Ashley Messier builds hockey legacy with sights on PWHL, Olympics
9h ago
Mark Messier is her distant cousin, but this Sask. hockey product is carving her own path.
It was May 2016 when Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) became a vital part of one Queen City family, and they haven’t hit the road since.
The Regina mother of three made the call to BACA two-and-a-half years after she discovered her daughter, who had been adopted years before, had been a victim of childhood sexual abuse.
In December 2016, when the family attended a court hearing in Invermere, B.C., 25 bikers from Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge came together to make the drive to the three-day trial.
“They supported us. They were our protection, our security, our strength and our rocks throughout the entire process,” she explained.
On the days of the trial, BACA members packed the small town’s courtroom, acting as a “leather shield” between them and her daughter’s abuser.
“They gave our daughter the strength. I’m not sure if she ever would have found it if it weren’t for them,” the mother said, fighting back tears.
A man who goes by Freedom is the president of the Regina chapter of BACA, which was founded in 2013. He stressed that the group does not replace the police nor social services — they just act as a support system.
“If the family is being intimated or bothered by the abuser, we can and we will become a part of (the victim’s) property for as long as it takes — we won’t leave until that kid is okay,” he explained.
Freedom added that the volunteer group has gone as far as camping outside a child’s home — just to make them feel safe.
While the court dates have now passed, the family still has contact with the bikers who helped give them strength.
As many gathered in Regina’s Candy Cane Park Saturday for the third annual BACA Blue Ribbon Ride and Kids Day, the mother described the atmosphere as symbolic.
“It’s just one big happy family all joined together in the park, just celebrating who they are and how special they are to us,” she said. “We love (BACA) to pieces.”
After all the children’s faces were painted, the bouncy houses were deflated and all the bicycles were given away, a couple dozen bikers hit Highway 11 towards Regina Beach to raise awareness on the open road.