BY KAREN BOSSICK

Between 50 and 75 Wood River Valley residents put aside their skis and jumped on bicycles Saturday morning to ride in support of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were shot by masked agents in Minneapolis.

Cyclists gathered at Quigley Bike Park in Hailey and rode north on the Wood River Trail bike path towards St. Luke’s hospital before turning around.

“We’re showing support for the people in Minneapolis. It’s an untenable situation in Minnesota and there should be an outcry nationwide for this to come to an end,” said one man.

A few bicyclists found time to decorate their bikes with signs, even though the ride was hastily organized.

Thousands of cyclists around the world, including Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Norway and other European countries, took part in memorial bike rides to protest the killings of Good and Pretti, an ICU nurse who loved cycling.

Rides took place in more than 250 communities in the United States after the Angry Catfish bike shop in Minneapolis where Pretti was a regular customer advertised that it was planning a ride to honor his memory.

More than a thousand cyclists took part in the Boulder, Colo., ride alone as another 3,000 Boulder residents took to the streets waving signs that said, “No ICE, no KKK, no Fascist USA,” “Make Orwell Fiction Again” and “We Don’t Want ICE. We want Snow!”

Closer to home, more than a hundred Boise cyclists rode seven miles through downtown and along the Greenbelt.

One rider wore his sign on his back.

“I’m proud of Americans showing up and turning out. It’s devastating to see 5-year-old children taken to jail, said one cyclist taking part in the Wood River Valley ride.

Hailey attorney Sam Linnet, who showed up at Quigley Bike Part with his children, told riders, “The important thing today is the power of community coming together. Things are happening all over the country now that are really dangerous. We have to say out loud that it’s not okay to arrest people for exercising their constitutional rights. We have to say that immigrants are not a danger to our community…”

Be angry if you need to, Linnet said, adding that it’s not okay to solve problems by silencing people or using violence.

“We need to support one another, show compassion for each other,” he said. “We need to recognize that there is no difference between us and the people in Minneapolis or Chicago.”

Cyclists decried the violence being perpetrated on protesters and others by ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.

One of the cyclists said he was there to take part in a ride for unity and human rights, a ride for caring about your neighbor and a ride for love, above all.

“This is a global movement happening right now, which is incredible for the biking community,” he said. “Obviously, it’s biggest than one person. For us it’s providing the community a sense of unity.”

Some of the cyclists joined more than 400 people who turned out for the ICE OUT NOW demonstration on Main Street Hailey following the ride. In addition to carrying signs, organizers offered “Know Your Rights” cards.

One Mexican American man stopped to tell rallygoers that the Mexican and Peruvian communities support their protests but are afraid to take part themselves. Another man told protesters that veterans support the protests.

It was the fourth protest in Hailey in a week and a half.

“Such great energy,” said Katja Burmester, one of the organizers. “It was a honking symphony.”

COMING UP:

A third nationwide No Kings protest has been scheduled for March 28. The rally is being organized by such groups as Indivisible, and organizers say it could be the biggest protest in American history given Americans’ growing outrage over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security’s actions in cities across the country.