Monday, May 24, 2010

Third Annual "Role/Roll" Like Marcus Harley-Davidson Memorial Ride for Peace and Officer Thomas Wortham, IV


Chicago, IL - More than 200 motorcycle enthusiast are expected to rev their engines down south Halsted Street from 115th Street to Union Park on Randolph Street on Sunday morning, May 30, 2010, in honor of Marcus Hendricks and fallen police officer Thomas Wortham, IV, both killed by senseless gun violence. This event is sponsored by the Marcus Hendricks Memorial Foundation. The participants will ride for peace and community unity and to promote mentoring as a solution to violence.
The first Roll Like Marcus event was held on May 4, 2008, just two weeks after Marcus Hendricks was fatally shot while in the office of his plumbing business in the Sheldon Heights neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. An avid Harley-Davidson enthusiast, Marcus' friends from the biker community joined together for a ride to commemorate Marcus - a father, a husband, a business man and a community supporter on what would have been his 35th birthday.
Since Marcus' death his family has created the Marcus Hendricks Memorial Foundation to promote the tenets of his life: hard-work, family and commitment to community. As a plumber Marcus created his own successful plumbing and sewer business. He supported the community by employing individuals whom he felt deserved a second chance and an opportunity to become self-sufficient and provide for their families.
Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV was murdered on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, and the ride this year will pay tribute to Officer Wortham. Cynthia Flowers of the Marcus Hendricks Memorial Foundation says, "Officer Wortham's death should spark outrage from the community. Like my brother he was doing everything right. My heart is bleeding for this family and for this dad who had to go to war against domestic terrorists to defend his son's life!"

The Marcus Hendricks Memorial Foundation is asking motorcycle officers from the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police to lead the parade this year. Additionally, Black Bikers of Chicago, the Chicago biker community and bikers from Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana are invited to participate in this event. The Black Bikers of Chicago and the biker community on the whole represents professionals, businessmen, members of law enforcement and a vast array of resources and talent that can be shared within our communities.
Just as men and women are being asked to Roll (r-o-l-l) like Marcus, they are also being encouraged to "role (r-o-l-e)" like Marcus by making hard-work, family and community development a way of life. Participants on this ride will have the opportunity to sign-up as mentors in local schools. This ride is also meant to link community advocacy groups who are actively working within Chicago neighborhoods to the bike clubs and individual mentors to help develop a partnership to impact positive changes in our communities.
Since Marcus' murder his sister Cynthia Flowers has committed herself to working towards improving education, family integrity and community unity. Flowers states, "When the youth speak about the reasons violence occurs they often refer to adults who don't care. Through our ride we want to show those youth that there are plenty of adults and organizations that do care. We want to show them that members of the biking community, to which my brother belonged, not only say they care but many of them have programs that give back directly to the community."
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