By Jeff Pamer
This post isn’t going to be sifted through and edited. In the moment. Like the events of Thursday night.
I was so excited. I was going to be helping host my first Moto Social in Phoenix. Before I hopped on my bike to head down, I looked out Christine’s sliding glass window. I paused and was a bit mesmerized by the sky. Dark, angry-looking clouds were lurking, and crawling toward me from the east. I caught myself thinking: “oh god, the first Moto Social of the season, the first I’m helping with, and it’s going to get rained out”. I headed out, thinking I may get a bit wet, but determined.
Later that night, while standing on the south side of Grand in downtown Phoenix, staring at fire engines and fire teams finishing their work, and Eleven 10 Garage with its roof collapsed, quietly soaking wet after the fire raged through it, I felt guilty. So caught up in nonsense earlier in the night, it was a somber reminder of what’s important. I looked at all the faces around me, people I consider to be a second family, all of them in quiet shock. God, it was sad.
In a moment like that, when there’s nothing to be said, and nothing to be done. The feeling of helplessness is overwhelming. I wanted to comfort everyone. I wanted to say something that would matter. I wanted to do something that could help. There isn’t anything to say though. There isn’t anything to do.
I think the best thing to do is just to be there. This home away from home we who are lucky enough to know the people at Eleven 10, know the amount of community and friendship that this place, these people facilitated. A place where everyone is welcome and invited to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
I’ve never had friends like these before. I’m not a paying member of the garage, but it didn’t matter to anyone. They were excited to see me every time I came by. Hugs, and smiles. On days that you didn’t maybe feel like going out, you could go there, and feel better.
Bikes are the catalyst for our friendships. It’s what brought us together, but that’s not enough to hold people together. That takes people going out of their way for each other. That takes work, kindness, and sometimes even sacrifice. That is what Eleven 10 is really about.
So now is the time for us to pay that back. We all have lives, kids, work, and deadlines, but we will find a way to help. We will support the people that supported us. That gave us a community that means more than Motorcycles but is built around them.
Jump over to the Go Fund Me and donate if you can.
If you can’t contact me through the site or my Instagram.
Hit up Chris at the Eleven 10 Instagram.
Buy merch to support and get more info at the official Eleven 10 Website
Offer support and kindness. Offer your time. Offer a truck, or a card full of words of appreciation. Let’s keep growing this. Together.
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