“Respect the patch”: How Oakland’s oldest Black motorcycle club survived more than 60 years
Update: 2025-06-20
Description
Tobie Gene Levingston left behind his life as a Louisiana sharecropper in the mid-1950s to work at an Oakland metal foundry. Within a few years, he started the East Bay Dragons, which grew to be one of the most legendary Black motorcycle clubs in the world. This episode goes into the Dragons’ clubhouse for a deep conversation with two long-time members, Melvin Shadrick and Picasso, to explore how the club has managed to thrive all these years – and what it feels like to cruise past another motorcycle pack on the highway going 140 miles per hour. [Note: This episode originally aired in 2018]
To see photos related to this episode, visit: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/respect-the-patch/
This episode’s art is a watercolor painted by Oakland-based illustrator and author Robert Liu-Trujillo. You can see more of Rob’s work at http://work.robdontstop.com/
Don’t forget to follow the East Bay Yesterday Substack for updates on events, boat tours, exhibits, and other local history news: https://eastbayyesterday.substack.com/
Donate to keep this show alive: www.patreon.com/eastbayyesterday
To see photos related to this episode, visit: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/respect-the-patch/
This episode’s art is a watercolor painted by Oakland-based illustrator and author Robert Liu-Trujillo. You can see more of Rob’s work at http://work.robdontstop.com/
Don’t forget to follow the East Bay Yesterday Substack for updates on events, boat tours, exhibits, and other local history news: https://eastbayyesterday.substack.com/
Donate to keep this show alive: www.patreon.com/eastbayyesterday
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