INDIANAPOLIS — Dozens of bicyclists will hit the streets of downtown Indianapolis as part of the first-ever Juneteenth Bike Ride.
The ride's organizer, Cassie Smith-Johnson, recruited her personal trainer Antwan Mack to help put together the event.
Smith-Johnson didn’t attend any of the peaceful protests dedicated to the Black Lives Matter campaign in Indianapolis following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But she wanted to do something different to help mark the historic movement around the world.
She also wanted to create a family event to follow the protests and recognize Juneteenth in Indianapolis.
“I wanted to kind of do it in a healthy way to get everyone together and still kind of make our voices heard in a safe, peaceful way,” said Smith-Johnson.
The Juneteenth downtown bike ride started out with just 30 people taking part. But as the event spread on social media, other people signed up. Mack decided to have t-shirts made for participants to purchase before the ride. He quickly accepted Cassie’s invitation, knowing that the impact from the Floyd case will have a lasting impact on the Circle City like other cities around the world.
Once on board, Mack started hearing from people outside the Indy metro area who want to ride in the event.
“We got a few people from Muncie coming down, we got a few people from Anderson coming down and maybe in the near future this can be something big," Mack said.
Organizers say people still have time to sign up for the event. They encourage entire families to participate and they’ve even received help from local law enforcement to help assure everyone’s safety. The Juneteenth Bike Ride is also a chance for cyclists to show off their display lights on their bikes as well.
The Juneteenth Bike Ride is open to everyone and starts at 8:45 p.m. Friday, June 19 at Meridian and St. Clair streets downtown. Cassie and Antwan want as many riders as possible wearing safety helmets and to continue practicing social distancing. Although this is the first-ever organized Juneteenth Bike Ride held in downtown Indianapolis, it may not be the last.
The night ride is expect to last about an hour Friday night.