BACA bikers ride for the purpose – news of crazy throttle bikers

“Bikers Against Child Abuse” riders may look stern on the outside with their tattoos and leather jackets, but caring bikers help enable children who are abused. They use road names for safety and are there for children 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We are there so that a child who is afraid can live the life that a normal child should have. And we do it just by appearing, “said Woodstock, a BACA member and treasurer of the Maricopa County Office. gives the child opportunities ”.

The process begins when the guardian of a child who has been abused calls the Arizona BACA hotline. The child liaison answers the call to discuss the child’s situation. Woodstock said the trained child liaison knows the specifics of the child’s situation, while the other members only know that he or she needs their help.

From there, if BACA board members believe it is a child they can help, the organization is implementing first-level interaction, it is the first visit to invite a child to become part of the organization. The Turtle, who lives near Bell Road and is vice president of BACA’s Black Canyon branch, said it was a wonderful moment and a spectacle.

“This is the first interaction with a child, when we actually organize a time when the whole leader can go out and meet this child for the first time,” said the Turtle. “And when we drive in, it’s some reason. We then initiate them by giving them a cut so they feel they have a family of bikers. ”

The “cut” is a vest with a BACA patch that children can choose to wear or not. The child is then assigned two primary ones, those who are the main contact and make regular checks and visits to ensure the child’s safety and work to remove the fear in his or her life.

BACA is also going to court with the children to help the child in a stressful time. And although the organization does not tolerate violence, its mission states that “if the circumstances arise that we are the only obstacle that prevents a child from further violence, we are ready to become that obstacle.”

“The biker family mentality arises when we don’t have to be blood to be a family,” Turtle said. “We are always close to each other. And this biker reputation certainly helps us in the case of a criminal, but it also helps us with children because when they get to know us, they know we’re just teddy bears. But they know we are teddy bears who are going to do anything to protect them. ”

However, being a biker is not free access to the group, and Turtle said that in order to become a primary, an extensive process is required. After attending three group meetings, those who wish to become primary are screened. Once the verification happens, the person will be eligible to begin the “support” process and serve in that role for more than a year to study policies and procedures. After this time, and if it is approved by the council, the person will be promoted to full member status and deserved priority.

The organization was founded in 1995 and now covers 48 states and 22 countries. Woodstock said the organization is getting stronger, but the problem is growing even faster. He said recent research shows that there are more than 51,000 cases of child abuse in Arizona each year.

Both Turtle and Woodstock said they saw a positive effect of BACA on children. They admitted that at first children are sometimes a little scared, but always open up and seem to feel more confident.

“When we engage at the first level and enter, we awaken the neighborhood,” Woodstock said. “We park all these bikes in front of the child’s house, and sometimes the child hides behind the mother. However, in a few minutes this baby will appear after we introduce ourselves. Soon they are walking down the street with us and looking at motorcycles. “

The turtle said the adults have repeatedly disappointed these children. Being a reliable constant in children’s lives is a big part of making them feel safe. He said the primaries try to be available at all times, whether responding to text or appearing in person.

“We always tell kids that they can come to us 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Turtle said. “Children called us at 1 am to find out if we would answer the calls and if we would be able to endure some nightmares. If we need to, the primaries will pass a bit, accelerate the engines and just let the child know that we are always available for them. “

Read the rest of the article