MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – “Keepers of the Children”, that’s how Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) describe themselves.
“What we do is empower abused children,” said Eastern Panhandle Chapter President “Dogg”.
When a child is identified as a victim of abuse and vetted as a possible match, members of BACA’s Eastern Panhandle chapter bring them into the fold and get to work protecting them.
“We escort them to court; we’ve escorted them to school,” said Dogg. “The person charged of abusing them, the perp’s main goal can be to intimidate them, to make them be afraid to go to court and testify. And the children are living in fear, ’cause, who’s there for them?”
Their work may sometimes look like 150 bikers showing up at a court date. It could also mean volunteers standing on guard outside a child’s home. To Dogg, it’s about making sure a child isn’t afraid.
“We’re 24/7, brother. If a child calls us at 2 o’clock in the morning because they can’t sleep because they think the (perpetrator) is coming back to get them again, we’re on our way. We will go there. We’ll sleep out on their front porch. When they go to sleep, we’re there. When they wake up, we’re there. We’ll let them know, ‘We’ve got your back.'”
There are three BACA chapters in West Virginia. The other two are in South Charleston and Westover.
Eastern Panhandle President Dogg and Treasurer Monk were guests on Panhandle Live, heard on The Panhandle News Network: WEPM & Berkeley Springs.
For more information, visit bacaworld.org or check out their Facebook page.