Motorcycles, vehicles hit North Texas streets for Rolling Stop the Violence Rally

FORT WORTH — Dozens of bikers took to the streets of Fort Worth for a rally through neighborhoods and communities, but it wasn't just any Sunday ride. The riders hope to reduce gun violence and deaths.

A sea of about three dozen colorful motorcycles and vehicles drove through miles of roads in Fort Worth with a special meaning behind it.

"We're doing this ride to prevent gun violence in Fort Worth, Texas, and trying to make it a safer place because it's getting out of hand," rider Charles Hughes said.

TJ Ragster began organizing the Rolling Stop the Violence Rally in 2012. He decided to bring it back after a July 4 shooting killed four-year-old and 15-month-old girls.

"To sit there and see those babies in a casket, you just know that you're not supposed to be able to see things like that, so I was like, 'Yeah, we've really got to get out and say something.'" Ragster said.

The route took riders through east Fort Worth. Ragster wanted to target high-crime areas and worked with community leaders to identify them.

"I sent them the route we wanted to go and got thumbs up that these are good areas for bad things to happen," Ragster said. "Hopefully with us doing this people really see that as a community, we're standing up against it."

The bright Spiders and Rykers drove through the streets of Fort Worth for about an hour and a half. Riders hope their presence is a visual reminder to stop the violence.

"At the end of the day, it's about life. It's about preserving life and doing whatever we need to do to bring that awareness to our communities. We have children that were raised and involved in the streets and who are going through a lot of issues. We have people who are dying every day because of gun violence," rider K-Jay King said.

Members of the Fort Worth Police Department also drove along for the ride. Assistant Chief David Carabajal said he hopes the ride will encourage the community to work out their differences peacefully.

"If you look around, you'll see all these people. They could be anywhere, but they want to be here with us supporting this cause. They care about their community, and we care about it too," Carabajal said "All along the parade route, there was people waving at us and smiling at us, so it's just a great reception to show we're out here, and we care about the same things,"

Ragster would like the wheels and music to hit the streets on the Westside for the next rolling rally, and he has even bigger plans for the future.

"Hopefully we can do something bigger on a bigger scale and something citywide," Ragster said.

The riders hope their big presence creates even bigger results and a safe community for all who live in the area.