BURNSVILLE, Minn. (BRAIN) — While located 10 miles south of the ICE protests taking place in downtown Minneapolis, Wolf Tooth Components employees here have been supporting the cause.
"It's our employees who have been feeling the impact by spending nights and weekends supporting their communities and standing in solidarity with their friends, families, and neighbors," said Kurt Stafki, Wolf Tooth Components and Otso Cycles marketing director, who lives in south Minneapolis.
That protest amplified over the weekend with the death of veterans' hospital nurse and cyclist Alex Pretti.
"I'm unaware if anyone here knew Alex directly," Stafki said. "Some of us were connected to him as a friend of a friend. Our local cycling community is small enough where I'm sure some — if not all — of us crossed paths with Alex on a ride. I really hope I had the honor of pedaling in the same group as him at one point. He represents the best of humanity."
Pretti owned a Surly bike, a brand owned by Minneapolis-based distributor QBP, was a local participant in bike events, and a customer of south Minneapolis bike shop Angry Catfish. The shop will hold a memorial ride Saturday at 1:30 p.m. starting from Washburn Fair Oaks Park, and is coordinating and promoting memorial rides in other cities.
Stafki said some Wolf Tooth employees will be participating in the memorial ride, "not as a company, but as members of our community.
"Everyone here is affected by the events happening in our home state."
QBP is calling on industry members to contact elected officials to "advocate for change" following Pretti's death. The company also said it is "evaluating a path forward" for its Frostbike dealer event, scheduled for Feb. 26-27.
