Victim Of Man's Expletive-Filled Rant Organizes Dorchester Peace Ride
BOSTON (CBS) – The victim of an expletive-filled rant captured on cellphone video earlier this month hopes to turn her experience into a teachable moment.
On Sunday, NeNe Judge rode her motorcycle through Dorchester alongside more than 100 others on a "Peace Ride."
"Respect the bikes and respect people! I just did this so we can all come together as one," said Judge.
The group began in Fields Corner and passed through Adams Street – the same spot where a Dorchester man unleashed a tirade on Judge while she was on a bike.
The video went viral, gaining more than 967,000 views and 22,000 shares on Facebook as of Saturday evening. Judge planned Sunday's Peace Ride as a way to overcome hate. She told WBZ-TV that the outpouring of support has been overwhelming.
"The response and the support was so real. Strangers – the support for this ride was so real," said Judge.
The Peace Ride caught the attention of Judge's close friends and complete strangers. Ian Blanton was appalled by the video and explained why he decided to join the ride.
"People like that, if we let them be encouraged and let that kind of thing happen – it encourages other jerks," said Blanton.
Other bikers simply related to Judge's struggle, both as a person of color and as an avid motorcyclist.
Matthew Morrison said, "When I saw the video, like most people did, it just kind of hit home with me."
The man recorded in the racist rant, Paul Sheehan, was fired from his job with Keolis and is now facing new charges, including a civil rights violation.
Judge is happy with the outcome and said she now plans to spread awareness so an encounter like that doesn't happen again.
