Motorcyclists advocate for mistreated kids

About 30 bikers are working to break the chains of child abuse in Travis and Hays counties as members of the Bikers Against Child Abuse Austin chapter based in Pflugerville.

They show up in courtrooms as supporters and bodyguards for victims of child abuse who may be intimidated from testifying in court by their perpetrators.

"We have to be requested to be involved, whether it's the child's guardian or parent. A pending legal case has to exist before we get involved. Generally, it's a court case," said Frank "Moon" Tantillo, president of BACA Austin Chapter.

Tantillo said BACA's mission is to empower victims of child abuse by letting them know BACA has their back.

"So many times, the child is feeling isolated. They're feeling unsure of themselves. They might be feeling like they did something wrong," he said. "We want the child to know they are not alone. They have a BACA family that will take them in."

BACA formally welcomes each child into its "family" by hosting an initiation ceremony where the child is introduced to BACA members and assigned to two primary contacts within the organization.

"They're the ones, if the child wants to talk to somebody, any time day or night, they have somebody they can call," Tantillo said.

In more critical child abuse cases where there is physical intimidation against the child or the child's family, BACA members position themselves at the child's residence for added protection.

"Many times the parents or guardians are not allowed in the courtroom when a child testifies because the court is concerned about the parents or guardians influencing the testimony. It can be very intimidating for the child to be there alone," Tantillo said.

BACA members, on the other hand, are allowed in court.

"They know who we are, and we make sure [children] understand we're there to support them," he said. "We follow cases very carefully. Once the case is over, then we go through a process where we want the child to basically move on with their life and put this behind them. We stay in contact with them somewhat, and they know they can count on us, but we go through a weaning process."

Some children grow up to become BACA members themselves.

"I really like the fact that they help these children because I was a kid once. It felt amazing to have these strangers help me through a really hard time in my life," said one member who goes by the name "Flipper" and who became a BACA member a few months ago.

In 2008, the BACA Sam Bass chapter was created to meet the growing needs of children in Williamson, Burnet and Milam counties.

For more information, visit www.bacaworld.org.

BACA Austin, 877-719-2988, P.O. Box 2252, Pflugerville, [email protected]

BACA Sam Bass, 877-609-5798, P.O. Box 2131, Round Rock, [email protected]