At 181 MacLean Street, there appears to be a storefront set up. On a paper are the words Twisted Needs written, seeming to signify the name of the store. Another sign saying private property is in the window.
Clothing inside has 81 written on it which is a number associated with Hells Angels. H is the eighth letter and A is the 1st letter of the alphabet.
A large number of bikes have been seen in front of the building. On Monday morning there was a bike in the window with Gate Keepers written on it. Gate Keepers is an affiliate of the Hells Angels.
A man out front said he was there to pick up a part for his bike. Asked if it was a Gate Keepers store, he said it was HA.
Asked if it was just a club house, the man said he couldn’t say.
Police warned last year that the Hells Angels were trying to regain control of Nova Scotia from the existing Bacchus outlaw motorcycle gang. Although some say that Bacchus is a Hells Angels puppet group too.
Gate Keepers motorcycle club set up shop along Highway 7 in Musquodoboit Harbour, CBC reported in April 2013. According to that news agency there are several Bacchus chapters in Atlantic Canada — one in Nova Scotia, three in New Brunswick, one in Prince Edward Island and two in Newfoundland.
The property at 181 MacLean Street, is actively listed by HLM Realties Ltd. for $229,000. The ground level has 2,200 square feet.
The building use to house a plumbing company.
Attempts to reach the building owner were unsuccessful.
Gerry Horne, past president of the Pictou County Cruisers, a family friendly motorcycle club that operated for years in the county said he found out about the group about a month ago from a friend, who said he had run into someone at a gas station in Sheet Harbour and told him they were setting up in New Glasgow and heard it was on MacLean Street. He said he hasn’t heard much since.
He said he personally doesn’t like it and believes it will hurt the reputation of all motorcyclists in the area.
“We try our best to do what’s right,” he said. “Most of us are seniors. I’m 82. I don’t know… it’s not good. It’s not good at all.”
He said it’s the first time he can recall any group like this setting up in New Glasgow.
Cindy-Lee MacLean is the current acting president of the Pictou County Cruisers, who have been struggling to find active members lately, although she says they are still operating.
She said most people in the county know their group is family friendly and she hopes there is no negative impact from this new group in town. A few of the Gate Keepers did show up to one of their club’s rides recently though although they weren’t wearing colours.
She said there is nothing they could do to prevent them from riding. She said she’s seen quite a few bikers wearing Gate Keepers clothing in Trenton as well.
“Personally I have concerns just because of who they are or the reputation that precedes them. I don’t know any of them personally.”
Investigators are monitoring the situation with the New Glasgow Regional Police Service, a representative from the department said.
Police said there are members from different motorcycle clubs who have come into town and when they do, police monitor those situations.
