That had to be quite a sight to see – Shaq and several hundred friends all riding motorcycles for a special community event. It happened in Henry County, Georgia (a southeast ‘burb of Atlanta). Thanks to ATL TV station WSB-2 for details.
The event ended up with hundreds of bikers on the cruise last Saturday morning (as of this writing), all part of the local Sheriff’s Office “Ride 4 Unity” event to bring together law enforcement and the community. And yes, O’Neal was there, riding right out front.
The event showcased a huge assortment of motorcycles, all-terrain-vehicles and other two and three-wheeled rides that paraded the streets of the small towns of Locust Grove and Ellenwood, GA.
As you may already know from past posts here on the ShaqFu Radio blog, Mr. O’Neal is the community relations director for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. Obviously, he takes the role seriously! One of the community groups Shaq helps – Pepsi Stronger Together – was the main sponsor of the event.
Around 500 officers, elected officials and participants hopped on their personal motorcycles for the event. Henry County Sheriff’s Office deputies and other law enforcement officials rode bikes and then hosted a discussion to talk about any concerns the public may have with law enforcement.
For Shaq, it was another one of his efforts to bring communities together: “It’s a great day. I just love seeing people interact. I’ve always said that sports and music are the one thing that bring people together and you can add bike-riding to that.” O’Neal said. “We just wanted to have a nice, clean, safe ride.”
Henry county officials follow up on that idea: “The relationship between law enforcement and the community is tremendously fractured,” one official said. “It is important that we plant the seed of unity and continue to water and nurture it so that a stronger relationship will come to fruition. This event is the first step towards closing the divide.”
For more on the story and some video of Shaq doing his biker thing, click here: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/henry-county/shaquille-oneal-hundreds-bikers-cruise-through-henry-county-unity-ride/4FZQRRPRBFHNBC4WK2NMBUTORQ/