On Saturday, more than 250 cyclists from all age groups, backgrounds and ethnicities came out in support of the Third Annual Bikes 4 Life Peace Ride through Oakland.

The yearly 10-mile bike ride - which started at Lake Merritt, rallied at the Fruitvale BART station and ended at Bikes 4 Life shop located at 1600 Seventh St. in West Oakland - is about engaging in healthy activity while calling for more peace on the streets.

Organizers of the Bikes 4 Life peace ride did a couple of things different this year: for the first time, the ride was held at night, starting at 7:30 p.m. Lead Organizer Tony Coleman also took the opportunity to not only call for peace in the streets, but for peace from the police as well. Recent events in Oakland, such as the Mehserle trial verdict and the recent Oakland-BART police shooting of a man near the Fruitvale BART station, in which 50 bullets were fired, warrants a call for peace from gun violence at the hands of the police.    

Riders gathered at the corner of Perkins and Bellevue, near Lakeside Park, where Coleman greeted them. With a microphone and a loud speaker, Coleman spoke to the then crowd of 100 or more about the Bikes 4 Life Peace Ride mission and the significance of the call for peace from police in the wake of the recent events. The safety and wellbeing of all participants were tenets of the peace ride, as well.

Volunteers included bike mechanics and first-aid personnel and were made clearly identifiable should riders need assistance during the ride. Additional support was offered from the many cycling collectives on hand such as Red, Bike & Green and P.O.K.E.R.

The ride left Lakeside Park shortly after 8 p.m. and maneuvered its way to San Antonio Park, along Foothill Boulevard, for the first rest stop. At the end of this short leg of the trip, ride organizer Brian Drayton of Richmond Spokes said he counted more than 250 riders. That number grew to 300 before the end of the night.

From there, the group rode to the Fruitvale BART station to visit the site of the New Year's Day Oscar Grant shooting. After some poignant words from Coleman and others, Coleman led a small group up to the BART station platform for a vigil and prayer. Grant family members, including Cephus Johnson - the victim's uncle - were on hand and participated in the vigil.

The ride ended at the Bikes 4 Life shop with an outdoor showing of the movie, "The Warriors." Richmond Spokes provided valet bike parking and Revolution Cafe, located just next door, extended its Saturday hours to accommodate the crowd.

The size and magnitude of this ride was reminiscent of the monthly traffic-congesting Critical Mass rides held in San Francisco. It was impressive to see hundreds of bikes in the streets, lights flashing, bells ringing, cat calls, howling, music all with a strong feeling of solidarity. As one participant, Jazz Vassar, put it, "It's not enough to ride ... you have to vocalize, people!"

And Saturday night, the B4L community made the message clear: It's time for peace in the streets and peace from police violence.