Cyclists rode from Blue Heron Park in Phoenix to Medford and back Saturday
By Art Van Kraft for Ashland.news
The shooting death of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 by federal officers in Minneapolis “rocked Minnesota and the world” according to a statement from the Angry Catfish bike shop in Minneapolis, where Pretti was a member of the local cycling community.
Saturday, the Rogue Valley joined one of the 250 worldwide solidarity rides in honor of Pretti. Area residents met at Blue Heron Park in Phoenix to start the ride at noon.
The “Alex Pretti Solidarity Ride” took a 5.5 miles loop along the Bear Creek Greenway from Blue Heron Park to Hawthorne Park and returned. An estimated 200 people traveled on bikes through the 11-mile loop and back.
According to organizers, similar events reportedly took place in 42 states and 12 countries worldwide.
Chamise Kramer of Ashland and a friend, who wished not to give her name, were the first two to arrive at the park.
“I’m here to show solidarity for all of those affected by what is happening in the country right now. I have a 15-year-old son, so I am incredibly worried about the future,” Kramer said.
“I do feel like the tide is turning, and the level of chaos is not sustainable. I think the tool of flooding the zone that this administration has been using only works as long as the people allow it to happen. I think we have decided not to have this anymore. People went from being overwhelmed and exhausted to being motivated and exhausted,” Kramer added.
Azriel Wolffe from Ashland said she is more excited about getting involved now.
“I’m a math teacher at Ashland High School and we had a lot of students walk out yesterday (Friday). I think Minnesota is a good example that it takes time and planning and effort to be prepared. This ride is part of being prepared. I was a little conflicted because we were supposed to be learning Friday, but they were learning something, just not math,” Wolffe said.
Jarrett Rex Davidson, an Ashland painter and designer, said he was inspired to participate in this community event in the light of the late Alex Pretti.
“The scale of the response domestically with the information that has been shared, the video footage and documentation of the killing, I feel that any chance you can get in any direction is a worthy endeavor. It feels like a relief to participate in something like this as opposed to doing something in anger,” Davidson said.
John Holtcheider of Medford said the Angry Catfish bike shop set Pretti’s bike up so that people could grieve and remember him. Pretty soon bicycle shops around the country decided they wanted to be a part of that.
“People may be here for their own reasons, but we can’t be silent anymore,” Holtcheider said. “We’re out here today to say we are not going to remain silent, we refuse to remain silent. We are here to remember the 30 people who died in ICE custody last year. Two hundred and thirty cities are doing a bike ride right now with us.”
Veronica, who chose not to give her last name, says there is a coalition made up of community members, volunteer organizations like Unite Oregon that are moving resources to keep our community safe from ICE.
“The Rogue Valley Rapid Response Coalition — we are a bunch of folks doing a bunch of things like resources to families that are directly impacted by ICE,” she said.
“I think that a lot of people think that because Oregon has a sanctuary law, we don’t have ICE operations, but that is untrue. Unfortunately, there are many different ways that the state has to cooperate with ICE, and they have swept areas in Medford from their location near the Medford airport,” she added.
Derek Boland of Talent said, “This is not political, this is about human rights and it’s happening across the country and across the world. I think the tipping point should have a tipped already. I hope we’re not entering dark times. As a community of cyclists, people are resonating with the image of people dying and we’re here to say this is enough of this.”
Art Van Kraft is an artist living in Ashland and a former broadcast journalist and news director of a Los Angeles-area National Public Radio affiliate. Email him at [email protected].
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