A large crowd of cyclists gathered Saturday at Milwaukee’s City Hall, the starting point for a ride to honor Wisconsin native Alex Pretti, the Veterans Affairs ICU nurse who was shot to death by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis earlier this month .
Despite freezing temperatures, the crowd easily numbered over 250. Many held up posters, signs and flags with slogans against ICE, as well as pictures of Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, who was killed by an ICE agent in early January.
The idea for the ride was first floated by several Minneapolis-based bike shops and biking groups and quickly ballooned to 230 rides across 43 states and 14 countries, with several Milwaukee bike groups signing on.
“It’s a way to honor the legacy of a community member and neighbor who was a genuine, good and loving soul who cared for others. Riding together shows that we, as neighbors, are stronger than this unjust regime,” says Jarrod Alder of Angry Catfish Bicycle, a Minneapolis shop and café that was one of the organizers of the memorial event .
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Pretti, who grew up in Green Bay, took part at least once in Milwaukee’s Riverwest24, a 24-hour bike race billed as the “People’s Holiday” that takes place in the Riverwest neighborhood. The Riverwest24 Instagram page also shared a letter from a teammate of Pretti that was read out before the ride began.
“College friendships and family ties frequently brought Alex to Milwaukee,” the letter read, in part. “We spent time kayaking the river, grinding gravel at the County Grounds, exploring the Oak Leaf Trail and along Lake Michigan, and of course, having cold beers after putting in the miles.”
One Riverwest24 volunteer, who lives on Milwaukee’s Upper East Side, recalled meeting Pretti during a volunteer stint: “He was just one of any number of really ordinary people who’d come and do something fun in Milwaukee. We sat around a bonfire with others on his team, [with] people drinking beer and talking about their dogs. It … reminds us that very ordinary people can be very good.”
Blaise, a Walker’s Point resident, pointed out that Saturday’s ride was about more than just the current moment. “A lot has been going on in the last year – things that we’ve even forgotten about, like cuts to really important programs that are still impacting Milwaukee. It’s important [to acknowledge] that the thing that’s going to solve this is the people and the community getting together to express our anger and try to make a change,” he says. “The thing that’s bringing us together – and it absolutely should – is war against American citizens.”
After gathering at City Hall, the participants cycled to Riverwest, where they did a single 9-mile lap of the Riverwest24 route. Neighborhood residents set up a hot chocolate and coffee station at the start/finish point, and one stepped in to stop traffic as the riders took off on their lap.
“Showing up as a community is one of the most important things you can do right now,” says Sarah, a Riverwest resident. “Just seeing this many people out, supporting our community, being there for people, being proactive – it’s really heartening.”
Pretti was shot by multiple Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 during the weekslong surge of federal immigration enforcement. Video of the incident shows Pretti holding a phone as he got between agents and a woman who were in a physical confrontation. Officers tried to take Pretti into custody, and he was shot during a scuffle, allegedly after an agent discovered Pretti had a handgun, which he was legally registered to carry.
Editor’s note: Due to the sensitive nature of this piece, sources have been left anonymous or identified by their first names only.
