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Global memorial bike rides
Cyclists in cities worldwide held coordinated memorial rides to honor Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis VA intensive-care nurse who was shot and killed by federal immigration agents on Jan. 24.
“Hundreds of cyclists from elementary-age children to seniors took part Saturday in memorial rides worldwide honoring Alex Pretti, the Minnesota VA nurse and avid bikepacker who was killed Jan. 24 by federal agents in Minneapolis.”
Local events ranged from small community loops to larger solidarity demonstrations and reportedly drew hundreds of participants, from elementary-age children to seniors in the Bay Area.
Single-city turnouts included about 30 riders in Winnipeg, roughly 130 in St. Louis despite 10-degree weather, and around 100 in Iowa City, with many rides connected to Angry Catfish, Pretti’s Minneapolis bike shop that helped spur the global calls to ride.
Rides were also scheduled across Northern California, throughout Colorado communities, and in rural areas such as Wood River Valley, reflecting both urban and small-town participation.
Cycling memorials and protests
Many of the rides were organized or amplified by Angry Catfish Bicycle Shop in Minneapolis and local cycling groups that framed the events as both memorials and protests against federal immigration enforcement.
Riders and organizers described the events as ways to process grief, demonstrate solidarity with immigrant communities, and channel outrage into visible, public action.
Organizers across Colorado offered multiple route options and family-friendly loops, while Iowa City volunteers and other groups urged participants to translate the gatherings into political pressure on lawmakers.
Local cycling communities, bike shops, and online bikepacking networks eulogized Pretti and helped spread the call to ride.
Coverage of solidarity rides
Accounts vary on the scale and terminology used to describe the operations and the killings.
“More than 200 rides across 14 countries were held, organizers at Minneapolis bike shop Angry Catfish said.”
Some outlets explicitly connect Pretti's death to a broader sequence of fatal encounters.
Estimates of how many rides took place differ.
CBC reports "More than 200 rides across 14 countries."
The Daily Iowan cites Angry Catfish’s claim of about "230 rides across 43 states and 14 countries."
KMOV states the global call "spurred more than 500 solidarity rides."
The San Francisco Standard says "dozens of local events; nine rides were scheduled in Northern California and memorials were held as far away as Australia and Norway."
Coverage also uses varying labels for the agents involved — "federal agents," "U.S. federal immigration agents," "border patrol agents," and "ICE agent."
Several outlets note the earlier killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis as part of the context.
Immigration raids controversy
The raids unfolded against a tense national backdrop of legal challenges, mass protests, and political statements over federal immigration enforcement.
Al Jazeera reports that the operations in Minneapolis have prompted widespread controversy, citing bystander videos and witness accounts that dispute authorities' explanations.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sued, alleging constitutional violations; a judge refused to halt the operations and the Justice Department called the suit legally frivolous.
The San Francisco Standard says the Justice Department will open an investigation into the circumstances of Pretti's death.
National political rhetoric and planned demonstrations are part of the broader discourse.
The Independent reports President Trump's Truth Social post instructed DHS to limit intervention in some protests and quoted him calling Pretti an 'agitator' and 'perhaps, insurrectionist.'
Organizers planned hundreds of 'ICE Out of Everywhere' protests across the country.