Activism on Two Wheels

Some heroes ride in on white stallions to save the day. Others arrive on two wheels.

Rick Rosales felt shocked and helpless as the violence and injustice escalated in his community from ICE raids during the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz. He watched as his terrified neighbors were driven into hiding.

Then the text came: “What are we gonna do about this?”

Following that question from his fellow co-founder and cycling enthusiast Erin Ludwig, the collective known as cyclingxsolidarity (CXS) devised a plan.

“The street food vendors in our neighborhood are a treasure and part of what makes our Chicago neighborhoods great,” Rick said. Sadly, neighborhood food vendors are among the people most vulnerable to ICE. Fear of being detained by ICE has kept many vendors inside and deprived of a living, and that includes those who are asylum seekers and citizens. Few want to take chances with federal agents’ approach of “detain first, ask questions later.”

A Cause Worth Riding For

The plight of street vendors gave Rick and his posse of cyclists focus. They were already uniquely suited to help. Rick and Erin as well as Rick’s wife, Alexis Rosales, also a co-founder of cyclingxsolidarity, had a framework for how this could work thanks to delivering burritos to people experiencing homelessness through the Burrito Brigade over the past four years. Their new mission would be to patronize the vendors in large bike outings, which would allow the vendors to sell out and go home to be with their families without sacrificing income. During these vendor bike tours, participants would enjoy some of the delicious food, and the group would distribute the rest to shelters and encampments. It was a beautiful plan.

Taking It To The Streets

For their very first vendor bike tour, they chose Little Village due to the high concentration of food vendors. Rick wasn’t sure what to expect — what kind of response they’d get. It turned into a joyous community event that inspired people to ride, enjoy the food or both.

The group extended their efforts to other neighborhoods such as Hermosa and Pilsen on the last Saturday of every month from May through October. Rick’s team also collaborated closely with the Street Vendors Association in a separate initiative to buy out food vendors who were already housebound. Spanish-speaking volunteers coordinated rides to homes to purchase the food to be distributed.

Riding a Wave of Mutual Aid

What started with good intentions and hyperlocal actions has grown into a global movement thanks to social media. Rick has been beyond grateful for the organic response and huge number of shares, even from channels they don’t use, and in many places where they have no official presence. Their story has been featured in news media in Spanish, Italian, German and other languages. Replicating their model, other programs have sprung up in New York and the Bay Area — from an idea born in sweet home Chicago, driven by friends with big hearts who like to ride bikes and spread joy together.

Beyond the social media attention and support from around the world, Rick said success has come in smaller, personal ways. 

He said he’ll always remember when a regular vendor in their program told him, “You guys saved my life.” The vendor was referring to the day he was sent home and ICE raided the block where he typically set up.

Standing (and rolling) in Solidarity

cyclingxsolidarity will continue their good work in mutual aid. They’ll be ramping up the Street Vendor Bike Tour Series again on the last Saturday this May and continuing on the last Saturday of each month through October. They ride year-round and gather for many other fun social activities, such as Bikes & Bonfires on the lakefront, and other important initiatives, such as Cycles of Support, which offers a support group for those who are unemployed. 

If you like to ride bikes and spread joy, you’ll fit right in. Even if you don’t ride bikes, your help is welcome. The best way to support CxS or get involved is to keep an eye on the cyclingxsolidarity Instagram page for real-time updates. You can also learn more on their website cyclingxsolidarity.com.

While it’s been a terrifying time for immigrants on the Northwest Side and all over Chicago, cyclingxsolidarity is a lifesaving cavalry riding in on two wheels.