Roll 4 Justice returns to Minneapolis as organizers call for continued action
- Serenity Xayboury
- 28 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Roll 4 Justice returned to Minneapolis on Saturday for the first time since 2020 as recent deaths involving ICE and police prompted organizers to revive the event. What looked like a community bike ride through the city was a moving protest.
Participants rode bicycles, scooters, skateboards and other non-motorized wheels through Minneapolis to call attention to police violence and immigration enforcement.
The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, or MIRAC, first organized Roll 4 Justice after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The ride began at Minneapolis City Hall and ended at Bde Maka Ska, calling for accountability and police reform.
Six years later, organizers say many of the same concerns remain.
“The reason we’re bringing it back again is because the murder of Black and Brown men by the police has been ignored so consistently that now ICE is doing the same thing to U.S. citizens as well as the immigrants they are targeting,” said Alvin Sheng, a member of MIRAC.
“We’re bringing it back again to call attention to the police terror that sparked all of this repression in the first place, as well as to call attention to the immigrant communities that are suffering during this time.”
Instead of holding another traditional march, organizers invited people to travel across Minneapolis on wheels. Sheng said the format allows participants to visit sites connected to state violence while making the event more welcoming to all.
“Having an event where people can bike or roll around provides an accessible way for us to traverse around the city and visit various places that have been sites of state violence,” Sheng said. “It’s more accessible and greener than a car caravan.”
The six-and-a-half-mile route included stops at George Floyd Square, the intersection of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue, the Alex Pretti Memorial, the Renee Good Memorial and the Say Their Names Cemetery—sites organizers say continue to shape conversations about police violence and justice in Minneapolis.
As participants rode, residents watched from sidewalks, waved and recorded the procession. Some people question whether another protest can make a difference, but Sheng said public demonstrations continue to matter.
“The George Floyd uprising was incredibly inspiring because it proved to society that people don’t have to normalize the slaughter of Black people and that people have had enough,” Sheng said. “If nothing else, this kind of protest reminds people that this is worth fighting for, and people should not give up working toward that.”
Anusha Ramaswami, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, said public demonstrations remind communities they are not alone.
“I think it’s really important for our communities to see folks out in the street continuing to stand up and say that this is wrong,” Ramaswami said. “Minneapolis is no stranger to state violence. We’ve seen for decades that police in Minneapolis have caused harm and murdered Black and Brown people. What we’re seeing here with ICE is no different.”
Ramaswami said she hopes people understand that organizing continues even after public attention shifts.
“I hope people see that there are people here who are still resisting, still organizing and working toward justice, even when the movement seems like it’s getting quiet or we’re not hearing it in the news,” Ramaswami said. “We’re still here.”
For organizers, bringing back Roll 4 Justice is both a reflection on the past and a reminder that the work continues long after the headlines fade.