WARREN – The headquarters of Forever Two Wheelz , 338 Chestnut Ave. NE., was boarded up Friday because law enforcement officials believe the motorcycle club used it to plan criminal gang activities on at least two occasions in the past year.

“We’re being proactive,” Warren Law Director Greg Hicks said. “We’re not going to wait for any more activity to happen, wait for some kind of retaliation or any other issues to go on. We’re gonna keep that neighborhood safe for everyone around there.”

“This is part of our ongoing operation called Operation Clean Sweep in Warren, Ohio,” Hicks said.

There was a gunfight at Shorty’s Place, 2844 Highland Ave. in Warren Township, on June 18 that left two members of rival motorcycle club Brothers Regime dead and two others wounded. David Bailes Jr., 45, president of Forever Two Wheelz, was charged Sunday in the shooting deaths. He remains hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.

Dead are Jason “Foot” Moore, 41, 6237 Morrell Ray Road, Mecca, and Robert “Chopper Bob” Marto, 54, of 5545 Phillips Rice Road, Mecca.

FTW Warren was having a poker run at the bar on June 18, when members of Brothers Regime pulled into the parking lot. A confrontation between the clubs’ presidents led to the shootings, Warren Township police Chief Don Bishop said a day after the shooting.

Hicks said the city is closing FTW’s headquarters in an effort to keep the neighborhood safe.

Members of the Warren Police Department, U.S. Marshals and Bishop were involved in Friday’s board up. They searched the two-and-a-half story house that had an entertainment area with a pool table, bar and kitchen on the first floor. There were several bedrooms on the second floor and an attic area, as well as meeting areas.

As law enforcement officers raided the house shortly after 11 a.m., many Chestnut Avenue neighbors sat on their porches and inside their homes recording what was happening on their cell phones.

Sue Gilbert, who lives across from the clubhouse, defended Bailes and other club members as people that have helped her family and others in the surrounding community.

“They are good guys,” she said. “They should not be boarding up his building. He is laying in the hospital, fighting for his life.”

Patricia Donham said it is not fair that FTW’s building is being boarded, while nothing is happening at the headquarters of the Brothers Regime.

“Boarding up this house is a farce,” she said. “It is a joke. These boys have gone out of their way to help everybody.”

“Nobody has been there for a week,” Donham said. “It is not a drug house. What happened is a matter of someone wanting respect. Well, you earn respect.”

The city used a state law dealing with criminal gang activities that allows municipalities to close down facilities when people gather together under a common theme.

“We executed a search the other day and recovered a number of items that indicate criminal activity,” Hicks said.

Hicks was not specific about the kind of criminal activity that may have taken place on the Chestnut Avenue property, but said various types of guns were found in the house. He would not say how many guns were found.

“This is where they would get together and formulate their plans,” Hicks said.

A hearing seeking a permanent order to shut the building down will take place 11:30 a.m. Friday in Judge Andrew Logan’s court.

“There is an ongoing investigation,” Hicks said.

There has been some discussions with members of the Brothers Regime Motorcycle club in hopes to prevent a situation where there is retaliation for the shootings.

“We are not letting our guard down through the memorial service and the time after in case we see other activities,” Hicks said.

Bishop said the memorial services will take place Saturday at the Castle in the township.

“I met with them (leaders of the Brothers Regime) and discussed a lot of issues with them and I hope they will abide with what we talked about,” Bishop said. “They have been cooperative.”

Bishop said they never had any problems at Shorty’s Place.

“We’ve rarely have gotten a call there,” Bishop said. “I know the owner is distraught over this whole thing. We don’t have any plans on shutting it down, because we don’t have these kinds of activities in it.”

Bishop asked Warren to lead the investigation in the shooting, because his department is understaffed and he has many young officers.

“This is not the first homicide we’ve worked with Warren,” he said.

Hicks said some of the members of the FTW motorcycle gang have gone underground since the shooting.

rsmith@tribtoday.com