in the same time frame as I did my TV stories wrote an article to answer the question, "Why did these woman ride with the Banditos?" This article is posted on the Speak Out Page. Warning the language is extremely strong.