Police Protest Hells Angels Event at Simi Valley Club

SIMI VALLEY â€”  A ride for charity that will bring leather-clad Hells Angels roaring into town and into the local Elks Lodge has prompted one police officer to quit the club and nine others to return awards from the Elks.

The flap began at a meeting Tuesday after members of Elks Lodge No. 2492 voted for the second year in a row to rent out their facility to Hells Angels who sponsor the annual “Poker Run� in September.

While the event benefits disabled children, it also functions as a fund-raiser for Hells Angels chapters, some of which have been tied to illegal conduct.

After the vote, Simi Valley Det. Jay Carrott stood, held up his police badge and his Elks Lodge membership card and said:

“These two things used to mean something to me.�

Tilting his head toward his badge, he said, “This still does.�

Dropping his membership card to the floor, he said, “That doesn’t.�

Thursday, nine fellow officers joined his protest, returning Police Officer of the Year plaques handed out by the Elks, Carrott said.

The Poker Run--also known as The Big Red Machine--attracts riders from across Southern California, many of whom are not Hells Angels. They stop at five bars and restaurants along the way picking up cards. The last stop will be the lodge, nestled in Simi Valley’s east end, at which point the rider with the best poker hand wins a prize.

A similar ride last year attracted about 1,500 riders without incident, police officials said.