It started with a slap—a shocking, senseless act in the Stop-N-Go parking lot on Highway 49. An 81-year-old Korean War veteran, Harold Wiseman, a Purple Heart recipient, was struck by a young man filming for social media, his hearing aid flying across the asphalt. The aggressor was unaware that 47 members of the Savage Riders motorcycle club were inside, witnessing everything through the windows.
I’m Dennis “Tank” Morrison, president of the Savage Riders. That afternoon, our monthly meeting paused as we watched Harold struggle on the pavement. His hands shook, his skin torn, his dignity challenged. The young man, barely 25, laughed with his friends, oblivious to the life he was about to change forever.
Harold had done nothing wrong. He had simply asked the group to move from a handicapped spot so he could park closer to the door for his oxygen tank. Yet, as the world sometimes sees, kindness and vulnerability can be mistaken for weakness.
The Stand That Changed Everything
We didn’t rush. We didn’t yell. Forty-seven bikers walked out in unison, forming a human wall of respect and authority. The young man froze, realizing the magnitude of the moment. I calmly instructed him to pick up the hearing aid, apologize, and wait for the authorities. Harold, even bleeding and humiliated, asked me to let the situation resolve without violence.
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