In the popular television series, Sons of Anarchy, the protagonist, Jax Teller, is an attractive motorcycle club president who leads an aggressive and complicated life. An anti-hero, he’s portrayed as a multi-faceted individual who faces difficult challenges that allows the audience to empathize with his struggles, despite their often violent outcome. Because of this, the concept of motorcycle gangs have become romanticized and idealized, creating an influx in both motorcycle sales and MC involvement. Just as the Sons of Anarchy create strife for law enforcement in the town of Charming, California, rival motorcycle gangs – the Bandidos and the Cossacks – resulted in a Jax Teller-worthy shootout at a Twin Peaks chain in Waco.
The BACA – Bikers Against Child Abuse
With all of the negative press surrounding motorcycle clubs, there’s one in particular that sticks out… for their compassion. The BACA – Bikers Against Child Abuse – MC fits the part of the stereotypical motorcycle club: big, intimidating, and decked in black leather cuts; the BACA are a formidable group. What sets them apart, however, is that they’re not the bad guys. Rather, they’re the defenders of the innocent, protecting kids from the real villains.
These do-good bikers can be found in over eight countries around the world and have chapters in all but five states in the U.S. With chapters in the Austin, BCS, and Waco areas, these unconventional heroes make it their mission to protect the children in their community. There are four different stages that the club goes through to help their kids.
Level one consists of the organization deploying a ride, where they’ll ride as a group to the child’s house where they present the child with a patch, stickers, and a photograph of the child with his/her new biker family to use as a comfort to convey the message “I am not alone, and you don’t want to mess with my family.”
If level one is not sufficient to deter further abuse or harassment, several BACA members will be sent for further exposure. This group of BACA members will create a presence at the home of the child, being visible at times when the family might be the most vulnerable. The purpose of BACA’s presence is to deter further abuse and to protect the children and the family, if necessary.
If the physical presence of the BACA members at the residence of the child’s home does not deter the abuser, a formal letter will be drafted by the Chapter President or Vice-President in the area in which the abuser lives. This letter will be written on BACA letterhead. The substance of the letter will be to explain to the perpetrator that they’re prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to become the obstacle to further abuse.
If all prior attempts aren’t successful, BACA will ask for the general geographical location of the offender, and conduct a “Neighborhood Awareness Ride” in which they’ll ride to the general location given. They’ll go door to door, letting people know who they are, hand out stickers to kids, and distribute literature regarding the BACA mission and how they function. If the location or address of the perpetrator becomes known to any BACA Member, they immediately withdraw their physical presence to avoid any contact. BACA does not condone, support or participate in the use of aggression, violence or physical force in any manner.
They may be big and scary, but they’re warm and fuzzy on the inside. The member of Bikers Against Child Abuse serve as a healthy reminder to never judge a book by its cover.
