Motorcycle riders came together Saturday to bring attention to violent crime in Jacksonville.
Several dozen bikers and officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office gathered on the Southside Saturday for the 7th annual M.A.D. D.A.D.S. Ride For Life.
The ride benefits families who have lost loved ones due violence in the city. The bikers arrived around 10 a.m. - 12 hours after two men were found shot dead in Springfield, a week after a Gate convenience store clerk was shot dead on the Northside, and 16 months after Amber Bass was shot dead in her driveway on the Westside.
"She was shot and robbed, and we have nothing. We're hurting," said Bass's friend Susan Singer. "People need to speak up and tell what they know, break the code of silence and get these murderers off the street."
M.A.D. D.A.D.S. - which stands for Men Against Destruction-Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder - is a community group that fights to reduce violence and strengthen communities.
"We’re trying to show those hurting communities that someone cares," said M.A.D. D.A.D.S. Jacksonville President Donald Foy. "It’s not about black, white, or blue. It’s about the murder and the crime in our community - that we take back our community from that."
There have been 101 homicides in Jacksonville this year.
You can follow Peter Haden on Twitter @HadenMedia.
