“When I saw what happened to Alex Pretti… I knew that could’ve been me,” said Kurt Greenwood, a motorcyclist and independent mechanic in Bend. “If what went down in Minnesota was happening in my town, I would’ve been out there doing the exact same thing.”
Greenwood, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, feels a strong sense of solidarity with Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs hospital who was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
“Pretti worked every day to help veterans, and that’s how the U.S. government repays him?” Greenwood asked, rhetorically and scornfully, in an interview with the Source.
Initially, he wanted to attend a Jan. 30 protest while carrying a firearm, visibly displaying his 2nd Amendment rights as a tribute to Pretti, who was lawfully carrying a handgun when he was killed. Though Pretti’s actions were protected under Minnesota law, Trump administration officials like Stephen Miller and Kash Patel have attempted to use the fact that Pretti was armed to justify his extrajudicial killing.
But Greenwood decided that an open-carry protest might send the wrong message to his fellow community members. Instead, he would express himself the way he knew best: through the roar of an engine.
An avid biker, he doesn’t need much motivation to take two wheels around town. But this time, he strapped a “F*ck Trump” flag to one of his motorcycles and decided to make a statement via his vehicle.
Pretti’s death at the hands of the federal government served as a blood-red cherry on top of what Greenwood called the existing “hellscape political climate,” driving him to drive his motorbike to downtown Bend to attend a Jan. 31 Peace Corner protest. The notion that police might disapprove of his actions didn’t bother him at the time; after all, he was showing up as a motorized form of “civil disobedience,” he said.
One day earlier, Greenwood had attended a protest at the same intersection, NW Wall Sreet and NW Newport Avenue, blasting “Streets of Minneapolis,” a contemporary protest anthem by Bruce Springsteen, for throngs of appreciative protestors. Returning on Jan. 31, his goal was to “keep hyping the crowd up,” he said.
Cell phone footage from the event, verified by the Source, shows Greenwood slowly circling and coasting around the intersection on his bike, honking his horn, before peeling away through downtown. While his slow loops partially obstructed the roadway, cars still passed through, albeit at a more staggered rate.
The Bend Police Department has claimed, with local news outlets reporting similarly, that Greenwood was “endangering protesters” by doing laps in the intersection. However, video footage shows Greenwood driving slowly, with the crowd aware of and jubilantly reacting to his presence; the likelihood of injury to pedestrians under these circumstances appears slim.
Greenwood said he repeated this “loop” process “three to five times” before Bend PD intervened.
“Officers attempted to stop the motorcycle away from the crowd, but the driver drove away at high speeds eastbound on Franklin Avenue. Officers did not pursue the motorcycle through the busy area per Department policy,” reads a Bend PD statement.
Greenwood said he heard “a single chirp” from the police siren, but did not realize he was being pulled over, as the noise was not sustained. Admitting to driving without rearview mirrors, he said he could not see the police car’s flashing lights: “They say I eluded arrest, but I wasn’t aware they wanted me to pull over.”
Video footage corroborates Greenwood’s claim that the siren only chirped once.
“After Mr. Greenwood eluded our officers, he returned to the area,” Bend PD spokesperson Sheila Miller told the Source. “Two officers approached him on foot while he was in traffic on Wall Street, took hold of his arms and directed him to get off his motorcycle… He did not initially comply, and had previously eluded our officers. Multiple officers removed him from his bike using force in order to place him under arrest.” A police statement also accuses Greenwood of resisting arrest while being detained on the ground.
Greenwood tells it differently, saying that he was sitting in motionless downtown traffic when officers “tackled” him, damaging his bike and hurting his arm, though not severely enough to require immediate medical attention. Bend PD stated that Greenwood “sustained no injuries during the arrest.”
The mechanic spent the weekend in Deschutes County Jail before being released on his own recognizance. He currently faces three criminal charges: Felony Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, Reckless Driving and Disorderly Conduct. As of publication, the Deschutes County District Attorney has not elected to file the Resisting Arrest charge set forth by police. Greenwood also faces several traffic citations, amounting to $795 in fines.
“Would I have done anything differently?” Stopping to think for a moment, Greenwood answered his own rhetorical question. “After what happened to [Alex Pretti], just standing on a street corner wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to make myself heard, as a veteran and as a community member… I want to feel like the Bend community would stand up and do something real like Pretti did, and I’m not sure if we would.”
The Source made a public records request for police bodycam footage of the incident. Bend PD denied this request, stating that the open case is “not releasable at this time.”
This article appears in the Source February 19, 2026.
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Thank you to Bend PD for handling this situation professionally. From what I witnessed this person was reckless, put people in danger and verbally attacked people who disagreed with him and his method of protest.
