The shuddering growl of a Harley motorcycle is an intimidating
thing. To most people it signifies the approach of bikers --
long-haired and tattooed, leather-clad, and tough.
But when children who have been the victims of abuse hear the
approaching roar of a group called the Bikers Against Child Abuse
(BACA), they know they've got back-up.
BACA, an international non-profit that uses a biker's tough
image to make child abuse victims feel more secure, has a motto
that says it all: 'No child deserves to live in fear.'
BACA members are usually asked to intervene by local law
enforcement officials or even by a parent. According to the group
mission's statment, members will do everything from attending a
child's court hearings to actually staying with a victim if he/she
is afraid.
“Our mission is to empower these children, allow them not to be
afraid of the world, to stand up to the abuser and say you can’t do
that me. I’ve got friends, I got backup; if you try to do that to
me, you’re going to have go through us,” the Missouri chapter
public relations officer, Mopar (the members use ride names for
security purposes) told columbia magazine.
Bikers Against Child Abuse was founded in 1995 by a Native
American child psychologist whose ride name is Chief, when he came
across a young boy who had been subjected to extreme abuse and was
too afraid to leave his house. He called the boy to reach out to
him, but the only thing that seemed to interest the child was
Chief's bike. Soon, some 20 bikers went to the boy's neighborhood
and were able to draw him out of his house for the first time in
weeks.
Chief's thesis was that a child who has been abused by an adult
can benefit psychologically from the presence of even more
intimidating adults that they know are on their side. "When we tell
a child they don't have to be afraid, they believe us," Arizona
biker Pipes told azcentral.com "When we tell them we will be
there for them, they believe us."
Membership in Bikers Against Child Abuse is a big commitment. If
any of the kids are frightened, they only have to call and the
bikers will ride over and stay outside all night, Pipes told
azcentral.com.
Besides not using force, the bikers only have one rule. "I don't
want to see any tears coming out of your eyes, and the child
doesn't either," Pipes told a group of bikers during an interview
with azcentral.com"Remember why we're here: to empower the child.
If you can't handle it, keep your shades on." There's no crying in
BACA.
