Bayou trumps River in annual All-Star Game
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Lafourche School Board recognizes top students
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“Hey, hold on! Stop at that pole!” Mark Henderson had to keep everything fair and organized, at least for a second. Once he turned around and got the OK from his partners, he gave the word.
“One, two, three … go!”
And with that, excited restraint erupted into joyful chaos. Children, baskets in hand, ran through the open field at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Thibodaux, grabbing every Easter egg they could get to before their friends. Some of the older boys, eyes on the prize, were tumbling into each other in pursuit of the same egg. Though only one may have come out of the pile with the original prize, they all got healthy chuckles out of the encounters.
Henderson and his pals did this four times in all, separating the groups by gender and age group. Each time, replenishing the field with more plastic eggs, most filled with candy and a special few carrying something extra. The events were all part of the Tru Hustlers Motorcycle Club’s Easter egg hunt, now in its 10th year. Hundreds of parents and children visited the park Holy Saturday to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.
The eggs with something extra carried only a little piece of paper inside. Though short on candy, those eggs meant the lucky proprietor was due a bicycle from the Tru Hustlers. Four children left MLK Park with a bike Saturday, one in each age and gender group. After the hunts, the club also served food, played musical chairs and had a dance contest.
The club’s Easter egg hunt is all part of the club’s commitment to community involvement. The Tru Hustlers started in 2005 when motorcycle riders from different
parts of Lafourche Parish created the club after spending time riding together. Donald Wheaton is credited as the founder and is still part of the crew, handling emcee duties during the Easter egg hunt.
Henderson, the club’s current vice president and another founding member, came up with the club’s name, wanting to note the club’s purpose of helping others. However, the term “hustler” could be interpreted as those dealing drugs, so Henderson decided to make clear the club’s legitimate aims.
“I like to hustle for my family, my friends,do anything for them. But it had a bad connotation because of ‘hustler.’ So I decided to put ‘Tru’ in front of it, to say we’re true to what we believe in, and that’s the community,” Henderson said.
According to Henderson, the club’s nascent years were mired in disagreements. The Tru Hustlers had about 20 members to begin with, and some wanted the club’s direction to focus strictly on biker culture and partying, with community involvement falling by the
wayside.
“When it first started, there was a lot of chaos. People had different opinions and arguments about certain things. It soon fell apart,” Henderson said.
Membership dropped, but the smaller core agreed to the commitment that came with the club. Today, the club includes 12 members from across Lafourche Parish. Windell
Broomfield is the club’s current president, taking over from Wheaton five years ago.
He has been around bikes his whole life.
His father was a member of the Thibodaux chapter of the Soul Knights, the first black
motorcycle club in the area. Broomfield said the club’s message drew him into the fold.
“One of the main things that brought me in was the stuff they were doing. I wanted to dedicate myself to something positive,” Broomfield said.
The group has also hosted skate parties for local church choirs and donated to flooding
victims in Raceland. Club members were present at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at St. Luke Community Center this year. Their current project is to beautify and update the American Legion Post 513 in Thibodaux.
Anyone wishing to join the club is welcome, although there is a testing period to see if they can commit the time required. Prospects’ attendance to club meetings, functions and other community events are duly noted.
Time spent riding together or going to biker gatherings takes a backseat. According to Broomfield, this involvement is “what separates the boys from the men.”
“We have fun. We go places, we party. But that’s not what it’s based on. It’s based on doing what’s right for the community,” he said.
Anthony Batiste of Thibodaux has been with the Tru Hustlers for five years. Batiste now serves as treasurer and recording secretary for the club.
Like Broomfield, the club’s service aspect drew him in. While the club and all its events are open to riders of all races and genders, Batiste understands that the Tru Hustlers can send a positive message in particular to young people of color in Thibodaux.
“We don’t have something that’s catering to the young minority community here. We’re trying to be good role models,” Batiste said.
That appeal to the younger community is an emphasis for the Tru Hustlers as they look for the next generation of the club. Wheaton said he would like to see the club get up to 16 members, larger but still tight and manageable.
As of now, all of the members except 24-year-old Aaron Stafford are over 40 years of age.
Stafford, aptly nicknamed “Young Gunner,” is the son of member Blake Joseph.
The crew has already looked to Stafford to recruit additional young blood into the mix.
Broomfield said the change in presidency from Wheaton to himself was accepted and amicable, and he understands that the mantle will pass from him soon enough.
“It was just time for a little change,” he said. “When the next person comes up, hey, if it’s best for the club, then it’s the direction we have to go in.” •
