Motorcycle club picks up restaurant tab for Alabama cops: 'Blue lives matter'

Hoover City Police officers Eric Myers and Mike Davis were having breakfast Friday morning and got a pleasant surprise when they asked the waiter for the check.

“We were at The Egg and I in Hoover off of Montgomery Highway,” Myers told Yellowhammer. “When we completed our breakfast the waiter walked over to the table. I requested the ticket, but he handed me a note. Not thinking the note said ‘I covered your meal,’ I asked the waiter again. He pointed to the note and smiled.”

Upon opening the envelop, Myers and Davis found a note that said, “Thanks for your service. Have a safe day and cover your 6. Blue lives matter.”

The letter did not include an individual’s signature. “I’m not sure who bought it because it was fairly crowded in the restaurant,” Myers explained. But it did close with the name of a motorcycle club, “Punishers LE/MC.”

A quick online search reveals that Punishers LE/MC is, according to their website, “a Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club whose members consist of current law enforcement, retired law Enforcement, firefighters, active and retired Military and a select few like-minded individuals, all of which possess the highest moral and ethical values; uncompromising integrity, trust and dedication.”

Punishers LE/MC has dozens of chapters around the country, including two in Alabama.

In addition to riding with each other, the group raises money for charitable organizations, particularly those that benefit police officers, firefighters and their children.

“It humbles me to know people still care for police,” officer Myers said.

The motorcycle club’s decision to cover the cost of two Alabama officers’ meal comes at a time when the relationship between law enforcement and the public has become a focus of the media nationally.

In August, an Alabama cop was pistol-whipped with his own gun. Instead of lending a helping hand, a crowd of bystanders posted photos on Facebook and Twitter that included some less than police-friendly captions. Later, the officer said he didn’t try to shoot his attacker because he didn’t want the media to label him as a racist.

U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) recently introduced the Thin Blue Line Act, which enforces harsher penalties on individuals targeting police officers and first responders.

“The alarming spike in violence directed against the men and women entrusted with ensuring the safety and order of our society must be stopped,” said Sen. Sessions. “The Thin Blue Line Act will help protect our officers by bringing harsher penalties to criminals committing these vile acts and by extending the protections afforded to federal officers to our local police and first responders. This legislation honors the message sent by law-abiding Americans that we cannot stand idly by as attacks are waged upon those who serve and protect our communities.”