The memorial ride started at The Sumter County Recreational Annex and ended at Georgia Veterans State Park in Crisp County for a total of eighty miles. The $20 entry fee was donated to the family of fallen officer Tyee Brown of the Crisp County Sherriff’s Department who was shot in the line of duty. Sumter County Fire Chief Jerry Harmon addressed the participants before the ride.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today. This means a lot. This is our second annual [time] doing this event. When they started putting it together, they came to me and said, ‘Chief, we know who we need to give this money too’, and it was Tyee Brown, who lost his life, who was a deputy with Crisp County Sherrif’s Department. He’s gone way too young. I appreciate ya’ll coming out here and supporting this event, all the funds we raise are going right back to his family, so again, I greatly appreciate it, and I’m going to quit talking before I cry.”
Tyee Brown’s mother, Kristina Brown Conley, spoke next.
“I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us, supporting Tyee. Tyee got a bike three weeks before getting involved with ya’ll. He was looking forward to all of this so I hope he’s up there smiling down. Again, I just want to thank each and every one of you for coming out and supporting us. Thank you.”
When the ride was over, one of the organizers, Kenneth Raybon, described the experience.
“I work with Crisp County Fire and Rescue. I also work for Sumter County Fire and Rescue, and I am the vice president of the Flint River Chapter of the Punisher’s for the State of Georgia.”
“I think the ride itself was actually really great. We had a really good turnout. We had no incidents at all. Tyee’s family has been involved with it. His momma was here, his grandparents are here, several other family members. I’m just glad to be part of it.”
He mentioned that there was a wide range of groups involved.
“There [are] about seventeen different motorcycle chapters. Everything from Blue Knights, Red Knights, to Punishers, to even the chapter Tyee was in before he got killed [are] here in participation as well. It was a lot of work putting it all together, but in the end it was really worth it.”
He talked about the decision to honor him during the ride.
“We all met, and it was about a month after he got shot. This is our second annual memorial for 911. We decided to put it together to be built around him and his family for whatever needs they may have. It was to lift them up and honor his name.”
“It was just helping somebody I’ve seen on every wreck we’ve been to, every call that we’ve went to where we needed their help for assistance, whether it was traffic control, or them helping us with a patient. We are all very close knit in Crisp County. I don’t know about other counties, but that is something to really be proud of when everyone is like brothers and sisters when you go to work.”
Ms. Conley described the experience after the ride.
“Overwhelming, seeing that many people show up. A lot had heard his name from working at the Sherrif’s department, but there’s a lot of counties, and fire departments that weren’t in Crisp that’s come to honor him, so it’s just very overwhelming, it was quite an honor. The support has been great from everybody.”
She talked about the family who came to honor him.
“His brother’s riding his bike today, his grandparents are riding, his uncle is riding.”
Ms. Conley talked about the motorcycle group he had been a part of that rode to honor his life.
“He considered them brothers and sisters.”