TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Tuesday night there were about 100 people riding bikes from 22nd and 4th in Tucson all the way to the University of Arizona where they rode out again. The group Tuesday Night Ride always gets together every Tuesday at the U of A, but this week it had an even bigger significance.
The Kixmerc Rideout was in honor of Enrique “Kix” Mercado, who was stabbed on the Loop two weeks ago and died. This Tuesday they got together before the ride at Tucson Bicycle Service where Kix usually hung out.
“He really brought people together that were not always from the same circles,” his friend Mario Lizarazu said.
He’s known Kix for about 15 years and works at Tucson Bicycle Service where they would often hang out before going out riding.
“He was just a really good friend and he went out of his way to help his friends. He came in here and helped me build the walls just because he wanted to,” he said.
The Tuesday Night Ride group, he said, was formed about 25 years ago and has brought together up to 500 people including Kix who was on it when he passed away.
“It’s just something that he always wanted to do,” Lizarazu said.
This Tuesday night’s ride is a way he and others are remembering Kix.
“I hope it just brings people together,” he said.
Moises Orozco has known Kix for about seven years and was also at the ride in honor of him.
“We’re just remembering him as the way I remember him. The way I remember him was very positive,” Orozco said.
Now he said they’re looking to bring back walkie talkies on their ride, which they used to have years ago. He said it could have helped the day that Kix died.
“That communication would have been very important and the ride would’ve definitely turned around or there would have been more help,” Orozco said.
He said officials should be addressing the homelessness on the loop.
“Cleaning it, the removal of these people on the Loop, especially under the bridges,” Orozco said.
Lizarazu also said they should add security to it to make it safer.
“More patrols or just like make it illegal to be smoking fentanyl,” he said.
Those safety measures are things that they feel would prevent what happened to Kix so that it doesn’t happen again.
“I know he wasn’t expecting this much people stand behind him. It’s really nice seeing that,” Lizarazu said while Orozco said, “It hurt to see a good person no longer be with us.”
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
