Damian Kevitt spent Saturday afternoon on a 10-mile bike ride with hundreds of other cyclists, a sticker displaying Alex Pretti\u2019s photo stuck to his jersey.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are just cyclists, clubs, bike shops and individuals who have come together and said, \u2018Hey, Alex was one of us,\u2019\u201d said Kevitt, while riding on Broadway in Santa Monica. \u201cHe was an ICU nurse, he loved the outdoors, he loved cyclists and he loved cycling.\u201d<\/p>\n
The so-called Unity Ride was one of hundreds of demonstrations across the country throughout the weekend in response to federal immigration raids and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he was doing was not a terrorist activity \u2014 he was exercising his right as a citizen and he was killed,\u201d said Kevitt, executive director of Streets Are For Everyone, an organization that aims to make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be in fear of being killed by exercising our rights. \u2026 Even if you don\u2019t agree with someone\u2019s political stance, you shouldn\u2019t be penalized for having a political stance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nationwide demonstrations began Friday with organizers calling for people to avoid shopping and participate in a \u201cnational shutdown\u201d they hoped would convince the Trump administration to tone down aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and actions toward protesters.<\/p>\n
Several other protests were scheduled across Southern California on Saturday, from Culver City to Aliso Viejo and downtown L.A.<\/p>\n