Freedom Ride for Domestic Violence

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TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) — More than 100 area women who love motorcycles took part in an event to raise awareness of domestic violence.

They gathered early Saturday morning at Tupelo’s Mall at Barnes Crossing. They prepared to embark on the first ever Freedom Ride designed to “Empower Women to Live Free.”

Four members of the Throttle and Lace Motorcycle group came up with the idea, after sharing their own experiences with domestic violence.

“What we choose to do is not talk about the bad but talk about the success,” says member Gail Austin.”That’s what we choose to do. We’ve all had our experiences and we don’t want to focus on that. We want to focus on how women survive and move on with their lives,” she says.

“We believe that there are a lot of women out there suffering in silence, says member Mary Morrison.  “And we want you to know that you can break free. It’s not easy. It wasn’t easy for any of us but you can break free. You can survive and you can move on.”

Morrison is thankful that after being alone ten years she met her current husband Tommy who introduced her to motorcycles, and has been very supportive.

“You have to show support and understand and it’s a give and take on both sides just to reassure and let her know that’s not me and that’s not what I do, ” he says.

And Debra Stegall is very appreciative of this event. She lost her daughter to domestic violence in 2008, leaving her a granddaughter to raise.

“He beat her and she tried to leave him, ” she relates. “And he didn’t want her to leave. He said that if he couldn’t have her that nobody else could have her and he went to her home one night. They got into an argument and he shot her. And shot himself also and he died a couple of days later,” she recounts.

Organizers of this event say breaking free from domestic violence is virtually impossible with the spiritual aspect. That is why they believe it is important to call upon God.

And that is why they invited Christian motorcyclist Rob Gardner to offer a prayer before their departure.

“This domestic violence is just destroying families,” Gardner states. “It’s destroying lives. They understand that they have to have God involved to get through the things that they’ve had to endure,” he says.

And after a more than sixty mile ride, the partipants gathered at Mugshots for a meal. Proceeds from this ride will go to the 3rd annual “Stop the Cycle” of domestic violence event in October.