The boots? They taste yummy when you lick them??
Hundreds of people watched gleefully as Kurt Greenwood on several occasions would cycle into the Wall/Greenwood intersection with his flag, circle around a few times without blocking traffic–and then move on. Perhaps an infraction, but in the grand scheme of things, hardly violent or threatening. A Bend Police Dept. cruiser was parked in the nearby Oregrown lot for the first hour or so of the protest, and the officer certainly observed several of Kurt’s maneuvers, but without responding. Finally the cruiser started to move toward the Peace Corner–without flashing lights. But Kurt had already cycled off west on Greenwood/Newport at legal speed a good minute or so ahead of the officer. Returning on Greenwood a few minutes later. Kurt circled through the intersection, then drove south on Wall–followed several minutes later by the lagging officer. It doesn’t seem possible that Kurt was deliberately eluding anyone, as he was obviously unaware he was being followed. At one point during the protest Kurt parked his cycle at the corner and walked into the crowd. Wouldn’t that have been the the perfect time to apprehend him? As it was, it seems odd that it would have required the police to throw Kurt to the ground to arrest him.so much force took so much force to arrest him. If this case ever goes to trial, there will be many witnesses willing to show up for Kurt.
Get a job losers, you protest are childish and unimportant. What will it be next week, only you insane TDS will tell.
Get a life. Have you ever or would you ever stop what your doing and protest on a street corner, not for yourself, but for the rights and respect of others?? I would hope so. Any decent person should. There’s nothing more American to me. People are protesting for the rights of every American and the government/ people like you calls them the enemy. Now that’s irony.
I can’t think of anything more un-American that protesting an American agency following American laws removing people from our contry that are not American. But, hey people have the right to protest whatever they want, all the power to you. I’m just curious to see what MSM gets all the sheeple riled up and protesting next week.
Lou, you should’ve stopped after your first 3 words. Not that you need to announce how you can’t think. PS: you come from a family of immigrants. You’d cheer in your own family being detained, deported, possibly graped and brutalized? Yikes!
Veni, I understand you must be ignorant of the reason ICE is deporting people. Because you can’t be that stupid to not know the difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien. I will try to simplify it for you. If your car runs out of gas can you just steal more gas? Everybody uses gas so that would make it okay to steal, correct? No, absolutely not. Just because we are all immigrants does not mean others can break the law to get into this country, plain and simple. We are deporting illegal aliens not immigrants.
There’s nothing MORE American than exercising our First Amendment right to free speech and protest, especially against the actions of our own government. We are all immigrants.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Bravo to Kurt Greenwood!
Good job Bend PD. Once less nut thinking he is above the law. Although I thank that gentleman for his service, there are much better ways to express your distaste for political beliefs in a safer manner. Our streets are busy enough and that was a reckless tantrum fueled by selfish behavior. My Fiance is a decorated Army Vet who served well over a decade during the Gulf war in many areas all over the world and proudly supports his Country regardless who sits in the Presidential seat. For God and Country.
Mr. Greenwood’s self-admitted and witnessed / recorded actions on his motorcycle were dangerous to himself and to the Public and property around him at the time. Anyone with motorcycle riding experience knows how quickly a motorcyclist can lose control at even moderate, if not high speeds. Even an e-bike becomes a potentially lethal instrument as explained in this story – https://whdh.com/news/pedestrian-hospitalized-with-life-threatening-injuries-after-being-hit-by-e-bike-in-boston/
Further, Greenwood admits he was operating his vehicle without rear view mirrors. Rear view mirrors on a motorcycle are absolutely necessary for safe operation – especially on a street bike.
Where Oregon allows for open carry of a firearm the following caveat holds true. “Yes, Oregon is an open carry state, but it is also a “patchwork” state where local rules can change the game significantly depending on where you are standing.
oregongunlaw.com
oregongunlaw.com
+1
While state law generally allows anyone 18 or older to carry a firearm openly without a permit, several major cities use their authority to restrict carrying loaded firearms in public.”
And if Mr. Greenwood is a CHL holder his ability to carry concealed is governed by state law and at the discretion of the Sheriff, who can revoke such a license upon review for a variety of reasons. “A sheriff may revoke a concealed handgun license by serving upon the licensee a notice of revocation. The notice must contain the grounds for the revocation and must be served either personally or by certified mail, restricted delivery. The notice and return of service shall be included in the file of the licensee. The revocation is effective upon the licensee’s receipt of the notice.” – ORS 166.293.
In short, Greenwood’s actions cannot be excused by his own thought process.
