Warning! SPOILERS for The Lincoln Lawyer season 1.
In The Lincoln Lawyer, members of a biker gang called the Road Saints are seen wearing a 1% patch that has a hidden meaning. It may seem like just another piece of costume design, but it’s an excellent example of subtle storytelling. Those who know what it means will instantly understand the Road Saints’ true nature and ethos.
The Lincoln Lawyer is a Netflix series that follows Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), an idealistic lawyer who operates out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car (hence the title of the show). The Lincoln Lawyer has a love of jazz, a troubled past, and an opioid addiction. While dealing with a court case surrounding a tech billionaire accused of murder, he comes across the Road Saints Motorcycle Club. The club has featured in several of the show’s source novels, written by Michael Connelly. It has been involved with various criminal operations, including the production and distribution of illegal drugs. Members all wear a patch on their clothing that says “1%.” It may seem insignificant, but its hidden meaning has a surprising amount of narrative weight.
The 1% patch is a direct reference to a real-life quote credited to The American Motorcycle Association (via NCBI): “99% of the motorcycling public are law-abiding; there are 1% who are not.” Most people involved with motorcycle clubs are no more dangerous than anybody else, like members of a reading or knitting club. As those familiar with The Lincoln Laywer books (the source material for the Netflix show) will know, the Road Saints aren’t like that. They proudly wear their 1% patch as a signal of their criminal activity. It’s a quick and effective way to communicate their tough-as-nails personas, at least to those who know what the patch means.
In The Lincoln Lawyer season 1, Haller assists the Road Saints on behalf of his lead investigator Cisco, who is in debt to them. Cisco finds out and intervenes, but not before Haller has defended “Hard-Case” Casey on drug and firearms charges. At the end of season 1, Cisco rides away on his motorcycle either to begin working with the Road Saints as a way to clear his debt or to get as far away from them as possible. In The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, Cisco may have to wear a 1% patch, whether he likes it or not.
Interestingly, there is some debate as to whether or not the original quote is apocryphal. Though the term “one-percenter” was coined after the 1947 Hollister riot via the quote mentioned earlier, The American Motorcycle Association now says it has no record of giving the statement to the press. Regardless of its origin, it stands to reason that the vast majority of people belonging to motorcycle clubs would be no different from everyone else. After all, motorcycling isn’t an inherently illegal concept.
Despite the media’s typical portrayal of bikers as hardened criminals, the reality is that only a tiny percentage of them actually are. Though The Lincoln Lawyer avoids a major cop show problem, it still represents motorcycle clubs in a stereotypical way. However, the show makes it clear that the Road Saints aren’t your typical bikers: they’re proud of their criminal status and they all wear a 1% patch to prove it. It’s a small detail that tells you everything you need to know about the characters and is a signal that the show is keenly aware of all the ways it can convey its story.
