More than 200 bikers raise funds for AIDS patients

PATERSON -- Don't let the tribal tattoos, tight leather jackets and  steel-toed boots fool you -- really, motorcycle riders are all heart.

That was the message from the more than 200 bikers that descended on Eastside  Park on Sunday for a cookout to raise money for the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, a  New Jersey HIV awareness and support program.

Motorcyclists from as far as Virginia road up to eat potato salad, listen to  hip-hop and hobnob with members of the tight biker community.

The flawless summer weather helped, but attendees said their primary  motivation was supporting a good cause -- one that has personally affected some  of them.

"We're doing this from our hearts," said Shelia "Breezy" Green-Barnhill, of  the New Directions bike club in Newark, as she gave out health information.

Organizers hoped to raise $10,000 through a $1 raffle and donations for  plates of food ranging from $1 to $3 and for the charity.

Back in February, Mocha Horn of Paterson started sending out hundreds of  e-mails to area motorcycle clubs about the event. Navigating some red tape at  City Hall proved frustrating, but Horn had a strong source of motivation: her  godmother, Anna Jackson.

Jackson is HIV positive. She got the disease in 1989 through intravenous drug  use. Now 51, Jackson educates other Paterson residents about the importance of  getting tested.

"I stayed in denial for too long," said Jackson, who was one of the few  parkgoers on Sunday not wearing a leather biker vest.

Jackson learned to care for herself, in part, from the support groups and  other services offered by the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation. The 22-year-old  nonprofit provides HIV testing, along with emotional, financial and legal  support to those living with HIV. It runs a Paterson office on Hamilton  Plaza.

Paterson has one of the state's highest rates of residents with either HIV or  full-blown AIDS, with 3,916 cases as of December, according to the state  Department of Health and Senior Services.

Juanita Williams, a counselor for Hyacinth in Paterson, said of the  fundraiser, "We needed this. There's not a lot of events like this."

Fundraisers of some sort, however, are no rarity among motorcyclists.

Luis "Lucky" Correa of Paterson said he attends 11 bike-related fundraisers a  year. A foundation run by Jersey Connections, Correa's club, and two dozen other  local motorcycle clubs gives $2,500 to the families of motorcyclists killed  while riding. Green-Barnhill runs Bikers Against Breast Cancer, a nonprofit that  donates money to low-income people with the disease.

"People have all these misconceptions about the motorcycle community,"  Green-Barnhill said. "They think we're all Hell's Angels."

They may have a soft side, but it's not immediately visible from motorcycle  club names like "Curve Killaz," "Rough Riders" and "Take-N-Titles." Beyond  fundraising, the events also allow motorcyclists to mingle and show off their  bikes, which were lined more than 100 deep at Eastside Park.

But just ask 4th Ward Councilwoman Vera Ames-Garnes about the true nature of  the motorcycle community. Ames-Garnes hung up her helmet years ago, but she's  still a die-hard rider at heart.

"Everyone gets paranoid about bikers" said Ames-Garnes, who got married on  her bike during a 1979 ceremony in Eastside Park. "But they're always  involved."

Reach Heather Haddon at 973-569-7121 or haddon@northjersey.com.