The National Review is historically critical of the Alex Pretti shooting – so its recent editorial on that incident is well worth reading and giving objective thought to. Illustrated with several videos taken of Pretti in two separate confrontations with ICE, the writer both reverses his original position on Pretti’s actions and more importantly offers why.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/alex-pretti-was-more-than-just-an-observer/
When asked two weeks ago regarding the actions Sheriff Rupert has at his disposal regarding anyone with a Deschutes County SO issued CHL who might behave in a similar manner as Pretti did, the official response was this.
“Under Oregon law, if an individual is arrested and charged with a crime, the Sheriff must revoke a CHL pending the outcome of the criminal case. The options are as follows:
If the individual is exonerated or found not guilty, the CHL can be reinstated.
If the individual is convicted of a disqualifying misdemeanor, they lose their CHL for four years from the date of conviction.
If the individual is convicted of a felony, the CHL is revoked permanently and cannot be reinstated.”
The Sheriff can also require the CHL to be turned in and held should he be aware of reported actions on the holder’s part that cause him (the Sheriff) concern regarding the high degree of personal responsibility a CHL holder agrees to upon the license being issued. In such an instance the Sheriff can review the cause or causes for his concern and elect to return the license, or revoke it if Cause is established to do so.
Per ORS 166.293 –
“Notwithstanding ORS 166.291 (Issuance of concealed handgun license) (1), and subject to review as provided in subsection (5) of this section, a sheriff may deny a concealed handgun license if the sheriff has reasonable grounds to believe that the applicant has been or is reasonably likely to be a danger to self or others, or to the community at large, as a result of the applicant’s mental or psychological state or as demonstrated by the applicant’s past pattern of behavior involving unlawful violence or threats of unlawful violence.”
In terms of Mr. Greenwood’s claimed status as a U.S. military veteran it is shameful he would offer such a claim and behave in the manner he self-admitted he did. In addition, such claims are all too often either fabricated or the veteran’s discharge status is less than stellar. William Kelly, an anti-ICE activist now federally charged with violating the FACE Act, claimed veteran status as part of his activist resume. That status has since been clarified by follow on reporting, revealing his Army service ended with a dishonorable discharge for theft.
Central Oregon has had its fair share of “military veterans”, both wholly fraudulent or upon close examination, less than honorable.
Notable Exposed Individuals
“Wes Cooley: A former U.S. Representative from Powell Butte who claimed in a 1994 voter guide to have served in Army Special Forces during the Korean War. Investigations revealed he did not finish training until after the 1953 armistice. In 1997, he pleaded guilty to lying about his military record and was sentenced to probation, a fine, and community service.
“Keith Bonner: The former director of the Oregon Youth ChalleNGe Program near Bend. He frequently represented himself as a former Navy SEAL, even wearing a uniform with SEAL insignia to events. In 1999, the Oregon National Guard did not renew his contract after veteran groups proved he had never been a SEAL.
“Michael Bochy (Bacchi): An imposter who operated in the broader Oregon region (including Portland and surrounding areas) but drew attention across the state. He claimed to be a combat veteran and a widowed father to gain money from community groups and churches. In 2017, he was sentenced to six months in jail for criminal impersonation and theft.”
In short, anyone can claim to have served in the U.S. military but confirmation of such service, and the nature of service (Honorable, Dishonorable, General) should be confirmed to include an official DD214 Discharge document with the appropriate codes (i.e. Reenlistment status) affirmed by a local recruiter. For example, disgraced DCSO captain Scott Beard, who did prison time for his crimes while employed, was found after the fact to have falsified his Navy DD214 to show he’d been honorably discharged – he did so by making a copy of his original document, whiting out the negative information, and retyping it with the honorable data.
Mr. Greenwood may indeed be an honorably discharged veteran. If so, his behavior sullies all those other like service members who have served and are part of Central Oregon’s large veteran community. Reckless endangerment of the Public on a city street, offering he was thinking of carrying a firearm as part of his protest, and essentially resisting arrest regardless of the DA dropping the charge simply fuels the hysteria that all veterans are “crazy” – and that is an urban myth which is untrue, unfair, and irresponsible.
Hi Greg — in the future, please research and write your own comments, instead of using AI to do so. Your other comments have been removed for obvious and excessive ChatGPT use.
I’ve been to many protests, although most of them were during the civil rights movement and Vietnam war era. Let us remember Crispus Attucks, a man of mixed race who was gunned down by government troops (Red Coats) in Boston. March 5, 1770. That was the start of the American Revolution. There is a very good reason the US Constitution First Amendment protects peaceful protests. It was included in the Constitution in direct response to the government’s heavy handed ways. While historical precedent is important, current protestors also have responsibility. From the story, it appears that he was taunting the police, and riding a motorcycle without proper mirrors. Everybody wants to be somebody. This is not the way to do that.