Communities across the world are organising coordinated \u2018Unity\u2019 bike rides on Saturday 1 February, t o mark the life of Alex Pretti, the man killed by US federal authorities last week, from the states to Belgium, Germany and Australia.<\/p>\n
Last Saturday, intensive care nurse and cyclist Alex Pretti<\/a> was killed by ICE agents while filming the attempted detention of a woman in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pretti’s killing came just weeks after another unarmed member of the public was killed by federal agents in the city.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n “Alex was one of us, could\u2019ve been any of us, so as we mourn, all of us can come together in unity to remember Alex for what he was,” wrote a member of Pretti\u2019s local bike shop, Angry Catfish, on Instagram.<\/p>\n “We’re asking folks to host rides and come together. Bike shops and non-profits, cycling orgs and alt cycling collectives, city and rural.<\/p>\n “We are many but we stand together as one. We\u2019re stronger together, and they can\u2019t take us all.”<\/p>\n A member of the Twin Cities cycling community, Pretti was a skilled cyclist, and routinely took his Surly off-road<\/a> – with no suspension.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you know he’s a cyclist: He was one of us, that he participated in the same events that I went to\u2026 it certainly feels more real\u2026 it definitely hits home,\u201d Jeff Frane, founder of Wilde Bikes told Bicycle Retailer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t take the killing of someone who looks like you to make you pay attention,\u201d another local bike-shop owner, Lloyd Vogel, wrote on LinkedIn. \u201cBut… if you are just tuning in now, please use this moment to wake up. To recognize that we are all in this together, and that when laws and accountability are tossed aside, no one is truly safe.\u201d<\/p>\n To mark his life, 75 memorial rides are set to take place across the world on Saturday. To see if there is a ride near you, check Ride with GPS and Bikepacking.com\u2019s shared map<\/a>. Angry Catfish is also encouraging people to print off fliers and organise their own community rides. You can find a link to the flier here<\/a>.<\/p>\n