Nearly 50 Motorcycles Turn Out For Ride Against Abuse

They call themselves the ADV Riders, which stands for Against Domestic Violence.

For the third straight year, motorcyclists turned out on the first Monday in October to make some noise during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The annual Ride Against Abuse is organized by the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home.

Organizers say it’s important to have so many men willing to take a stand on this issue.

Shelter Executive Director Mary Niemela said, “I’m so excited to see as many men here talking about and creating an awareness for domestic violence—against domestic violence, I should say—as women. That’s what we need to do. We need to have everybody talking about violence against women and not just women.”

Roughly 50 motorcycles took part in the ride from Calumet through Hancock and ending in Houghton, including groups like the Christian Motorcyclists Association.

Hancock resident Jim Sayatovich and CMA member said, “Domestic violence is a no-no. We’re out to help whatever we can to stop it.”

The Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home provided over 1,000 shelter nights to victims of domestic violence and their families last year alone.