Today in motorcycle history, April 4, 1969
The ATLANTIC MOTORCYCLE COORDINATING COUNCIL is founded in Washington, DC.
The Spartan MC of Washington called together the SMCLA (Lost Angels) of Washington, Cycle MC of New York City, Vikings MC of Boston, and Second City MC of Chicago to discuss the formation of an interclub council. These clubs met in the apartment of the president of the Lost Angels and agreed to form the council. Letters were sent to known gay motorcycle clubs and three responded to the invitation to meet in July to write articles of agreement. The three clubs which responded were Empire City MC of New York City, the SNC-69 Club of London, UK (formed in 1965, the oldest gay motorcycle club in Europe), and the Rocky Mountaineers MC of Denver. The name chosen for the council was the Atlantic Mid-West Coordinating Council.
At the August, 1969, meeting hosted by Second City MC, the Articles of Agreement were adopted, the first club to join by being voted in by the current members was Wheels MC of New York City, and a membership patch was approved. The Articles of Agreement created four Council officers, set up the election method, set the method by which new clubs would be admitted to the Council, and created a system of event sanctions.
By 1974 as new clubs rapidly joined, it was recognized that the Council was becoming geographically unmanageable. Clubs from Europe to Canada to Florida to Colorado had joined. It was decided to divide into three parts: the European Council of Motorcycle Clubs, the Mid-America Conference, and the Atlantic Motorcycle Coordinating Council. The AMCC’s territory from which it could admit new clubs became eastern Canada and the Atlantic seaboard states from Maine to Florida.
In 1976 all the AMCC member clubs agreed to stage a single event in honor of the Bi-centennial of the USA. While the event was a success, the strain on interclub relationships made several clubs resign from membership in the Council. Bitches. However, by 1978, those clubs had rejoined as well as numerous new clubs.
The AMCC continues to be a growing and strong group of clubs exemplifying a shared commonality of interest and geography, motorcycling, and the leather-levi lifestyle.
