FAIRHOPE — For one young Baldwin County student, the first day of school wasn’t something she was looking forward to. Bella, an eighth grader, says she has been dealing with bullying, and the experience left her questioning whether she even wanted to go back this year. But her grandmother wasn’t going to let her face it alone.
“I know I’m an adult, I can’t do anything, but it makes me want to bully them back and say, ‘hey don’t mess with my granddaughter,’ but you can’t do that. You can’t go and do that. I have to find other ways to make Bella brave,” her grandmother said.
So she turned to social media, asking her biker friends to come together and offer her granddaughter some encouragement. What started as a request for a few motorcycles quickly grew into a much bigger show of support — big enough to draw riders from outside the area, including one man who traveled to Fairhope specifically to take part.
“That adventure brings me here to Fairhope, Alabama, one of the most beautiful little towns in America, but something ugly has been going on around here and bikers are rallying to put a stop to it,” said Christ Best, who left his job several years ago to travel the country on his motorcycle telling stories about the American biker.
This week, his story brought him to Fairhope, where bikers gathered for a different kind of ride — not just to ride, but to stand behind a young girl who says she’s been bullied.
“I’m in 8th grade and last year I was bullied so I’m happy about this because I can stand up to them and stop this,” Bella said.
The message from the ride was simple: she doesn’t have to walk into the new school year alone. Surrounded by people who showed up just for her, Bella got a reminder that her community is bigger than the people who tried to tear her down.
For her grandmother, the ride was about giving Bella confidence — and sending a message to other families dealing with bullying. “Bella said, ‘Momo, you’re supposed to just get a couple bikes together!’ And it blew up bigger than I thought, but I’m glad because this proves to me how great the biker family is and they’ll be there when you need them,” her grandmother said.