Taking on City Hall

[Katy O Ishee]

   For the past 16 years I have organized and hosted the Hwy 41 Toy Convoy which we had opened to all vehicles.  I was with Hwy 41 ABATE in Coffee Co. Tn when we created this convoy.  My reason for asking all vehicles was I remembered the time I didn't have a motorcycle and would stand on the corner and watch bikers go by for one thing or other and the only reason I wasn't with them..I didn't have a motorcycle.

   I thought about the folks who would help if they could so we invited ALL VEHICLES. ABATE folded in 2000 and it was up to me to stop the convoy or keep it rolling. I chose to keep it rolling on a wing and a prayer. Not having a club to help with parking,door prizes and trophies and getting out 4000 flyers has not been easy, but it's still rolling.

   As many of you will remember hurricane Charlie smashed Hardee County and Virgil and I went down for 2 months to help my brother who had the only tree service in the county. We lived with no power and dirty water. a couple smaller hurricanes blew thru but when IVAN started up the coast we said, "Fuck this shit! We are going back to TN til we see where it's going!"

   Through all this I had made 4 trips back home to get flyers out for the convoy which was November 7 I think. After seeing the devastation I decided that a portion of the toys would be donated to the Hurricane IVAN kids who had lost everything including their home. So many were living in FEMA trailers and I thought it would be a great way to help at least some of them.

  It was WELL advertised a portion of the toys were going to the Hurricane IVAN kids in Pensacola. It went out in all the papers and 250 radio stations plus a TV interview. It was a wonderful turnout. When it came to dividing the toys which I do, I had planned to divide them into 1/4s. 1/4 for Florida, 1/4 for the Sheriff Dept, 1/4 for Tullahoma Fire Department and 1/4 for Manchester PD.  Sheriff Graves was there and said, "Katy  don't do that, just take my share of the toys and give them to those children. That way they can't complain." So I divided the pile into 3 and left the sheriff with some of the larger toys and we took a van load of toys to Pensacola.

  Jay Johnson, Virgil and I took the toys to Southern Cycles in Pace which was run by a person a lot of you know. Danny DOC FISH who today is VP of Fl ABATE. Doc and Joe also helped unload the toys. He informed us they would be going out through Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Shriners and CMA.

  The following year 2005 I hot rodder who put on a very small run compared the the 41 Convoy was going around town telling everyone "He didn't like the way I ran things and was going to get rid of me and take over my convoy and "She takes those toys out of state."  Never adding they had gone out to the hurricane kids.

  He is such a dumbass after he trashed me he went to the guitar player in HWy 41 Band and asked if they'd play his run. What a dumbass!, My husband VIRGIL is co founded and lead singer of the band and there ain't no way he was singing for him!  I went to the sheriff and was pissed and told him what I had heard. He said he'd talk to this black hearted bastard who happened to work at the court house.

   So each year that went by, he was still spreading shit I was taking toys out of state. I ignored him cus you can't fix stupid.

    This past year Sept. I was asking the county and TFD and MPD to h elp with the flyers. NOBODY from MPD would return my call from the mayor, to the chief to the capt. I f inally6 got hold of an asst. capt or chief, he's an asshole whatever he is and he said "WE ARE NOT HELPING. YOU ARE ASKING ME TO BREAK THE LAW! We don't do flyers for something we don't participate in."

I said you have received 1/3 of the toys for several years what's the problem.? Nothing he said made sense and I told him I thought they were pretty ungrateful. He told me I could take their share of the toys and give them to someone else."  I was fuck'n pissed!

   Guess I better go to part two wait til ya hear the rest! This needs some national coverage!

[shannon haley]

Give um hell Katy !!

[Katy O Ishee]

Nope its in Manchester TN. I was invited to do a booksigning at Webster swap meet by dan Reid who is an old friend . I thought maybe hot rodder  saw me there, since that was the closest thing to a flea mkt I had been to.

[Biker Valley]

Which PD was it that gives you the problem? Was it here in Sumter County? You mentioned Webster.

[Katy O Ishee]

DOc DID write a letter to them stating where the toys went and he has not had ONE CALL or eamil regarding ths. He said he was rather surprised. Guess they weren't counting on that letter up there at city hall. I feel like I am in a living hell of a nightmare. I caqn take shit from some asshole on the street and I did for 6 years but now I find out there is lot more to the story, not only are they hotrodders but cops.

[Biker Valley]

I'm sure Doc would be glad to write a letter for you. Tell him you're affiliated with "Lakepantim" from Bikercove.com. You probably know him better than I.